Overview
In accordance with Section 661, Subchapter A-1 of the Texas Government Code, the Family
Leave Pool (FLP) was established to provide employees with greater flexibility in:
- Bonding with and caring for children during the child鈥檚 first year following birth,
adoption, or foster placement; and
- Caring for a seriously ill family member or themselves, including pandemic-related illnesses or complications caused by a pandemic.
Please note that donations to the Family Leave Pool for bonding leave are taxable
to the donor, and the University does not currently have hours available to provide
bonding leave. Therefore, Family Leave Pool requests for bonding leave will be denied
unless the employee and/or child has a serious illness. However, the University does
have Family Leave Pool hours available for the period of incapacity following childbirth,
which is generally the first six (6) weeks for a vaginal delivery and eight (8) weeks
for a cesarean delivery.
Donating Time
The FLP鈥檚 success is entirely dependent upon the generosity of employees who choose
to donate their available sick and vacation leave. If you would like to contribute
by donating time to the FLP, you may do so by completing the Contribution to the Sick or Family Leave Pool Form and submitting it vial leave email at hrleave@central.uh.edu.
When completing the Contribution to the Sick or Family Leave Pool Form, you will be
asked whether you would like to donate your time on either a taxable or non-taxable
basis.
- Taxable donations will be used for employees whose need for time off is not considered
a 鈥渕edical emergency鈥� by the Internal Revenue Service (e.g., bonding with a new child
or minor illnesses).
- Non-taxable donations will be used for employees whose need for time off is considered a 鈥渕edical emergency鈥� by the Internal Revenue Service (e.g., serious accidents or illnesses resulting in extended unpaid leave) but who are not eligible for an award of time from the Sick Leave Pool.
If you choose to donate time on a taxable basis, you will be taxed based of the (Value
of hours donated times 22%) 40 hours HRS donated value at 25.00 hr. = $1,000.00 X
22% = $220.00 tax consequences.
Requesting Time
If you have exhausted all available paid leave accruals, including eligible compensatory
leave, discretionary leave, sick leave, and vacation leave, because of:
- The birth of a child;
- The placement of a foster child or the adoption of a child under 18 years of age;
- The placement of a person 18 years of age or older requiring guardianship;
- A serious illness of the employee or an immediate family member, including a pandemic-related
illness;
- An extenuating circumstance created by an ongoing pandemic, including providing essential
care to a family member; or
- A previous donation of time to the pool.
Requests for time from the FLP will be processed in the order in which they are received.
You and your supervisor will be notified once your request has been approved or denied.
If you have not exhausted your available leave accruals, your request for FLP time
will not be approved.
To ensure that as many employees as possible may benefit from the FLP, the University
reserves the right to determine the amount of time awarded and to limit awards based
on the pool鈥檚 available balance.
Supporting Documentation
Depending on the reason for your request for FLP time, you may be required to provide
additional supporting documentation. If additional documentation is required, the
Leave Administrator will notify you and ask you to upload the required forms through
the Leave App.
If your request for FLP time is due to medical reasons, you must submit certification
from your healthcare provider or your family member鈥檚 healthcare provider specifying
the nature and expected duration of the need for leave.
- If you have already submitted certification in support of a request for FMLA leave
or Leave Pool benefits, no additional documentation is required.
- If you have not yet submitted certification, you must submit a completed Certification of Health Care Provider 鈥� Self/Employee or Certification of Health Care Provider 鈥� Family Member form through the Leave App before your request for FLP time can be reviewed.
If certification is not received within 15 days of the date you submitted your request
for FLP time, your request will be denied.
If the Leave Administrator determines that the employee is eligible, the administrator
shall approve the transfer of time from the pool to the employee and credit the time
to the employee鈥檚 leave balance.
If your request for FLP time is due to an extenuating circumstance created by a pandemic,
including providing essential care for a family member, you must provide any applicable
documentation, including:
- An essential caregiver designation;
- Proof of closure of a school or daycare; or
- Other appropriate documentation.
The documentation must contain sufficient information to allow the Leave Administrator
to evaluate eligibility. If eligibility cannot be determined based on the documentation
submitted, the request will be denied.
If documentation is not received within 15 days of the date you submitted your request
for FLP time through the Leave App, your case will be closed.
All documentation submitted in support of your request for FLP time will be evaluated
for eligibility under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). If it is determined
that you are eligible for FMLA leave, your FMLA entitlement will run concurrently
with any hours awarded from the FLP.
Submit a New FLP Case
Log in below with your Cougarnet credentials.
ID: cougarnetID@cougarnet.uh.edu
Password: Cougarnet Password
Complete the form and submit your FLP case.
Documentation: To submit additional documentation, please email the documents to hrleave@central.uh.edu or fax to 713-743-1723.
Have Questions?
Click the FLP FAQ's link for more information on FLP before submitting.