University employees who become a parent via childbirth, adoption, foster care or another legal placement are eligible if:

• The employee is full-time or part-time (half-time or more) in a permanent, probationary, or time-limited (benefits-eligible) position at the time of the qualifying event;
• The employee has been continuously employed by the State of North Carolina for the immediate twelve (12) preceding months; and
• The employee has been in pay status for at least 1,040 hours in the previous twelve-month period.

Paid Parental Leave provides:

• Eight (8) weeks of paid parental leave for the birth parent, providing the first four (4) weeks for recuperation immediately following the birth and
• Four (4) weeks of paid parental leave for the non-birth parent, as well as for adoptions, foster care, or other legal placement of a child.

• Each week of Paid Parental Leave will be compensated at 100% of the employee’s regular, straight-time weekly pay.
• Leave for part-time employees will be awarded on a pro-rated basis corresponding to the percentage of hours they normally are scheduled to work.
• Eligible University employees who have given birth shall be provided four weeks (160 hours, pro-rated for part-time) of Paid Parental Leave for recuperation during the disability period associated with the birth (“Recuperation Leave”). This leave must be used as a continuous four-week period of leave commencing immediately following the birth.
• Eligible University employees shall be provided four weeks (160 hours, pro-rated for parttime) of Paid Parental Leave to care for and bond with an eligible child (“Bonding Leave”). This applies to both parents. This leave must be used within the first twelve months of the
  birth or placement of the child and should be coordinated with the employee’s management to minimize impact to the work unit, if feasible, and to avoid any public safety concern. This leave must be used as a continuous four-week period of leave.
• Paid Parental Leave must run concurrent with Family & Medical Leave, if available. Even if the employee has already exhausted their available Family & Medical Leave, the employee will remain eligible to use Paid Parental Leave if it has not been used within the past twelve months.
• Paid Parental Leave (“Recuperation Leave”) must be applied to absences prior to the employee using any available personal leave (vacation, bonus, sick, etc.), other accrued paid time off, or leave without pay.
• Paid Parental Leave cannot be used prior to the birth or legal placement of a child for related medical issues or placement-related legal or court appointments.
• If both parents work for the same institution, each is independently eligible to use Paid Parental Leave; the leave benefit is not combined for the parents for a qualifying event.
• Paid Parental Leave (“Bonding Leave”) must be used within twelve months of the birth of the child or placement of the child; if it is not used in that time, then it is forfeited.
• Eligibility for Paid Parental Leave ends if an employee transfers to an ineligible position/appointment or to a non-participating institution. Paid Parental Leave is not paid out upon separation from employment and cannot be donated to other employees.

Exception for Stillbirth

In the event of a stillbirth occurring twenty or more weeks into the pregnancy, a birth mother who is otherwise an eligible University employee shall be provided up to four weeks of Paid Parental Recuperation Leave commencing immediately following the stillbirth.

The new Paid Parental Leave policy includes a provision for addressing qualifying events that have occurred since the September 1, 2019 effective date. If a benefit eligible employee had a qualifying event that occurred on or after September 1, 2019, and met the eligibility requirements as of the date of the event, the employee will be eligible for four (4) weeks of Paid Parental Leave for purposes of bonding, beginning January 1, 2020 and expiring twelve (12) months from the time of the qualifying event date.

Temporary positions, to include Postdoctoral/House Officers and Graduate Students, are not eligible for the Paid Parental Leave program, however, these employees may use that time of service in determining the 12 months of continuous employment eligibility for Paid Parental Leave so long as the employee is in a permanent, probationary, or time-limited position at the time of the qualifying event.

Relationship to Faculty Serious Illness and Disability Leave

Non-leave earning faculty covered by Sections 300.2.11 and 300.2.11[G] of the UNC Policy Manual, and any other faculty who are covered by their institution’s Faculty Serious Illness and Disability Leave program, are not covered by this regulation. More information about this policy is available at: https://policies.ncsu.edu/policy/pol-05-30-01/