UAMS offers several benefits for expecting mothers. Please review the checklist below to get started planning for your maternity leave of absence.
Step One: Check Your Eligibility
Determine whether you are eligible for FMLA or PWFA:
- Have you worked at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months?
- Have you worked at UAMS for at least 12 months?
- If these apply, but you are not giving birth (adoption, paternity, guardianship), please visit FMLA Source website to learn how to proceed.
- If these DO NOT apply to you, please review the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act information page and work with Employee Relations to request a PWFA accommodation.
Determine whether you are eligible for Short Term Disability (STD): (If all answers are “Yes”, you should qualify)
- Are you a benefits-eligible employee at UAMS, but ineligible for Paid Parental Leave?
- Have you been insured under short-term disability for at least 4 months?
- Are you giving birth?
Determine whether you are eligible for Paid Parental Leave: (If all answers are “Yes”, you should qualify)
- Have you been employed by UAMS or a campus, unit, or division of the UA System for at minimum of 24 continuous months in a benefit eligible position (a regular position with an FTE of 50% or more)
- Have been approved for FMLA leave for a period encompassing the date of birth of the child?
- Are you the birth parent, legal spouse of the birth parent, an adoptive parent, or a foster parent?
- Was your child born on or after September 1, 2024?
Federal and UA System office policies are subject to change, but the final determination of eligibility belongs to FMLASource and the Standard.
Step Two: Milestone Activities
Review these important milestone activities:
Considering pregnancy:
- Familiarize yourself with the Maternity Disability Benefits, linked here.
- Monitor the UAMS website for the latest information on Maternity Benefits
- Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave Policy, linked here.
- Contact askhr@uams.edu if the FAQs don’t address your scenario.
- If you earn more than $45,000/year, consider purchasing the optional short-term disability plan. It covers up to $216,000 of your salary at 60%.
Before delivery:
- Determine your delivery due date in consultation with your provider.
- Notify your manager as early as possible for workforce planning.
- Determine whether your occupation requires accommodations during or after your pregnancy and discuss those with the Standard consultant.
- Determine when you plan to cease work in consultation with your manager and the Standard consultant.
- Plan for a handover of your work responsibilities during your absence (cross-training, shared resources, etc.)
- Review the UAMS Child Development Center offerings and sign-up as needed.
Within 2 weeks of your due date/scheduled delivery date:
- File for FMLA, if you are eligible – Visit FMLA Source. Provide the policy number:752587
- Contact Standard to initiate the claim, if you will not apply for the UAMS Paid Parental Leave Program – Visit the Standard Website
- Determine how best to utilize your paid time off (sick/annual) during your maternity leave in combination with paid parental time off or disability pay.
- Disability due to pregnancy is available two weeks prior to your due date. Utilizing your time off during the two weeks prior to delivery would enable you to serve all or part of your benefit waiting period reducing a gap in pay.
- Submit your time off in Workday or WFM and work with your Timekeeper to log your leave of absence(s).
When you cease working or are placed on medically warranted bed rest:
- Contact FMLASource to update the claim start date.
- Contact The Standard to initiate the claim.
- Notify HR, if you are approved for Paid Parental Leave to ensure there is no overlap with disability benefits and paid parental time off
After delivery:
- Notify FMLA Source if the delivery varies from your original plan.
- Notify the Standard to confirm the delivery date and the manner of delivery, if you are not utilizing Paid Parental time off.
- If you have UAMS health insurance, begin the process of adding your newborn to your policy within 30 days. Visit Learning Module: Manage My Benefits
- Review existing insurance coverage and determine whether you’d like to add the newborn to additional policies. Visit Learning Module: Manage My Benefits
- Update your beneficiaries, as needed.
- Monitor your direct deposits to ensure you are not overpaid during your maternity leave.
- If you are on Short-Term Disability, contact your timekeeper if you believe you are receiving an overpayment of your salary/wages. You should not receive payments from UAMS for time off during the same period as your approved short-term disability period.
- If you are in an unpaid status, be sure to watch your mailbox for insurance invoices. You will be required to stay current on these payments even when you are in an unpaid status to ensure coverage does not lapse.
After you return to work:
- Remind your timekeeper to “Return you from Leave” inside of Workday.
- Contact Employee Relations to review your options if your return to work requires ADA Accommodations or Workplace Possibilities solutions.
- Update FMLA Source if your “return to work” date is different from what is approved.
Step Three: Keep These Quick References Handy
FMLA Source | www.fmlasource.com | App: FMLASOURCE Now |833.786.8644
- Visit the UAMS FMLASource Resources for instructions and FAQs
- Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave Policy at UAMS
The Standard | www.standard.com | 888.641.7194 | Group Policy: 752587
UAMS Division of People and Culture | www.hr.uams.edu | askhr@uams.edu | 501-686-5650