Benefits & Leaves of Absence

Federal and state laws make leaves of absence a very complex topic.  We help employers navigate through the complexity of the leaves of absence laws, providing clear communications and showing clearly how benefits are integrated during an absence.

Some state and federal laws apply to employers of all sizes, while others apply to employers of certain sizes (i.e., 2, 4, 5, 15, 16, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100 employees).  Large employers have staffs dedicated to managing leaves of absence, but smaller employers don’t have specialized resources.

The most common leaves of absence are medical/Workers’ Compensation leaves and pregnancy-related leaves.  The main challenges in administering these and other leaves of absence are:

• Knowing what private, state and federal insurance benefits and laws apply
• Integrating employer benefits such as vacation, sick leave, and paid time off with insurance benefits, not to exceed 100% of regular pay
• Knowing which benefits are paid and which are not
• Calculating which benefits run concurrently and which are sequential
• Clearly communicating the terms and conditions of a leave to employee and employer
• Obtaining documentation appropriate to the particular type of leave
• Correctly calculating job protection benefits

Each year brings new challenges.  Starting in 2011, did you know that California employers with 15 or more employees must provide paid time off to employees who choose to donate an organ or bone marrow?