HANDBOOK STATEMENT Employee Handbook Subject: Family Military Leave of Absence Approved By: Effective Date: Employee August 16, 2016 Handbook Team Reviewed: August 21, 2017 Huntington provides leave to qualified employees who are family members of those men and women who serve in the Armed Forces (including National Guard and Reserves). The availability of leave, the length of the time away from work, and your rights with regard to family military leave will vary depending on the circumstances prompting the need for leave. FAMILY MILITARY LEAVE Huntington will comply with all state laws regarding leaves of absence. If the law in the state in which you are employed provides for a greater amount of family military leave, Huntington will provide you with the amount of leave required under state law. Generally speaking, you are eligible for family military leave if you qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). If your leave qualifies as leave under the FMLA, Huntington or its third-party leave administrator will provide you with specific notice that your leave is FMLA-qualified and will inform you of your rights and responsibilities under the FMLA. You will also be notified that your leave will be designated as FMLA-protected and of the amount of leave that will be counted against your FMLA leave entitlement. Unless family military leave is otherwise provided for under state law, if you do not qualify for leave under the FMLA, but need leave for any of the below reasons, you may be eligible for a Personal Leave of Absence. Subject to certain exceptions stated elsewhere in this Handbook Statement, absences approved and designated as family military leave will not result in the loss of an Attendance Credit under Huntington s Attendance and Dependability handbook statement. Eligibility You are eligible for family military leave under the FMLA if you meet all of the following criteria: 1
1. You have completed at least twelve (12) months of employment with Huntington within the last seven (7) years. These twelve (12) months do not need to be consecutive. 2. You have worked at least 1,250 hours in the twelve (12) months prior to the start of the leave. 3. You work at a worksite where there are 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Qualifying Reasons Huntington provides family military leave to eligible employees needing time off for any of the following reasons: 1. To care for a Covered Servicemember currently serving in the Armed Forces (including National Guard or Reserves) when you are his/her spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin. A Covered Servicemember is an individual who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy, in outpatient status, or on the temporary disability retired list for a serious illness or injury sustained in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces or that existed before the beginning of the member s active duty and was aggravated by service in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces, and that may render the member medically unfit to perform the duties of the member s office, grade, rank or rating; 2. To care for a Covered Veteran when you are his/her spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin. A Covered Veteran is an individual: (a) who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy for a serious illness or injury sustained in the line of duty while on active duty in the Armed Forces (including National Guard or Reserves) or that existed before the beginning of the member s active duty and was aggravated by service in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces; (b) who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five years preceding the first date you take FMLA leave to care for the Covered Veteran; and (c) who was discharged within the five-year period before you commence leave to care for the Covered Veteran; or 3. To handle a qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that your spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on covered active duty or call to covered active duty status (or has been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty). Covered active duty or call to covered active duty status in the case of a member of the Regular Armed Forces means duty during the deployment of a member of the Armed Forces to a foreign country. Covered active duty or call to covered active duty status in the case of a member of the Reserve components of the Armed Forces (including the National Guard) means duty during the deployment of the member with the Armed Forces 2
to a foreign country under a Federal call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation. A qualifying exigency may include any of the following events: 1. Short notice deployment, if a Military Member is notified of impending call or order to active duty seven (7) or less calendar days prior to the date of deployment; 2. Military events or related activities, such as family support or assistance programs and official ceremonies, programs or events sponsored by the military; 3. Childcare and school activities, such as arranging for childcare or transfer to a new school or day care facility or attending meetings with school or day care staff; 4. Financial and legal arrangements, such as making or updating financial arrangements to address the Military Member s absence while on active duty or obtaining or arranging for military service benefits; 5. Counseling for the Military Member or his or her child; 6. Rest and recuperation, if a Military Member is on short-term, temporary, or recuperation leave during the period of deployment, up to fifteen (15) days of leave may be taken to spend with the Military Member during this time; 7. Post-deployment activities occurring during the 90-day period following the termination of active status for such activities as attending arrival ceremonies or reintegration briefings or events; 8. In the event of a Military Member s death, to recover the Military Member s body and/or to make funeral arrangements; or 9. Parental care, where you need to take leave to care for a Military Member s parent who is incapable of self-care when the care is necessitated by the Military Member s covered active duty. If you need leave for any reason that you believe qualifies as a qualifying exigency, contact the Leave Administrator, CareWorks USA, for guidance. Amount of Leave If you are eligible and approved for family military leave, your leave will be considered leave under FMLA. With one exception, your total FMLA leave (including any FMLA leave taken under the Medical Leave of Absence or Family Leave of Absence handbook statements) may not exceed twelve (12) weeks within a 12-month leave period. The 12- month leave period during which FMLA leave may be taken is measured backward from any date FMLA leave is taken. Huntington can retroactively designate leave as FMLA, but will not do so if it will cause you harm or injury. 3
The exception applies if you need leave to care for a seriously ill or injured Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran (defined above). In that situation, you are eligible for up to 26 weeks of leave in a single 12-month period, calculated on a go-forward basis. However, leave to care for an injured or ill Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran, when combined with other FMLA-qualifying leave (including any FMLA leave taken under the Medical Leave of Absence or Family Leave of Absence handbook statements), may not exceed 26 weeks in a single-12-month period. If you and your spouse both work for Huntington and you are both eligible for FMLA leave, and all or a portion of your leave is to care for a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran with a serious injury or illness, then the total amount of leave that you and your spouse will be entitled to receive is limited to twenty-six (26) weeks during the single 12- month period described above for the following reasons: birth of a child placement of a child for adoption or foster care care of a seriously ill parent, but not a parent-in-law care for a spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin who is a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran with a serious injury or illness If both you and your spouse use part of the maximum twelve(12)/twenty-six (26) week period for any reason stated above, then each of you is entitled to the balance of any remaining individual FMLA leave for a reason other than that stated above (e.g., your own serious health condition). Refer to the Medical Leave of Absence and Family Leave of Absence handbook statements for additional information. Family military leave is available in continuous blocks of time or on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule. Intermittent leave is leave taken in blocks of time ranging in length from six minutes to several days. A reduced leave schedule is a work schedule that temporarily reduces the number of hours you are scheduled to work each day or week. If you take leave on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule, you may be temporarily reassigned to a different position that better accommodates your leave schedule. Advance Notice Requirements For both continuous and intermittent leaves that are foreseeable to care for a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran with a serious injury or illness, you are required to provide at least thirty (30) days advance notice of the need for family military leave. If 30 days notice is not possible, if your need for leave was unforeseeable, or if your leave is related to a qualifying exigency, you must give notice of the need for family military leave as soon as practicable. Providing notice as soon as practicable means that absent exceptional circumstances, you must provide notice as soon as possible after you learn of the need for leave. 4
Notice can be provided verbally or in writing. When providing notice of the need for leave, you are expected to provide enough facts to make it clear that the reason for your absence qualifies you for family military leave, and you are expected to provide information regarding the anticipated timing and duration of your absence. Additionally, if you have previously been approved for a family military leave and are requesting additional leave for the same qualifying reason, then you are expected to reference the qualifying reason for the leave or the need for FMLA-qualified family military leave. If you are approved for an intermittent leave of absence, then absent exceptional circumstances, you are expected to provide at least two (2) hours advance notice of your need to take approved leave. Similarly, if you need to leave work early for an approved intermittent leave absence, you are expected to provide at least two (2) hours advance notice of your need to leave early. Notice should be provided to your manager. In addition, you must notify CareWorks USA, Huntington s Leave Administrator, of your need for leave by calling the HR Service Center at 614-480-3094, or 866-480-3094, and choosing option 1. Failure to provide timely notice; failure to provide appropriate notice; and/or failure to follow Huntington s notice procedures could result in denial or delay of your leave request. Additionally, failure to follow call in and notice procedures may result in Attendance Credits being deducted from your Attendance Credit Bank, even if the absence is approved as family military leave. Finally, you are expected to schedule your leave with your manager so as not to unduly disrupt your department s workflow and service levels. Certification Huntington requires you to submit a Certification for Serious Injury or Illness of Covered Servicemember for Military Family Leave, and if leave is for a Qualifying Exigency, you will be required to submit a Certification of Qualifying Exigency for Military Family Leave. You are responsible for paying any fees charged by a health care provider to complete the Certification or any other paperwork associated with your medical leave. Once a Certification is received, Huntington s health care provider may contact the Covered Servicemember s or Covered Veteran s health care provider, if Huntington needs clarification of information contained in the Certification. Additionally, if Huntington questions the validity of the Certification submitted, the Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran may be required to obtain the opinion of a second health care provider. If the second Certification differs from the original Certification, the Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran may be required to obtain the opinion of a third health care provider, whose opinion shall be deemed final and binding. 5
Similarly, if leave is for a qualifying exigency, Huntington may take action to verify your explanation for leave, if you fail to provide the Certification or your reason involves a meeting with a third party. If the qualifying exigency involves meeting with a third party, Huntington may contact the individual or entity with whom you are meeting for the purpose of verifying the meeting. Huntington may also contact the Department of Defense to request verification that your spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on covered active duty or has been called to covered active duty. Additionally, if the qualifying exigency involves leave for rest and recuperation, Huntington may request a copy of the Rest and Recuperation leave orders, or other documentation issued by the military setting forth the dates of the Rest and Recuperation leave. Status Report Requirements You are required to keep Huntington informed of any change of address and/or telephone number while you are on leave. Notice of change in address and/or telephone number should be provided to the HR Service Center. If you fail to notify Huntington of your change in address and/or telephone number, then you will be deemed to have received any notices or information that is mailed to your address of record. You may be required to contact your manager and/or HR Service Center while on approved leave to provide status updates. Additionally, you are required to confirm your return-to-work status at least two days prior to your return to work date. Pay While on Family Military Leave Family military leave is unpaid; however, you must use available Paid Time Off (PTO) during your family military leave of absence. You may also use Replacement Holiday and/or Attendance Recognition Day, if available, during your family military leave of absence. You may also qualify for Predeployment/Deployment leave, which is paid, as described below. If no PTO or other paid leave is available, the leave will be unpaid. Huntington realizes that when taking leave you may want to reserve some PTO to use for future absences. Therefore, one time in a calendar year, during an approved continuous family leave, family military leave, or medical leave lasting more than three (3) days, you may reserve up to five (5) days of PTO to use for any future absences in the calendar year, provided your leave commences prior to October 1. You may not reserve PTO if your leave begins on or after October 1, if you have previously reserved PTO any time during the calendar year, of if your leave is taken on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule basis. Eligibility for incentive payments while on family military leave will be governed by the applicable rules in each individual incentive plan document. 6
Continuation of Benefits While on Family Military Leave During family military leave Huntington maintains medical, dental and health care spending account benefits for you and your family members already enrolled. More information on your options with respect to these coverages is contained in the Health Care Plan. Time spent on family military leave will count as eligibility service for the Huntington Investment and Tax Savings Plan. If you were hired or rehired prior to January 1, 2010, time spent on personal leave will count for vesting service and eligibility for early retirement under the Huntington Bancshares Retirement Plan. Time spent on family military leave will count as accrual service for the Transition Pay Plan and the Short-Term Disability Plan. The following includes information regarding payment for benefits while you are on leave. Medical, Dental and Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) While you are on paid leave, your normal salary deductions for medical benefits, dental benefits, and your Health Care Spending Account will be made. While you are on unpaid leave, your contribution amounts will be the same as if you were actively working. Huntington will periodically inform you of the amount of your share of the cost for such coverage that remains unpaid. You may pay your share of the cost of such coverage on the same schedule as payments are made under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) or under any other system voluntarily agreed to between you and Huntington that is not inconsistent with the regulations under FMLA or under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). If you are on an unpaid leave of absence and have not paid for all or part of your share of the cost of benefits coverage, Huntington may collect unpaid employee contributions for those periods in which coverage was provided, but employee contributions were not made. When you return to work, or when your payroll cycle resumes and you begin receiving a paycheck from Huntington, it will be your responsibility to pay Huntington back for any benefit deductions that are due. If you fail to return to work following a period of unpaid leave, Huntington may recover all or any portion of the cost of medical, dental or HCSA coverage that Huntington maintained while you were on unpaid leave, unless your failure to return to work is due to: (1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset of either a serious health condition for you or your family member, or a serious injury or illness of a covered servicemember, which would otherwise entitle you to leave under FMLA; or (2) other circumstances beyond your control. 7
Group Term Life Insurance Group Term Life Insurance coverage will continue for periods of paid and unpaid leave. Optional Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Optional Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance coverage will continue for periods of paid and unpaid leave. While you are on paid leave, Huntington will deduct contributions for such coverage from your pay in the same manner as if you were actively at work. While you are on unpaid leave, your contribution amounts for this coverage will be the same as if you were actively working. Huntington will periodically inform you of the amount of your share of the cost for such coverage that remains unpaid. You may pay your share of the cost of such coverage on the same schedule as payments are made under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) or under any other system voluntarily agreed to between you and Huntington that is not inconsistent with the regulations under FMLA or under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). If you are on an unpaid leave of absence and have not paid for all or part of your share of the cost of benefits coverage, Huntington may collect unpaid employee contributions for those periods in which coverage was provided, but employee contributions were not made. When you return to work, or when your payroll cycle resumes and you begin receiving a paycheck from Huntington, it will be your responsibility to pay Huntington back for any benefit deductions that are due. If you fail to return to work following a period of unpaid leave, Huntington may recover all or any portion of the cost of Optional Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance that Huntington maintained while you were on unpaid leave, unless your failure to return to work is due to: (1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset of either a serious health condition for you or your family member, or a serious injury or illness of a covered servicemember, which would otherwise entitle you to leave under FMLA; or (2) other circumstances beyond your control. Long-Term Disability Benefits Long-term disability coverage will continue until the later of the family military leave period required under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the leave period required by applicable state law. If you fail to return to work following expiration of this period and you do not remain off work on another type of leave, your long-term disability coverage will terminate the day after you fail to return to work. If you remain off work on another type of approved leave, continuation of your long-term disability coverage is dependent upon the rules for that particular type of leave. 8
Huntington Investment and Tax Savings Plan (the 401(k) Plan ) Huntington Investment and Tax Savings Plan participation will continue in the same manner as though you were actively employed, so long as you receive pay that is eligible for pre-tax contributions. If you are receiving pay that is not eligible for 401(k) Plan contributions, or if you are on unpaid leave, contributions to the 401(k) Plan cannot be made. Contributions will be automatically reinstated upon return to work unless you suspend participation or change your contribution percentage under the terms of the 401(k) Plan. Contributions, including Company-matching contributions, cannot be reinstated retroactively. Other Benefits While you are on paid leave, any Huntington Dependent Care Spending Account, Health Savings Account and Commuter Benefit contributions will continue to be deducted from your pay in the same manner as if you were actively at work. Returning from Leave Provided you return to work immediately upon the conclusion of approved family military leave, you are entitled to reinstatement to your same or equivalent position, with the same pay, benefits, and conditions of employment, provided your employment would not have been otherwise terminated (e.g., reduction in force). It is important that you keep your manager informed of your status and plans to return to work. This will help ensure adequate staffing in your department during your leave and will help to expedite your return to work at the conclusion of your leave. To further facilitate your return to work, if the circumstances of your leave change and you are able to return to work earlier than anticipated, you are required to notify CareWorks USA at least two (2) work days prior to the date you intend to return to work by calling 866-480-3094 and choosing Option 1. Termination of Leave If you do not return to work at the conclusion of approved family military leave, you will be considered to have resigned employment. At the termination of your employment, you will have the option of continuing any medical, dental, and/or vision coverage in which you are enrolled at your cost through COBRA Continuation Coverage and/or continuing any basic, optional and/or dependent term life insurance in which you are enrolled at your own cost through a portability or conversion policy. Additional information regarding these options is available in the Health Care and Survivor Benefits Summary Plan Descriptions. 9
If Your Position is Eliminated If your department and/or position is eliminated, closed or otherwise terminated while you are on leave, you will receive the same treatment as other similarly affected employees. If you are eligible and qualify for benefits under the Transition Pay Plan and if you are on an approved continuous family military leave of absence that has been approved and designated by the Company as leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act ( Approved Family or Medical Leave ) at the time your position is eliminated, then you are eligible for benefits under the Transition Pay Plan on the day you return to work, provided you return to work prior to the expiration of your Approved Family or Medical Leave. If your return to work occurs after the expiration of your Approved Family or Medical Leave, you will not be eligible for benefits under the Transition Pay Plan. FMLA Protection Huntington provides FMLA-protected leave to all employees who qualify. Huntington will not tolerate the interference with, restraint, or denial of any employee s right provided under the FMLA. Huntington will not discharge or discriminate against any employee who opposes any practice made unlawful by the FMLA or who is involved in any proceeding under or relating to the FMLA. The FMLA does not affect any federal or state law prohibiting discrimination; nor does it supersede any state or local law which provides greater family or medical leave rights. FMLA complaints may be filed with the United States Department of Labor or through private lawsuits. Definitions Child A biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child raised by you, who is under the age of 18 or is 18 or older and incapable of self-care because of a physical or mental disability. For leave to care for a Covered Servicemember who is recovering from a serious injury or illness sustained in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces, <son or daughter> is defined as the Covered Servicemember s biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, legal ward, or child for whom the Covered Servicemember stood in loco parentis. The age of the son or daughter is irrelevant for leave to care for a Covered Servicemember. Health care provider A doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is authorized to practice medicine in the state in which he or she practices. A health care provider may also include a podiatrist, Christian Science practitioner, dentist, clinical psychologist, optometrist, chiropractor (under limited circumstances), or nurse practitioner or nurse midwife authorized to practice in the state and performing within the scope of his or her practice as defined under state law. Additionally, a health care provider includes individuals from whom Huntington or Huntington s group health plan will accept certification of the 10
existence of a serious health condition to substantiate a claim for benefits. Next of kin The nearest blood relative, other than the Covered Servicemembers or Covered Veteran s spouse, parent, son, or daughter, in the following order of priority: a blood relative who has been designated in writing by the Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran as the next of kin for FMLA purposes, a blood relative who has been granted legal custody of the Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran, brothers or sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins. When a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran expressly designates a blood relative to serve as his/her next of kin for leave purposes, only that individual is entitled to take leave to care for a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran. Parent Your biological parent or the person who acted as a parent to you when you were a child under the age of 18. For leave to care for a Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran who is recovering from a serious illness or injury sustained in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces, parent is defined as the Covered Servicemember s or Covered Veteran s biological, adopted, step or foster father or mother, or any other individual who stood in loco parentis to the Covered Servicemember or Covered Veteran. Serious injury or illness In the case of a Covered Servicemember, an injury or illness that was incurred by the Covered Servicemember in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces or that existed before the beginning of the member's active duty and was aggravated by service in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces, and that may render the member medically unfit to perform the duties of the member's office, grade, rank or rating. In the case of a Covered Veteran, an injury or illness that was incurred by the member in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces (or existed before the beginning of the member's active duty and was aggravated by service in the line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces) and manifested itself before or after the member became a veteran, and is: (i) a continuation of a serious injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated when the covered veteran was a member of the Armed Forces and rendered the servicemember unable to perform the duties of the servicemember's office, grade, rank, or rating; or (ii) a physical or mental condition for which the covered veteran has received a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Service-Related Disability Rating (VASRD) of 50 percent or greater, and such VASRD rating is based, in whole or in part, on the condition precipitating the need for military caregiver leave; or (iii) a physical or mental condition that substantially impairs the covered veteran's ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of a disability or disabilities related to military service, or would do so absent treatment; or (iv) an injury, including a psychological injury, on the basis of which the covered veteran has been enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. Spouse The person recognized as your spouse under the laws of the state where you were married, including same-sex or common law marriages. For example, if your state recognizes common law marriages, then your common law spouse is recognized as a spouse. However, unmarried domestic partners do not qualify as spouses. 11
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PRE-DEPLOYMENT/DEPLOYMENT TIME OFF Pre-Deployment/Deployment Time Off is available to all Huntington colleagues. If an immediate family member (defined below) is scheduled to be deployed six (6) months or more, Huntington will provide the employee with up to ten (10) paid days off (non-mtp) pre-deployment pay prior to deployment to allow the employee time to prepare for an extended deployment. In all cases, you will be required to provide proof of the length of the scheduled deployment (such as orders). This benefit is available one time in a calendar year. Non exempt colleagues that use this benefit will need to have his/her manager code hours into etime using the PDP paycode (Pre-Deployment Pay) To the extent the employee is eligible for FMLA leave; this benefit will run concurrently with such FMLA leave. If taken, this time off will not count against the employee s Paid Time Off(PTO) eligibility. This benefit is available one time in a calendar year. For purposes of this policy an immediate family member is defined as parent, step-parent, spouse, partner, child, or step- child. This benefit must be used prior to the deployment; is not intended to be used upon the service member returning back at the conclusion of his/her military leave. If time off is desired at that time, earned and unused PTO should be used. TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT Travel Reimbursement is available to all Huntington colleagues whose parent, stepparent, spouse, partner, child, or step-child is a scheduled to be deployed for six (6) months or more. Huntington will reimburse the employee his/her actual travel costs, inclusive of taxes, in a total amount not to exceed $2,500 within a 12-month period. The travel must be during the employee s family member s deployment for visitation purposes. The travel allowance is taxable income and taxes and applicable deductions will be withheld from the allowance, and documentation of the actual travel costs will be required. If the employee s family member s deployment lasts longer than twelve (12) months, then the employee is eligible to receive the travel reimbursement of up to $2,500 one time in each subsequent twelve (12) month deployment period. An additional travel reimbursement of up to $2,500 may be available for family members who are injured or who have special circumstances arise during their deployment. Employees needing to use the travel allowance should contact the HR Service Center. FAMILY MILITARY LEAVE UNDER STATE LAW Depending on the state in which you work, your right to family military leave may vary somewhat from what is described above. State-law family military leave is available to all Huntington colleagues located in the states that provide such leave. 13
Indiana Family Military Leave Employees located in Indiana will be provided up to 10 days of family military leave per year during one or more of the following periods (1) within the 30-day period before a family member begins active duty; (2) during the leave period of a family member on active duty; or (3) during the 30-day period following a family member s return from active duty. To be eligible for this leave, the employee must have been employed for at least 12 months, worked 1,500 hours during the 12-month period preceding the leave, and be the spouse, parent, grandparent or sibling of the service member called to duty. Some or all of this leave may be paid if the employee meets the requirements above to receive predeployment/deployment leave; otherwise, the leave will be unpaid. Huntington may request verification of the need for leave, and employees should provide 30 days written notice of the need for leave when possible. Illinois Family Military Leave Employees located in Illinois will be provided up to 30 days of family military leave if they have a spouse, parent, child, or grandchild who is called to military service lasting longer than 30 days and provided that they have been employed for at least 12 months and have worked for at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave. The amount of leave available is reduced by the number of days taken under the FMLA. Prior to taking Illinois family military leave, employees must exhaust PTO. A portion of this leave may be paid if the employee meets the requirements above to receive pre-deployment/deployment leave; otherwise, the leave will be unpaid. Employees must provide at least 14 days notice if requesting 5 or more consecutive days of leave, or if less than 5 consecutive days, as much notice as possible. MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY You are responsible for being aware of the availability of FMLA leave and for understanding the FMLA and related state law requirements. Remember that employees need not specifically request FMLA leave to qualify for FMLA leave. If an employee puts you on notice that he or she is absent for an FMLA qualified reason, then it is your responsibility to contact CareWorks USA Representative and your Employee Relations Consultant to report the reason for the employee s absence. Contact should be made with CareWorks (1-866-480-3094, Option #1) if the employee is expected to or has already been absent from work for 3 days. There could be serious repercussions if Huntington does not send the appropriate FMLA leave designation and response forms to an employee, including the extension of the employee s FMLA leave eligibility. Therefore, if you receive notice of an employee s need for FMLA leave and fail to properly notify HR Service Center and/or a CareWorks USA Representative, then you will be held responsible and accountable for your failure to follow notification procedures. 14
Remember that an employee who is approved for family military leave cannot be disciplined for taking leave. You are responsible for ensuring that the employee is returned to work in his or her regular position at the conclusion of family military leave. If an employee requests leave on an intermittent or reduced schedule basis and the employee qualifies for intermittent FMLA leave, you are responsible for working with the employee to accommodate his or her leave needs. You should also consider whether it is appropriate to transfer the employee to another position that better accommodates his or her intermittent or reduced leave schedule due to planned medical treatment. You must also ensure that the employee is returned to his or her regular schedule at the conclusion of intermittent or reduced schedule leave. If you have an employee who is on an approved intermittent FMLA leave, it is at the manager s discretion to allow the employee to take FMLA time during their day and make up their time on the same day. If this occurs, the FMLA time does not have to be reported to CareWorks USA. You also are responsible for working with employees to ensure that they use PTO during their leave when permitted. For federal FMLA leave, employees are able to reserve five (5) days of PTO to use for future absences in the calendar year, provided the following conditions are met: (1) employees are only able to reserve PTO during their first approved leave (family or medical), and (2) employees may not reserve PTO and must use all available PTO if their leave begins on or after October 1. The following examples illustrate these provisions. Example: An employee goes on a family military leave of absence in February and chooses to reserve five (5) days of PTO to use in the future. The employee then has a medical leave of absence in August. During the second leave, the employee cannot reserve any PTO for future use. PTO must be used during the second leave for time that would otherwise have been unpaid because the employee already reserved PTO once. Example: An employee has a family military leave of absence (the first leave in the calendar year) that begins October 15. The employee cannot reserve any PTO for future use. PTO must be used during the leave for time that would otherwise have been unpaid because the leave began after October 1. Note that state FMLA laws may restrict Huntington s ability to require employees to use PTO at the same time as protected leave. If an employee requests family military leave, but is not eligible or does not qualify for leave under the FMLA, then you are responsible for working with the employee to ensure that he or she understand his or her right to apply for a personal leave of absence. 15