Procedure: Leave of Absence Information and Associate Responsibilities for Personal Leave
MAA recognizes there are times when personal reasons may make it necessary for you to request a leave of absence of 3 or more consecutive days, however, you may not meet the eligibility criteria under one of our other leave policies. Under such circumstances, a Personal Leave of Absence may be granted for up to (6) weeks in a rolling twelve-month period, taking into consideration the purpose of the leave, your work record, and the needs of MAA at that particular time. To be eligible for Personal leave, you must be a regular full-time or part-time associate working 20 or more hours per week. Eligible associates may request a leave of absence of 3 or more consecutive days, not to exceed (6) weeks in a rolling twelve-month period for one or more of the following reasons: ▪ A serious health condition or work-related injury or illness that makes you unable to perform the essential functions of your job. ▪ To care for an immediate family member (i.e., spouse, child, or parent) who has a serious health condition. ▪ Expired Employment Authorization ▪ Other personal reasons. If your reason for leave is due to your own serious health condition, your request will only need to be approved by Human Resources. Otherwise, your request must be approved by your manager, next-level manager (i.e.,RVP or Corporate VP), SVP, and Human Resources For additional information, please refer to the Personal Leave of Absence policy in AccessMAA or contact the Benefits department at 1-877-277-2327, or submit a Leave of Absence Request through AccessMAA.
Paid Parental Leave
An additional benefit for associates who take time off due to the birth or adoption of a child. MAA recognizes the importance of the health and happiness of the family and encourages the immediate bonding of a father or mother with a newborn, adopted, or foster care child(ren). Along with that, MAA provides up to five (5) days off with pay to celebrate the
addition of a child or children, if multiple (i.e., twins or adopting more than one child at the same time). To be eligible for Parental Leave, you must work 20 or more hours per week and have completed at least one year of service. These days must be taken consecutively within the first 4 months of the birth of your child(ren) or placement of your adopted or foster care child(ren) and will be counted against your FMLA entitlement. If a company-paid holiday falls during your Parental Leave, you will be paid for the holiday in addition to the (5) days under Parental leave. For additional information, please refer to the Parental Leave policy in AccessMAA or contact the Benefits Department at 1-877-277-2327, or submit a Leave of Absence Request through AccessMAA .
Additional Job Protection for Pregnant Associates and Adoptive Parents
Certain states have enacted legislation to protect the rights of workers with regard to (1) medical needs arising from pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, and (2) adoption. As a result, associates may be entitled to additional unpaid leave for pregnancy, childbirth and adoption. For example, under Tennessee law, associates in Tennessee who have been employed on a full-time basis for at least twelve (12) consecutive months may take up to 4 months leave for adoption, pregnancy, childbirth and nursing an infant, but must give their employer at least 3 months’ notice of the intent to take the leave.
Additional Job Protection and Paid Family Leave for Associates
Certain states have enacted legislation to provide Paid Family Leave
Disability Benefits
Full time associates, regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week, are eligible for Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) benefits beginning the first of the month following 90 calendar days of employment. These benefits offer income protection by paying a percentage of your eligible earnings if you become disabled, meaning that you are not able to perform the essential functions of your job due to an illness or injury (excluding on-the-job injuries, which are covered by worke rs’ compensation insurance). The claims for disability are administered by our third-party administrator, Unum.
Short-Term Disability Benefits
▪ Elimination Period under STD – Calendar Days 1-7 ▪
During the first 7 calendar days of absence, which is referred to as the elimination period, up to 40 hours of available paid time off benefits, such as accrued, Paid Sick and Wellness Time, Paid Vacation, and/or Personal Days, must be used. If you do not have paid time off benefits available, or your available paid time off benefits are used before the elimination period
ends, the portion of the 7-day elimination period not covered by available paid time off benefits will be unpaid. • STD Benefits – Calendar Days 8-180Beginning on the 8th calendar day, if your disability claim is approved by Unum, you will be paid STD benefits, which are 60% of your weekly pre-disability earnings* up to a maximum of $2,000 per week. In addition, if you have available paid time off benefits after the 7-day elimination period, such as accrued Paid Sick and Wellness Time, Paid Vacation, and/or Personal Days these hours will be used to supplement the difference between your weekly STD benefits and your weekly base salary. • You may view your weekly STD benefit amount in Workday. From the Workday homepage, select View All Apps , then select Benefits . Next, scroll down and under the View menu, select Benefit Elections . Your weekly STD benefit amount is displayed under the column labeled Calculated Coverage .
*Pre-disability earnings are defined as annual base salary as of last day worked plus eligible bonuses and commissions paid in the prior year.
▪ Important Information Regarding Your Pay and Benefits When STD Reaches Maximum Duration
▪ If approved, your STD benefits will continue for up to a maximum of 25 weeks following the end of the 7-day elimination period. If your STD benefits reach the maximum duration, and you are unable to return to work at that time, Unum will review your eligibility for continued benefits under Long- Term Disability. (See pg. 3 for information regarding Long-Term Disability benefits.) ▪ If you are not expected to return to work within a short period of time after reaching the maximum duration under STD, MAA will move forward with ending your employment as of the maximum duration date under STD. ▪ While receiving STD benefits, you are eligible to continue coverage under benefit plans, such as medical, dental, vision, and other voluntary benefits. However, once you reach the maximum duration date under STD, your coverage under all benefit plans will be cancelled and you will be offered continuation of health insurance under COBRA as well as the opportunity to port or convert your coverage under our group term life insurance plan through Unum. For additional information regarding STD benefits, please refer to the Short Term Disability Summary Plan Description (SPD) or contact the Benefits department at 1-877- 277-2327, or submit a Benefits Inquiry through AccessMAA.
Long-Term Disability Benefits
▪ LTD Benefits – Calendar Days 181 and Beyond
▪ If your physician indicates you need to be out of work longer than the maximum duration under STD (180 days), and Unum approves your claim for LTD benefits, you will be paid at 60% of your pre-disability earnings* up to a maximum of $10,000 per month beginning on the 181st day of absence. Monthly LTD payments will be issued to you directly by Unum. ▪ You may view your monthly LTD benefit amount in Workday. From the Workday homepage, select View All Apps , then select Benefits . Next, scroll down and under the View menu, select Benefit Elections . The monthly LTD benefit amount is displayed under the column labeled Calculated Coverage . * Pre-disability earnings are defined as annual base salary as of last day worked plus eligible bonuses and commissions paid in the prior year. For additional information regarding LTD benefits, please refer to the Long Term Disability Summary Plan Description (LTD) or contact the Benefits department at 1-877- 277-2327, or submit a Benefits Inquiry through AccessMAA.
Associate Responsibilities
If you are absent from work for 3 or more consecutive days for one of the following reasons and do not meet the eligibility criteria under one of our other leave policies, your responsibilities are outlined below. ▪ Your own serious health condition or work-related injury or illness that makes you unable to perform the essential functions of your job. ▪ To care for an immediate family member (i.e., spouse, child, or parent) who has a serious health condition. ▪ Expired Employment Authorization ▪ Other personal reasons. 1. Notify your Manager of the dates you need to be absent from work at least 30 days in advance or, if unforeseeable under the circumstances, as soon as possible. 2. If you have not notified the Benefits department of your need for leave, you will need to Request a Leave of Absence on AccessMAA.. 3. The Benefits department provides the associate with information on how to request a leave of absence under the FMLA and/or file a claim for benefits payable under STD, if applicable through the company's third-party administrator, Unum (visit https://portal.unum.com or call 866-868-6737). 4. If the Personal Leave of Absence request is due to your own serious health condition or to care for a family member with a serious health condition, you must provide supporting medical documentation to the Benefits department. 5. If the Personal Leave of Absence request is due to other personal reasons, supporting documentation may be required. 6. Until your Personal Leave of Absence and/or STD claim has been approved, you must follow your Manager’s normal call -in procedures to report your absence each day.
7. If the Personal Leave of Absence request is due to your own serious health and you are applying for disabilities benefits, you must act quickly on any instruction or requests made by Unum to ensure timely processing of your STD claim. It is your responsibility to ensure the required documentation is received by Unum on or before the due date or your request for STD benefits may be delayed or denied. We recommend that you contact Unum prior to the due date to confirm your documentation was received. 8. During your Personal Leave of Absence, you must keep in contact with the Benefits department, Unum and your Manager regarding any changes to the reason for your leave, your return to work date or any potential accommodation. 9. If your leave is due to your own serious health condition, you must provide a work release note from your treating physician before returning to work . You must also contact Unum, your Manager, and the Benefits Department to confirm the date you are returning to work. 10.If your leave was approved under this policy for up to 6 weeks, you will be returned to the same position or a position with equivalent status, pay, benefits and other employment terms, unless otherwise provided by law. Reinstatement of your position is not guaranteed if leave extends beyond 6 weeks. However, you may be considered for other open positions for which you may be qualified. 11.Failure to return to work at the end of your approved leave may be considered job abandonment and could result in termination of employment.
What Happens to Your Pay and Benefits During an Approved Leave of Absence
▪ of Absence may not engage in any form of self-employment or perform work for any other employer during their leave, except when the leave is for military or public service or when the employment has been approved by MAA. ▪ Associates who are on an approved Leave You are required to use available paid time off benefits, such as accrued Paid Sick and Wellness Time, Paid Vacation, and/or Personal Days, during your leave. You may request to hold a maximum of 80 hours of Paid Vacation (40 hours if you are part-time) and 40 hours of Paid Sick and Wellness Time (20 hours if you are part- time). This request must be approved by your manager, next-level manager (i.e. RVP or Corporate VP) & SVP (if applicable). ▪ If your Personal leave of absence is due to your own serious health condition (with the exception of work- related injuries covered under workers’ compensation), you may also be eligible to receive benefits under STD. (Refer to page 2 and 3 for information regarding STD benefits.) ▪ Any available paid time off benefits, such as accrued Paid Sick and Wellness Time, Paid Vacation, and/or Personal Days, or benefits payable under STD will be processed and paid by MAA’s Payroll Department. You will receive bi -weekly payments as long as your disability claim is approved and/or you have available paid time off benefits. ▪ Company holidays will not be paid during an unpaid Personal leave or when you are receiving benefits under Workers’ Compensation or STD.
▪ If you are contributing to the 401(k) Plan, your 401(k) contributions will be deducted from earnings paid for accrued Paid Sick and Wellness Time, Paid Vacation, Time and/or Personal Days , however, earnings paid under STD, LTD and Workers’ Compensation are not eligible for 401(k) contributions. • If you are enrolled in any other benefit plans for which premium deductions are made from your paychecks, these deductions will continue for up to six months during your leave if you’re receiving benefits under STD, and/or using available paid time off benefits, such as Paid Vacation, Paid Sick and Wellness Time and Personal Days. Should all or part of your leave be unpaid, you are responsible for making up any missed payroll deductions for benefit plan premiums. Missed payroll deductions may be collected retroactively upon your return to work or paid by check. Failure to pay benefit plan premiums may result in the cancellation of coverage or termination of enrollment in those plans.
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