Paid Parental Leave

The arrival of a new child is an exciting time and affects employees’ personal and professional lives. Union County empowers employees to make the most of this time by offering Paid Parental Leave (PPL). Paid Parental Leave offers employees the opportunity to bond with their new child, adjust to their new situation, and balance both personal and professional obligations while receiving base compensation.

To be eligible for leave under this Section, the employee must also be on approved Family Medical Leave (FML).

PPL requests may be approved for the following qualifying reasons:

• The birth of a son or daughter and to care for the newborn child; or
• The placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care.

PPL must be used within the first 12 months following the birth or placement and will run concurrently with FML. PPL may not be taken intermittently.

Eligible employees may request up to 8 weeks of PPL within a rolling 12-month period. PPL may be denied, or the approved amount may be less than the maximum leave entitlement, if the employee has previously used FML within the rolling 12-month period and has less FML remaining than the potential full entitlement amount of PPL that otherwise could be taken.

Eligible employees may request PPL for one birth, adoption, or placement event per rolling 12-month period. Additionally, the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of multiple children that are part of the same birth or placement event does not increase the maximum leave entitlement of PPL (e.g. twins, adoption of more than child, etc.). The total amount of PPL granted for multiple children in the same event will be a maximum of 8 weeks.

The request for PPL and supporting documentation should be provided at least thirty (30) days in advance of the date of birth, adoption, or placement of the child. In the event the need for PPL is not foreseeable, the employee must give notice of the need for leave as soon as practicable.