2020 Archdiocese of Atlanta Employee Policy Manual/September 2020 - Manual / Resource - Page 33
Disability leave for the birth of a child, will be designated as FMLA leave and will run
concurrently with FMLA. The Archdiocese of Atlanta provides six (6) weeks (or eight weeks for a
C-section) of disability leave for the birth of a baby, which will be designated as FMLA leave and
counted toward the employee’s 12-week entitlement.
The employee will be required to use accrued sick leave up to the amount accrued for the current
calendar year to cover the disability period. If an employee exhausts all sick leave prior to the end
of the disability period, the same options apply as stated “The same options apply as under “Pay
during leave”. The employee will have the option of extending leave beyond the disability period
for up to 12 weeks. The remainder of the 12 weeks beyond this disability period will be unpaid.
Employee may have the option of using accrued vacation time to cover any period of this unpaid
time.
Leave due to the birth of a baby must be taken contemporaneously with the qualifying event and
therefore cannot be delayed, taken intermittently or otherwise reserved to some point in the future.
Leaves of absence due to adoption, foster care, or to care for a family member
For leaves of absence due to the placement of a child for adoption or foster care or to care for a
child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition employees are allowed to use up to 80
hours of sick time, vacation, and personal time to substitute part of the FMLA leave. This period of
time will be designated as FMLA leave and counted toward the employee’s 12-week entitlement.
An employee will be placed on unpaid status if accrued leave is exhausted prior to the employee’s
return to work or until the end of the 12 weeks of leave. This leave must be taken within one year
of the placement of the child.
Intermittent Leave or a Reduced Work Schedule:
The employee may take FMLA leave in 12 consecutive weeks, intermittently (take a day
periodically when needed over the year) or, under certain circumstances, may use the leave to
reduce the workweek or workday, resulting in a reduced hour schedule. In all cases, the leave may
not exceed a total of 12 workweeks.
The Archdiocese may exercise its right to temporarily transfer an employee to an available
alternative position with equivalent pay and benefits if the alternative position would better
accommodate the intermittent or reduced schedule, in instances of when leave for the employee or
employee's family member is foreseeable and for planned medical treatment, including recovery
from a serious health condition or to care for a child after placement for adoption or foster care.
If the employee is taking leave for a serious health condition or because of the serious health
condition of a family member, the employee should try to reach agreement with the immediate
supervisor before taking intermittent leave or working a reduced hour schedule. If this is not
possible, then the employee must prove that the use of the leave is medically necessary.
Intermittent leave may be granted if medically necessary. The Archdiocese has the right to alter the
employee's existing job or require the employee to transfer temporarily from his/her regular
