Regular, full time employees who have completed three months of employment may be eligible for Parental Leave under the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act (MPLA). If an employee is eligible for leave under both the FMLA and the MPLA, the leaves generally will run concurrently and the employee will be eligible for whichever leave provides the greater benefit to the employee. The MPLA provides eligible employees up to 8 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for the purpose of giving birth, for the placement of a child under the age of 18 (or under the age of 23 if the child is mentally or physically disabled), for adoption with the employee adopting or intending to adopt, or for the placement of a child with an employee pursuant to a court order. In circumstances where both parents work for Bentley University, the employees would be limited to a combined total of 8 weeks of MPLA leave for the same child.
If more than one child is born, adopted or placed, the employee may be eligible for up to 8 weeks of leave for each child.
If birth mothers are unable to work prior to delivery due to the effects of pregnancy or need time for medical appointments, or if adoptive or foster parents need to attend related appointments prior to the adoption or placement, any time off would not be considered leave under the MPLA. However, birth mothers would be able to use any accrued sick time during a period of incapacity prior to birth or for medical appointments. Adoptive or foster parents would be able to use available vacation and/or personal time for related appointments prior to the adoption or placement of the child.
Employees must give at least 14 days written notice of the anticipated date of departure, whenever possible, and intention to return to their job.
Birth Mother’s on MPLA leave must use available sick time, vacation time, and any personal time during an MPLA Leave. Employees do have the option of reserving one week of vacation time.
Birth Fathers, Adoptive and Foster Parents on MPLA leave must use up to four weeks of sick time during an MPLA Leave. Employees who exhaust their sick time must use all available vacation time and personal time during the leave. Employees do have the option of reserving one week of vacation time.
Eligible staff employees who exhaust their accrued paid time off may be eligible for Short-Term Disability.
At the conclusion of MPLA Leave, Bentley will offer reinstatement to the employee’s previous position, or a similar position with the same status, at a salary equal to that which she received at the commencement of the leave. Further, employees are not entitled to any employment rights or benefits greater than those they would have had in the absence of taking an MPLA Leave.
Employees who are unable to return from MPLA Leave on the date set forth in the leave request and/or medical certification are expected to contact Human Resources and their supervisors prior to the anticipated return to work date. If an employee fails to return from MPLA Leave when scheduled, and does not contact Bentley in advance, the employee may be deemed to have resigned.
Date Last Revised: April 15, 2015