Staff Parental and Maternity Leave Program
Carnegie Mellon University provides eligible staff members with a Staff Parental and Maternity Leave Program. The university's paid maternity leave allows for four consecutive weeks of 100% paid leave to be used immediately following the birth of a child. The paid parental leave allows for two consecutive weeks of 100% paid leave that can be used within 12 months of the birth or placement of a child for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship.
Leaves for the birth or placement of a child for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship that occur on or after July 1, 2019 will be eligible for maternity and/or parental leaves. These leaves will run concurrently with Family Medical Leave (FML).
| Staff Parental and Maternity Leave Program | ||
| Parental Leave | Maternity Leave | |
| Who may use the leave?* | All parents (including birth parent**) and legal guardians of children | Birth parent** |
| What is the purpose? | Bonding with a new child | Physical recovery from childbirth |
| How long is the leave? | Up to two weeks | Up to four weeks |
| When is the leave available to use? | Within 12 months of the birth or placement for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship | Immediately following childbirth |
| How often may the leave be used? | With each birth or adoption event; once every 12 months for foster care and legal guardianship events |
With each birth event |
| When does eligibility begin? | After six months of employment | First of the month following hire date |
*The Staff Parental and Maternity Leave program is not applicable to staff members governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Pay practices for such staff members shall be governed by the terms of the applicable CBA.
**"Birth parent" is defined as any person who gives birth.
How to Request Parental and/or Maternity Leave
Eligible staff members should begin discussions with their departments to plan for maternity and parental leaves as soon as possible. For maternity leave, a short-term disability claim must be initiated with MetLife prior to the birth. MetLife can be reached at 866-729-9201. Maternity leave must be used as a single block of up to four weeks of paid leave immediately following childbirth. For parental leave, a Parental Leave Request Form [pdf] must be completed and submitted to the Office of Human Resources prior to the eligible employee’s expected leave start date. Parental leave must be used as a single block of up to two weeks within 12 months of the child’s date of birth or placement for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship.
For timekeeping and payroll purposes, leave requests will be processed by the Office of Human Resources Leaves Administration team only. Staff members must submit the Parental Leave Request Form [pdf] to the Leaves Administration team. Along with the request form, documentation is required — birth certificate, adoption and/or foster placement paperwork.