Pregnancy & Parental Bonding FAQ’s: Pregnancy Leave

Congratulations on your pregnancy! The LOA team is here to help guide you through your pregnancy leave.

Notify your manager of your pregnancy.

We encourage you to register for a Pregnancy & Parental Leave Workshop, which helps employees prepare for a pregnancy & parental bonding related leave of absence. UC Davis LMS.

Contact the LOA team at hs-loaservices@ucdavis.edu. The LOA team is available to schedule a one-on-one pregnancy mapping appointment during your third trimester of pregnancy.

• How much time can I take off for pregnancy leave?
• Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) allows pregnant employees to take up to four months of job protected leave per pregnancy. PDL typically begins two weeks before your estimated due date and ends 6 or 8 weeks after the birth of your child. Please note: your doctor determines how long you are disabled by pregnancy.
• Am I eligible for Pregnancy Disability Leave?
• All pregnant employees are eligible for PDL. YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS A PREGNANT EMPLOYEE.
• How can I request Pregnancy Disability Leave?
• Notify your manager of your pregnancy and contact the LOA team at least 30 days before your leave of absence may begin, or as soon as practicable if the need for leave is an emergency or unforeseeable. Your physician will need to complete a medical certification for your leave of absence to be designated as PDL.
• When can I take Pregnancy Disability Leave?
• PDL can be taken for an incapacity period due to pregnancy, childbirth, recovery from childbirth, loss or end of a pregnancy, and/or pregnancy-related conditions. It can also be taken intermittently for prenatal or postnatal care and pregnancy-related conditions. For a pregnancy and delivery without complications, PDL typically begins two weeks before your expected delivery date and continues for six or eight weeks after the birth of your child.
• How do I get paid?
• For career employees, you may file a disability claim with UC’s disability provider Lincoln Financial for your pregnancy disability. You must meet a waiting period using your accrued Sick leave before Lincoln Financial may begin disability payments. If you choose not to file a claim with Lincoln Financial, you may use your Sick & Vacation accruals in accordance with your collective bargaining agreement or personnel policy. Per Diem employees eligible for Core benefits may also file a disability claim with Lincoln Financial. If not eligible for Core benefits, your pregnancy leave will be unpaid.
  Lincoln Financial disability payments are issued biweekly on a schedule determined by Lincoln Financial. Please discuss your payment schedule with your Lincoln Financial case manager.
  Please note: You are not responsible for managing your timecard during your leave of absence. The LOA team will process your Ecotime timecards during your leave of absence, and your manager will continue to approve your timecards on the regular approval dates.
• What about State Disability Insurance (SDI)?
• UC Davis Health does not participate in SDI; however, if you have been with UC for less than 18 months or if you have a second job that pays into SDI, then you may be eligible to file a claim with EDD in addition to filing a claim with Lincoln Financial. Please contact the EDD office with any questions related to SDI eligibility & benefits. State Disability Insurance.
• Parental Bonding Leave
• Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! The LOA team is here to help guide you through your parental bonding leave.
  Notify your manager that you are expecting the arrival of a new child.
  We encourage you to register for a Pregnancy & Parental Leave Workshop, which helps employees prepare for a pregnancy and/or parental bonding related leave of absence. UC Davis LMS.
  Contact the LOA team at hs-loaservices@ucdavis.edu at least 30 days before the arrival of your new child.
• How much time can I take off to bond with my child?
• The CFRA parental bonding entitlement provides 12 weeks of job protected leave to bond with your child. FAMILY CARE & MEDICAL LEAVE & PREGNANCY DISABILITY LEAVE.
• Am I eligible for Parental Bonding?
• To qualify for CFRA parental bonding, you must have 12 months of University service and 1250 worked hours in the 12 months before your leave begins.
• When can I take Parental Bonding?
• CFRA parental bonding can be taken during the baby’s first year of life. It can also be taken during the first 12 months of placement for an adoption or foster child. The CFRA parental bonding entitlement begins on the baby’s DOB or the foster/adoption placement date. For foster placement & adoptions, parental bonding may begin prior to the placement date. The entitlement expires the day before the baby’s first birthday or placement date.
• How can I request Parental Bonding?
• Notify your manager of your anticipated leave of absence and contact the LOA office at least 30 days before you would like to begin CFRA parental bonding.
• What if I'm not eligible for CFRA parental bonding?
• You may request Kincare/Sick or Vacation/PTO time off. Please work with your manager to request this time off.
• How do I get paid while on bonding leave?
• CFRA parental bonding is an unpaid leave entitlement; however, you have a few options available to remain on pay status.
  You may use the Pay for Family Care and Bonding | UCnet, which provides 8 weeks of pay at 100% of eligible earnings while on a qualifying leave of absence. PFCB payments are issued via UC Davis paycheck via direct deposit on the normal pay dates.
  You may use your Vacation, CTO/Holiday & Sick accruals in accordance with your bargaining agreement (for represented employees) or the personnel policy (for policy-covered employees).
  You may take CFRA parental bonding unpaid.
  Please note: You are not responsible for managing your timecard during your leave of absence. The LOA team or your department’s timekeeper may process your Ecotime timecards during your leave of absence, and your manager will continue to approve your timecards on the regular approval dates.
• Do nurses get additional time off?
• Yes. In addition to 12 weeks of CFRA parental bonding leave, nurses under the CNA bargaining agreement are also eligible for Childcaring Leave. Birth parents are eligible for 12 weeks of Childcaring Leave. Non-birth parents are eligible for 4 weeks of Childcaring leave.
• When can I use Childcaring leave?
• The Childcaring entitlement also begins on the baby’s DOB or placement date. Childcaring leave may begin once the CFRA bonding entitlement is exhausted. The Childcaring entitlement expires the day before the baby’s first birthday or placement date.
• What if I'm not eligible for CFRA parental bonding?
• If you are not eligible for CFRA bonding, the CNA contract replaces the 12 weeks of CFRA bonding with an additional 12 weeks of Childcaring. This means birth parents are eligible for 24 weeks of Childcaring leave, and non-birth parents are eligible for 16 weeks of Childcaring leave.
  You may also request Kincare/Sick or Vacation time off-please work with your manager to request Kincare or Vacation.
• How do I get paid?
• Like CFRA bonding, the Childcaring entitlement is unpaid. You can use your paid time off accruals (vacation/PTO, sick and CTO/Holiday) in accordance with your bargaining agreement. Please note: the PFCB pay option may not be used during Childcaring Leave.
• How do I request Childcaring leave?
• Your manager must approve your request dates for Childcaring leave. They may offer alternative dates if they cannot accommodate your requested timeframe. Once your manager approves your request for Childcaring leave, you must contact the LOA office so we can process your leave of absence.