Academic Policy  1420.10 

Application for Leave of Absence without Pay

Leave of Absence without Pay for Faculty

Leave of absence without pay for University employees  is governed by University of Arkansas Board of Trustees Policy 420.6, by state and federal law, and by this policy.

Leave of absence without pay may be available under the following circumstances through specific campus policies and processes involving Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity, Compliance, and Title IX.  

• Necessary absences because of an employee or immediate family member’s serious health condition (see 6 Family and Medical Leave) as provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) when the absence extends beyond the employee’s available earned annual and sick leave. On a case-by case basis, unpaid leave may also be considered as a form of reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Military leave that involves active duty or active duty for specialized training.
• Leave for religious holiday observance not included in the university’s published schedule of official holidays, pursuant to UASP 435.1.

Leave without pay for other purposes is not guaranteed and is granted in limited circumstances and in the best interests of the University.  A faculty member must initiate an application for Leave of Absence without Pay by completing the form provided for this purpose.

Except for military, FMLA, or ADA-based leave without pay, unless released from this requirement period, university employees who take leave without pay for a substantial period (such as a semester) are expected to return at the end of their leave of absence and serve the University for at least one year with the understanding that they are eligible to participate in any salary increase that normally would accrue to the employee as a result of increases made by the University for employees generally; with respect to merit increases, employees on leave of absence without pay shall receive any merit salary increase which normally would be awarded based on their performance for the period of time they were actively employed during the relevant evaluation.

Leave of absence without pay is not granted, except in the case of a maternity-related health condition or to bond with a child following birth, adoption, or placement for foster care (consistent with Section IV of Board Policy 420.3), until all the faculty member’s accumulated annual leave has been exhausted.  Any employee on a leave of absence without pay does not accumulate annual leave, is not eligible for extra compensation, participate in University group insurance programs to which the University contributes, or receive pay for any legal holidays.  An employee may continue participating in University insurance programs provided they assume full payment of the premium costs. 

The application must be submitted sufficiently in advance of the starting date for the proposed leave for required review and approvals to take place.

For faculty, the completed form must be submitted first to the department chair/head or director for review. If the application is not approved, the decision may be appealed by the employee to the dean. If the application is approved, it is reviewed by the dean.  If the dean approves, the application must be forwarded for review to the provost.  Applications approved by the provost will be forwarded to the chancellor for review.  

Request for military, FMLA, and ADA leave may be approved at the campus level.  For other requests, if approved by the chancellor, they are forwarded to the president for their designee for review and final action.

Leave without pay for employees shall not normally exceed six months, provided that the president or designee may, under special circumstances, approve leave for a period not to exceed a year.  The president’s (or their designee’s) action to grant or deny the leave will be final.  Applications will be returned to the campus for distribution and implementation.

The chancellor may place an employee in leave-without-pay status for disciplinary reasons consistent with Board of Trustees and UA system Policies and Procedures and in accordance with the written employment policies of the campus.  In this instance, the individual is not required to exhaust annual leave and sick leave before being placed in leave-without-pay status.

 

See Application for Leave of Absence without Pay form.