For Expectant Mothers

Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) - all employees

To be eligible for a job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee must meet all of the following:

• Have been employed by the University for at least 12 months,
• Have completed at least 1,250 hours of service (an average of about 24 hours per week) during the twelve (12) months immediately prior to the date on which the leave commences, and
• Work in a location with 50 employees or within 75 miles of such location.

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California Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) - california residents

Pre-partum

Under the Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) in the state of California and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you may take up to four (4) weeks of pre-partum leave before your due date. If you do not use this time prior to the birth, it cannot be added to your post-partum disability leave.

Post-partum

After you deliver, under California PDL, you may take six (6) weeks off after the birth of your baby if it is a vaginal birth. If you have a cesarean section birth (C-Section), you are entitled to take eight (8) weeks off.

Maximum LOA

California PDL allows pregnant employees to take job-protected leave when they are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions up to a period of 17 1/3 weeks, based on a regular workweek if working full-time. This leave can be taken continuous, intermittent, or taken in increments depending on your medical provider's guidance.

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California Family Rights Act (CFRA) - california residents

Upon completion of your pregnancy disability leave (pre-partum and post-partum), you may be entitled to up to 12 workweeks of CFRA benefits to bond with your newborn. You will need to complete a Family Leave Application with Pepperdine. 

To qualify for a CFRA leave, an employee must:

• Have been employed by the University for at least 12 months, and
• Have completed at least 1,250 hours of service (an average of about 24 hours per week) during the twelve (12) months immediately prior to the date on which the leave commences

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Employees who do not qualify or no longer qualify for FMLA, CFRA, and/or PDL under this may be eligible for a LOA under the University's Supplemental Medical or Supplemental Personal Leave policies. Please contact Human Resources at benefits@pepperdine.edu for more information.

1. Employees are required to complete Pepperdine's Leave of Absence Intake Form.
2. Next, have your medical provider complete the Medical Certification Form before your leave begins. We recommend you print this and take it with you to your doctor visits when you begin to see your doctor every two weeks in case your doctor chooses to place you off work on the spot. Return the completed form to benefits@pepperdine.edu or send it via fax or mail to:

HR Benefits Administrator
Human Resources
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA 90263
Phone: 310-506-4397
Fax: 310-506-4839
benefits@pepperdine.edu

If your medical provider is Kaiser, you may disregard the Medical Certification form and submit the Kaiser Work Status Report instead. If your provider does not accept the third-party forms, you may submit a doctor’s note indicating your last day of work and an estimated release to return to work date.

If you are not a California resident, please contact Human Resources at benefits@pepperdine.edu for more information on your state’s leave policy.

Disability Insurance (DI) is a partial wage replacement benefit and provides up to 70-90% of your gross weekly salary while you are on a Pregnancy Disability Leave. Once your claim is approved, there is a seven-day waiting period for which you will not receive payment.

coordination of benefits

Staff may use accrued and available sick and vacation time to cover:

• The 10-30% of their gross weekly salary that is not covered by disability insurance, and/or
• The seven-day waiting period.
• You also have the option to take the leave unpaid. 

If staff would like Human Resources to supplement their disability pay with their accruals, they must provide HR with their written approval to use accruals. Without approval, employees will not receive payment from Pepperdine for the duration of their leave.

Eligible faculty will receive salary continuation less any amount of disability insurance received during their leave.

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APPLY FOR DI THROUGH UNUM

California employees participating in "CA VDI" may apply for disability insurance through Unum, Pepperdine's managed partner.

When completing the claim form, please follow the steps below:

• Visit Unum’s website or download the My Unum app on your smart device.
• Register for an online account by creating a username and password.
• Click on Start a new claim or leave.
• Select My family is growing.
• Provide the necessary details for your claim and select your desired payment method (check or direct deposit).
• Before you submit your claim, you may authorize Unum to send any required certification for your disability payment benefits directly to your healthcare provider for completion. Remember to let your medical provider know to expect communication from Unum regarding your disability claim. Please note, if you do not provide authorization, you are responsible for working with your provider to submit a completed medical certification to Unum by the claim-filing deadline.

If you are unable to file a claim online, you may also file by calling Unum at 888-673-9940. Representatives are available to assist you 5 AM to 5 PM (Pacific), Monday through Friday.

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apply for di THROUGH THE CA EDD

California employees who opted out of VDI may apply for State Disability Insurance (SDI) on the Employment Development Department's (EDD) website, https://edd.ca.gov/. When completing the form, please follow the steps below:

• Click on Claims
• Under Disability Insurance, select How to file a DI Claim in SDI Online
• Follow each step below:
  • Gather your information/documentation
  • Register for an online account by creating a username and password or log in to your existing account
  • File a claim: When filling out the SDI form, please answer "no" to the question "Has or will your employer continue to pay you during your disability leave?"
• After you submit your claim, give your doctor's office the Form Receipt Number that the EDD website provides, so your doctor can verify your claim.

If you are mailing a paper form to the EDD, you may request a paper application from benefits@pepperdine.edu.

While your claim is under review, the EDD will provide you with a Notice of Computation report which lists your daily pay rate for SDI payments. It is important that you submit your Notice of Computation report as soon as it is available so that Human Resources can coordinate your Pepperdine pay appropriately.

If you are not a California resident, please contact Human Resources at benefits@pepperdine.edu for more information on your state’s leave policy.

California employees may be eligible to receive eight weeks of paid benefits under Paid Family Leave (PFL). PFL is a partial wage replacement benefit and provides up to 70-90% of your gross weekly salary while you are on an approved FMLA/CFRA leave for bonding time. 

Employees eligible for leave under CFRA are provided 12 workweeks of “bonding time” of which the first 8 weeks are partially paid by PFL.

COORDINATION OF BENEFITS

Staff have the option to use accrued and available sick and vacation time to cover:

• The 10-30% of their gross weekly salary that is not covered by PFL, and/or
• The last 4 weeks of leave that PFL benefits do not cover.
• You also have the option to take the leave unpaid.

If staff would like Human Resources to supplement their PFL pay with their accruals, they must provide HR with their written approval to use accruals. Without approval, employees will not receive payment from Pepperdine for the duration of their leave.

Eligible faculty will receive salary continuation less any amount of PFL received during the leave.

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apply for pfl THROUGH unum

California employees participating in "CA VDI" may apply for PFL through Unum, Pepperdine's managed partner.

When completing the claim form, please follow the steps below:

• Visit Unum’s website or download the My Unum app on your smart device.
• Register for an online account by creating a username and password.
• Click on Start a new claim or leave.
• Select My family is growing.
• Provide the necessary details for your claim, select your desired payment method (check or direct deposit), and submit your claim.

If you are unable to file a claim online, you may also file by calling Unum at 888-673-9940. Representatives are available to assist you 5 AM to 5 PM (Pacific), Monday through Friday.

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APPLY FOR PFL THROUGH the ca edd

California employees who opted out of VDI may apply for PFL on the Employment Development Department's (EDD) website, https://edd.ca.gov/. When completing the form, please follow the steps below:

• Click on Claims
• Under the Paid Family Leave heading, select How to file a PFL Claim in SDI Online
• Follow each step below:
  • Gather your information/documentation
  • Register for an online account by creating a username and password or log in to your existing account
  • File a claim: When filling out the PFL form, please answer "no" to the question "Has or will your employer continue to pay you during your disability leave?"
• Upload any required documentation that notates the Proof of Relationship, as applicable.

If you are mailing a paper form to the EDD, you may request a paper application from benefits@pepperdine.edu.

While your claim is under review, the EDD will provide you with a Notice of Computation report which lists the daily pay rate for PFL payments. It is important that the Notice of Computation report is submitted to HR as soon as it is available to ensure timely coordination of your Pepperdine pay.

Important note: If you are not taking your CFRA bonding leave continuously from your Pregnancy Disability Leave, please wait to complete the PFL claim form until your CFRA bonding leave begins.

Please review our Parental Leave Resource Page for important information regarding healthcare and benefits enrollment.

Lactation Accommodations

If you need lactation accommodations, you may take reasonable break times, which will run concurrently with paid breaks when possible; any additional time will be unpaid. Please coordinate with your supervisor to arrange breaks. You may use your office or request lactation room access from Human Resources. For lactation room access, contact Human Resources at benefits@pepperdine.edu or 310-506-4397.

Failure to Return to Work

Please be aware that if you do not return to work after your CFRA (bonding) leave, you will be required to repay the University the full cost of benefits extended to you during the CFRA portion of your leave. You should only apply for this extended leave if you are planning to return to work at the end of the leave period.

No repayment will be required if you are unable to return due to the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition for yourself or eligible family members as certified by a medical provider, other circumstances beyond your control, or if you return to work for a minimum of 30 calendar days following the leave. If you believe that this type of circumstance applies to you, please contact Human Resources at benefits@pepperdine.edu for more information.