Paid Parental Leave

MC / UUP Employees

Governor Hochul announced that New York State will provide 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave to State employees to bond with a newly born, adopted, or fostered child.

Per a memorandum dated April 11, 2023, the SUNY Board of Trustees has approved implementation of the New York State Paid Parental Leave program for Management/Confidential employees in the professional services of SUNY’s State-operated campuses, hospitals and other pertinent facilities defined as “colleges” in Article II, Section 1(d) of the policies of the Board of Trustees.

Chapter 189 of the Laws of 2023, which implemented the 2022-2026 Agreement between the State of New York and the United University Professions (UUP), provides for the implementation of the New York State Paid Parental Leave program for employees of the Professional Services Negotiating Unit (PSNU).

CSEA Employees

New York State is extending 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave to employees represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Specifically, employees in the ASU, ISU, OSU and DMNA bargaining units will be allowed 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave at full pay (without charge to leave accruals).

Eligibility Criteria –

All CSEA employees who work full-time or who work at least 50% part-time are eligible for this benefit.

Unclassified SUNY employees, regardless of Comp Rate Code, who work at least 50% part-time in Bargaining Unit 13 – Management Confidential SUNY or Bargaining Unit 08 - United University Professions may be eligible to utilize this leave.

However, employees in BU08 & all units of CSEA cannot utilize this leave until they have been on the payroll for at least six months.

For academic employees or professional employees with a college year obligation, one semester shall be equal to six months on the payroll.

For additional information, please refer to Appendix A-42 (VII. Paid Parental Leave) of the 2022-2026 UUP Agreement.

Employees who are a gestational, non-gestational, adoptive, or foster parent must have a qualifying event that includes the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care in order to utilize the leave.

Use of Paid Parental Leave:

Agencies must adhere to the following rules when placing employees on Paid Parental Leave:

• Employees must complete the leave within 7 months of the qualifying event.
• Employees receive up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave per each qualifying event.
• Employees are eligible to utilize this leave once during every 12-month period.
• The leave must be taken all at once, not intermittently.
• For employees working on an academic or college year basis, Paid Parental Leave cannot be used to bridge a period when the employee has no professional obligation such as over the summer (i.e., it cannot be partially used at the end of a spring semester and resumed at the beginning of a fall semester).
• If an employee is on an unpaid leave of absence at the time of the qualifying event, the employee is only eligible for Paid Parental Leave if they are eligible to return to the payroll and actually return to the payroll. In this case, the employee would receive paid parental leave at their work percentage immediately prior to being placed on the unpaid leave, unless the employee’s work percentage was
permissibly changed upon return to the payroll.
• If an employee is on a paid leave of absence at a reduced percentage (i.e., sick leave 50%) at the time of the qualifying event but was 100% prior to that leave, the employee is eligible for paid parental leave at 100% (the percentage immediately prior to being placed on the paid leave of absence).
• Employees at a reduced percentage at the time of the qualifying event or a paid leave of absence, must continue to be paid at the reduced percentage for the duration of the leave.
• An employee on suspension would be ineligible for this benefit until the employee is returned from the suspension.

Status of Employees on Paid Parental Leave

• For attendance and leave purposes, employees are deemed to be in leave without pay status while using Paid Parental Leave.
• They do not earn biweekly leave accruals or observe holidays, nor do they receive personal leave or vacation bonus days if their anniversary dates fall while they are using Paid Parental Leave.
• Time on Paid Parental Leave does not count as service for earning additional eligibility for sick leave at half-pay.
• Time spent while on Paid Parental Leave 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 per Rule 4.5(g). Please refer to State Personnel Management Manual Section 2000 for further information regarding the administration of probation.
• Paid Parental Leave may not be used to extend employment beyond the point it would otherwise end by operation of law, rule, or regulation.

For additional information please contact the Benefits Office 914-251-6448

The above information can also be found –

Attendance and Leave Manual Policy Bulletin 2023-02, Section 21.12 (CSEA Employees)

Attendance and Leave Manual Policy Bulletin 2023-01, Section 21.12 (Unrepresented Employees)