CSEA Represented Employees Now Eligible for Paid Parental Leave

Paid Parental Leave is available for use once every 12-month period. 

• A qualifying event (birth or adoption/placement of a child) begins the 12-month period. 
• Paid Parental Leave may begin on the date of birth, the day of adoption or foster care placement or anytime thereafter within seven months.  
• An employee’s ability to use Paid Parental Leave ends seven months from the date of the qualifying event. 

Paid Parental Leave for CSEA represented employees is available retroactively to April 2, 2023.

If a qualifying event occurred within seven months before the April 2, 2023 effective date of PPL for CSEA employees, an employee may use Paid Parental Leave, however the employee’s use of Paid Parental Leave must end within seven months of the qualifying event.

Contact Benefit Services regarding your leave of absence at ub-hr-leaves@buffalo.edu.

Paid Parental Leave may be used in combination with all other paid and unpaid child care leave benefits where applicable. Child care leave benefits, including use of accruals, and/or leave without pay during the 7 month child care leave period and provisions under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) remain unchanged. 

Usage of accruals cannot run concurrently with PPL and may be taken at an appropriate time (either before or after) in addition to PPL.

Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule (VRWS) agreements must be suspended on the first day of the payroll period in which an employee begins their PPL.

Paid Parental Leave cannot be used intermittently and must be taken in a block of time.

Employees do not have to take the full 12 weeks, but once they return from Paid Parental Leave, they can no longer use this leave.

If both parents are employed by a New York State Agency, both parents may use Paid Parental Leave, even if they work for the same appointing authority.

You will not earn biweekly leave accruals or observe holidays while on PPL.

Personal Leave

• You will not receive personal leave if your anniversary date occurs during your PPL. 
• In this instance, your personal leave anniversary date will change to your date of return to work and you will receive personal leave on the adjusted anniversary date.

Vacation Bonus Days

• You will not receive vacation bonus days if your anniversary date occurs during your PPL. 
• Your vacation anniversary date is adjusted if the period of continuous absence on PPL and any other kind of childcare leave without charge to accruals exceeds six continuous months.  
  
• If such period is less than six months, you will retain the same vacation anniversary date and is credited with vacation bonus days upon return to work.

Sick Leave at Half-Pay

• Time on PPL does not count as service for earning additional eligibility for sick leave at half-pay.

While on PPL, you will continue to be covered by your existing NYSHIP health insurance. Health Insurance premiums will continue to be withheld from your paycheck.

While on PPL, you will continue to receive retirement service credit. Retirement contributions (if applicable) will continue to be withheld from your paycheck.

Time spent while on PPL does not count towards the satisfactory completion of any required probationary period, beyond the total number of absences that can be considered as time served.