Family Care & Parental Bonding Leave
If you need to take time off to care for a loved one or bond with a new child, you may be eligible for job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA). At Stanford, some or all of your job-protected leave may be paid.
Criteria for Family Care
- You are caring for an immediate family member suffering from a serious health condition
- You are bonding with your newborn, foster child or adopted child
Overview
- Federal law (FMLA) and California law (CFRA) allow you to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave during a rolling 12-month period for all eligible leaves of absence combined
- FMLA and CFRA are not paid; however, paid family leave (PFL) benefits may provide you with full or partial income replacement while on an eligible leave for up to eight weeks in a rolling 12-month period. Your balance of job-protected leave, up to an additional four weeks, can be taken using a combination of vacation and paid time off accruals as income replacement
- PFL may be taken intermittently, and is most often taken in increments of at least two weeks each when used for baby bonding time
- The San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance provides supplemental compensation in addition to PFL to employees working in San Francisco.
Paid Family Leave - How It Works
| Benefit | FAMILY CARE OR BABY BONDING LEAVE (UP TO 8 WEEKS) | ADDITIONAL LEAVE TIME (BALANCE OF CFRA - UP TO 4 WEEKS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income protection | Paid Family Leave - Bonding | None | |
| Length of time allowed | May be up to 8 weeks May be taken intermittently, in increments of at least two weeks each May use within 12 months of the child’s birth or adoption/ foster care placement | May be up to 4 weeks after FTD Leave | |
| Documentation | Bonding certificate | N/A | |
| Salary continuation or supplement | Benefits-eligible employees on leave for bonding receive 100% of base pay without using accruals for the first 6 weeks and may use accrued PTO, floating holiday and vacation hours during weeks 7-8 to augment insurance benefit. Non-benefits-eligible employees may use accrued PTO, floating holiday and vacation hours to augment insurance benefit. | May use only accrued PTO, floating holiday and vacation hours as salary continuation. No disability benefit or salary supplement during this period | |
| Job protection | Protected under CFRA (the California version of FMLA) and/or FMLA. If eligible, provides 12 weeks in a rolling 12-month calendar year, beginning on the first day of leave. | ||
Review Your Options
Visit the pages below to learn more about your job-protection and insurance options while on a Family Leave.