HUNDREDS OF FACULTY AND STAFF TAKE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE

When 68-year-old Leola Henry decided to have knee replacement surgery, she knew she would need help from one of her children.

Her daughter, Carolyn Duhon, a University of Houston staff member, came to her aid, caring for her in and out of the hospital for three weeks this summer.

Duhon was one of more than 300 UH employees who took leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) this year, according to William Kimble, interim benefits manager in the Department of Human Resources.

“The FMLA was signed into law in 1993 by President Clinton to provide job and benefit protection to employees for certain medical situations,” Kimble said.

FMLA provides eligible faculty and staff up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave within a year, according to Kimble. He added that employees must use all accrued sick and vacation time while taking family and medical leave.

“If the medical situation is foreseeable, such as a major operation, employees must notify their departments 30 days in advance,” Kimble said.

Kimble, who recently joined the university, said that FMLA is not as complicated as some people might imagine. His mission is to increase awareness about FMLA by going beyond the workshops the human resources department traditionally hosts. Next year, Kimble hopes to deliver presentations to colleges and departments.

That certainly sounds like a good idea to Talia Miller.

Miller, a secretary at KUHT-TV, Channel 8, took medical and family leave early this semester when her doctor prescribed bed rest during the eighth month of her pregnancy. She said that it is important to fully understand FMLA prior to taking leave.

In her own case, Miller encountered some initial confusion and miscommunication about the requirement that all of an employee’s earned vacation and sick time must be taken during the leave.

Duhon echoed the need to understand the process.

“Once you know the FMLA policy, the process is easy,” said Duhon, business administrator in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

After requesting the time off from her supervisor, Duhon obtained and submitted the appropriate forms to her mother’s doctor for completion. She then forwarded the forms to human resources. Three days later, Duhon received notification that she had been approved for family and medical leave.

A 21-year-veteran of UH, Duhon said that even though she had substantial vacation and sick time, it was nice to know that FMLA exists.

“The Family and Medical Leave Act is a good benefit for full-time staff,” Duhon said. “It gives you a certain amount of assurance.”

Francine Parker
fparker@central.uh.edu