Additions to Your Family

• Review your health care plans to identify covered providers for yourself and your dependents.
  • Select Tier One providers to achieve the highest cost savings.
• Discuss with your supervisor
  • Anticipated dates of absence;
  • Any adjustments to deadlines or assignments necessary to complete duties prior to your absence;
  • Plans for cross-training coworkers to cover your duties during your absence;
  • Your expected return to work date; and
  • Completing and submitting timesheets each pay period during your leave.
    • As your estimated delivery date approaches, consider entering your work hours daily, selecting Save for Later. This significantly improves the accuracy of the timesheet and enables a supervisor to finalize, submit, and approve the timesheet within the payroll timeline.
• Discuss with your agency’s HR Office
  • Anticipated dates of absence;
  • Need, if any, for accommodations during your pregnancy;
  • Information about the location and availability of lactation rooms if you plan to express milk for your newborn;
  • Your expected return to work date; and
  • Submitting release to return to work documentation (required for parent giving birth) prior to performing any work.
• Familiarize yourself with the leave policies:
  • www.in.gov/spd/policies-and-procedures/standardized-policies
  • What are the state leave policies, and which ones might apply to me?
  • What are my leave balances, date of accrual, and accrual pattern? Follow PS/ESS > Time > Manage Absences & select the tab on right-hand side to open a panel with balances and accrual date. The square window icon near Balances opens a new window allowing you to forecast future accruals. See also this handout on accruals.
  • Obtain documentation supporting each type of leave.
    • Medical (pregnancy and childbirth)
    • Upon birth of your child,
      • A copy of the Birth Confirmation document provided by the hospital, and
      • If you are the employee giving birth, a statement from health care provider documenting a statement on the provider’s letterhead or prescription pad if the document contains all necessary information documenting the date and type of delivery (vaginal or C-section) experienced by the employee. A form for this purpose is linked below.
    • Legal documentation supporting adoption or foster care placement
• Request appropriate leaves & comply with notice and other requirements.
  • Submitting initial requests for extended leave (NPL, CRL, and NPL) in PeopleSoft > ESS > Time > Extended Absence Request and uploading supporting documentation.
  • Entering appropriate absence requests in your timekeeping system to use available leave hours
• Contact the INSPD Employee Relations Team with questions about leaves: 1.855.773.4647, Option 4.

Review Your Insurance Plans

• www.in.gov/spd/benefits
• Check your Tier One, in-network options for most cost savings for prenatal care, childbirth, pediatric care, etc.
• Add new dependent to coverage within 30 calendar days

Available Leaves: www.in.gov/spd/policies-and-procedures/standardized-policies

• Accrued leaves (Sick, Vacation, or Personal)
• FML (Family-Medical Leave)
  • Available to an employee who is pregnant and gives birth
  • Available to an employee to care for their spouse who is pregnant and gives birth
  • Available to bond with the employee’s newborn child
  • Eligibility requires 12 months’ employment and 1250 hours worked in the immediately preceding year
  • Fiscal Year allotment of 12 weeks of FML is the total amount applied to all (not each) qualifying events combined that occur in the same fiscal year.
• NPL (New Parent Leave)
  • Available to employees
    • Upon the birth of the employee’s child
    • Upon the birth of a child to the employee’s spouse
  • No employment waiting period if birth occurred on or after March 3, 2025
  • 150 paid hours available for full-time employees
  • 75 paid hours available for part-time employees
  • Must be used in full-day increments within the first six months after date of birth
• CRL (Childbirth Recovery Leave)
  • Available to an employee who gives birth
  • Paid leave starts on date of delivery and ends 6 weeks after a vaginal birth.
  • Paid leave starts on date of delivery and ends 8 weeks after a C-section birth.
  • No employment waiting period if birth occurred on or after March 3, 2025.
  • Not available for birth occurring prior to March 3, 2025.

The State’s S/LTD (Short- & Long-Term Disability) Plan is a partially-paid leave available for incapacities related to an employee’s pregnancy and childbirth lasting more than 30 consecutive calendar days, such as required bed rest or complications beyond the routine 6- or 8-weeks’ recovery. If there are no complications, there is no need to apply for disability. Employees must have completed six months’ active employment to be eligible for coverage.

• www.jwfspecialty.com/applications-forms
• JWF Ph: 317.706.9559 or 888.818.7795
• JWF Fax: 866.893.4674

Documentation

• FML
  • FML for your pregnancy/childbirth: Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition
  • FML to care for your spouse during pregnancy/childbirth: Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition
• NPL documentation:
  • Birth Confirmation letter provided by the hospital that includes
    • Name of the child
    • Date of birth of child
    • Name of parent giving birth
    • Name of parent not giving birth, if available
    • Signature of a hospital official
  • Or Birth Certificate.
• CRL documentation:
  • Birth Confirmation (need submit only once if requesting both NPL and CRL), and
  • Document signed by your health care provider identifying the type of delivery (vaginal or c-section). The State provides this form for this purpose but will accept a statement from the provider on letterhead or prescription pad with authorized signature.

Related Policies

• Reasonable Accommodations Arising out of Pregnancy, Childbirth, Related Medical Condition
• Support for Lactating Parents

Review Your Insurance Plans

• www.in.gov/spd/benefits
• Check your Tier One, in-network options for most cost savings in pediatric and other care
• Add new dependent within 30 calendar days

Available Leaves: www.in.gov/spd/policies-and-procedures/standardized-policies

• Accrued leaves (Vacation or Personal)
• FML (Family-Medical Leave)
  • Available to attend appointments, etc. required during the adoption process
  • Available to bond with the employee’s adopted child
  • Eligibility requires 12 months’ employment and 1250 hours worked in the immediately preceding year.
  • Fiscal Year allotment of 12 weeks of FML is the total amount applied to all (not each) qualifying events combined that occur in the same fiscal year.
• NPL (New Parent Leave)
  • Available to employees
    • Upon placement of a child for adoption with the employee
  • No employment waiting period if the adoption occurred on or after March 3, 2025.
  • 150 paid hours available for full-time employees
  • 75 paid hours available for part-time employees
  • Must be used in full-day increments within the first six months after date of adoption.

Documentation

• Court Order placing child in your custody for adoption

Review Your Insurance Plans

• www.in.gov/spd/benefits
• Check your Tier One, in-network options for most cost savings in pediatric and other care
• Add new dependent within 30 calendar days

Available Leaves: www.in.gov/spd/policies-and-procedures/standardized-policies

• Accrued leaves (Vacation or Personal)
• FML (Family-Medical Leave)
  • Available to attend appointments, etc. required during the foster care placement process
  • Available to bond with foster child upon placement
  • Eligibility requires 12 months’ employment and 1250 hours worked in the immediately preceding year.
  • Fiscal Year allotment of 12 weeks of FML is the total amount applied to all (not each) qualifying events combined that occur in the same fiscal year.

Documentation

• Order from court or state agency placing child in your custody for foster care.

• NOTE: NPL and CRL cannot be requested until the child is born and the required documentation is available.
• Employee is responsible for initiating requests for these leaves, submitting the documentation, and following the instructions in the approval notice.
• Time Reporting Codes for each of these leaves are not available until an administrator has reviewed the documentation and approved the leave.
• Notices for denial, pushback for additional information, and approval are issued to the email address(es) the employee enters into each request.
• Log in to PS/ESS > Time > Extended Absence Request
  • From the Absence Type menu, select the leave [FML, NPL, or CRL].
  • From the Absence Take menu, select [FML, NPL, CRL] – Initiate Request.
  • Select the Launch button.
  • Complete information on each screen and upload appropriate documentation.
  • Select Save and Next to navigate through request.
  • Submit request.

All time reporters:

• Review your timesheets each pay period during your absence. Contact 855.773.4647, Option 4, immediately if you have questions or concerns about absence requests.
• Initial requests for FML, NPL and CRL must be approved in PeopleSoft before these leaves are available for use.
• If an employee is receiving disability benefits from the State’s S/LTD Plan, then timesheet entries cannot be made for the same dates. Disability payments and reduction of leave applied under Option 2 are entered into the payroll system by the administrator of the disability plan.
• Special CRL Process for Employees Giving Birth on or after March 3, 2025
  • As a courtesy, absence administrators may report absences for CRL and NPL into the appropriate timekeeping system at the time they approve the Initial Request described above if the request is to use these two leaves consecutively and continuously until exhausted. Available FML will be charged concurrently.
  • If an absence administrator has reported those absences, DO NOT cancel or edit them.
  • If an absence administrator has not reported those absences, or if there are blank or missing entries in a timesheet, the employee must act to complete and submit the timesheet before timesheets are due for that pay period. Follow the applicable process below for your timekeeping system.

PS time reporters:

• To enter absence request to use available FML, NPL, and CRL hours
  • Employee must log into their PeopleSoft account from a computer, not a phone.
  • From PS/ESS > Time > Extended Absence Request
  • Review the Extended Absence request list and select the row of the initial request open for the situation.
    • Take note of the 3-digit FML request ID found in the FMLA Details link if you selected the initial FML request.
  • Select the Add Absence button.
  • Enter the Begin and End dates and select the appropriate absence name from the drop-down menu.
  • Enter 3-digit FML request ID number (skip this step if NPL or CRL initial requests were selected).
  • Select Check Eligibility button.
  • Select Submit.

UKG time reporters:

• To enter absence requests to use available FML, NPL, and CRL hours
  • Employee must log into their UKG account.
  • In My Time Off tile, Select Advanced Options.
  • From the slider select the Begin and End dates and the appropriate absence name from the dropdown menu.
  • Must select Comment and select the comment number that matches the FML request ID number (Skip this step if selecting NPL or CRL).
  • Select Submit.

• Parents Giving Birth
  • Submit to your supervisor, agency HR staff, and JWF (if receiving disability benefits under S/LTD plan), a statement from your health care provider releasing you to return to work after your incapacity ends.
  • You cannot perform any work until that statement has been submitted, so on your return date, notify your agency HR and Payroll staff you have returned.
  • If there are any restrictions in that release statement, contact agency HR staff to discuss potential reasonable accommodation.
  • Schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss duties, changes in policy or procedure, and other matters to get back up to speed on business operations.
• Parents and Spouses Not Giving Birth, Adoptive or Foster Parents
  • On your return date, notify your HR and Payroll staff that you have returned.
  • Schedule a meeting with your supervisor to discuss duties, changes in policy or procedure, and other matters to get back up to speed on business operations.
• Parents Needing Breaks for Time to Express Milk for Their Child
  • Discuss lactation room locations and schedules with your supervisor and HR staff.
  • See Lactation Information & Policy at www.in.gov/spd/employee-resources/support-for-lactating-parents

Both Childbirth Recovery and New Parent leaves are available to eligible employees as soon as they start employment.

Paid Childbirth Recovery Leave substitutes for medical coverage under the State’s disability plan for a mother giving birth by covering the full duration of the usual period required for physical recovery after childbirth. Recovery time varies by type of birth, so six weeks are provided for a vaginal delivery and eight weeks are provided for a C-section delivery.

Paid NPL (New Parent Leave) provides bonding time for both parents with their new child. Full-time employees receive 150 hours, and part-time employees receive 75 hours. For employees giving birth, this leave is in addition to medical Childbirth Recovery Leave. NPL can be used continuously or intermittently in full-day increments during the first six months after the child’s birth. It also applies to the adoption of a child.

These leaves run consecutively with each other for employees who are eligible for both; however, both CRL (Childbirth Recovery Leave) and NPL (New Parent Leave) run concurrently with leave under the FMLA for employees who are eligible for FML (Family-Medical Leave).

The State’s Short- and Long-Term Disability Plan still applies to situations during pregnancy or following the standard childbirth recovery where complications arise in the employee’s health which prevent them from performing the essential functions of their job for more than 30 consecutive calendar days. Employees must apply to the disability plan as soon as they become aware of the complication. However, if there are no complications, there is no need to apply for disability due to routine childbirth recovery.

All employees who experience childbirth are eligible for Childbirth Recovery Leave covering the physical or medical recovery time after childbirth. This includes those whose childbirth experience results in fetal death, which is defined as occurring after 20 weeks’ gestation.

CRL (Childbirth Recovery Leave) is a consecutive leave that starts with the date of delivery and continues 6 or 8 weeks covering the length of medical recovery as determined by the type of delivery. NPL (New Parent Leave) can then be used starting upon the conclusion of CRL for continuous paid leave of 10-12 weeks. FML (Family-Medical Leave) runs concurrently with those leaves.

NPL hours can be used continuously or intermittently in full-day increments at any time during the first six months after the child arrives. Employees who have accrued sick, vacation, or personal leaves may use those leaves for additional time off or to receive payment when used concurrently with FML.

Employees who do not give birth are eligible for NPL (New Parent Leave) upon the birth of their child. If the child is born on or after March 3, 2025, employees are eligible upon hire without a six-month employment waiting period. Employees whose children were born prior to March 3, 2025, are eligible for NPL only if they were employed six months at the time that child was born in accordance with the policy in effect at that time.

NPL hours can be used continuously or intermittently in full-day increments at any time during the first six months after the child arrives. Employees may also be eligible for FML (Family-Medical Leave) to care for their spouse who just gave birth and to bond with their new child.

NPL (New Parent Leave) and FML (Family-Medical Leave) are also available to adoptive parents. FML (Family-Medical Leave) is available to foster parents.

After your child is born, follow these steps. You cannot request CRL until the actual date of birth and type of delivery have occurred.

1. Log in to your PeopleSoft account and navigate to PS/ESS > Time > Extended Absence Request.
2. Select the + to add a new request.
3. Select the Absence Type “Childbirth Recovery Leave”.
4. Enter the Actual Birth Date and Type of Delivery. The expiration date will populate automatically.
5. Complete all required fields.
6. Answer question whether taking NPL (New Parent Leave) consecutively following end of CRL.
7. Attach supporting documentation:
   • Birth Confirmation form provided by hospital or midwife
   • Confirmation of Type of Delivery (statement signed by health care provider confirming whether delivery was vaginal or C-section. Info could be on their letterhead or prescription pad or by completing this form.
8. Select OK.
9. Select Submit.

The INSPD Employee Relations Team will then enter the necessary requests for NPL and FML into PS and will enter absence requests for the duration of CRL (and NPL if consecutive), so you need not worry about timesheets or absence requests during continuous leave.

*If your agency does not use INSPD for HR services, send this information to your agency’s HR Director instead.