Home

III-22.8 Parental Leave and Accommodation Policy

III-22.8 Parental Leave Policy

(Amended 5/99; 8/00; 1/06; 5/07; 10/14; 7/1/17; 8/12/22; 8/1/23; 7/1/25)

Effective July 1, 2025, and August 1, 2023, this policy has been revised. For the most current version without redlining, return to III-22.8.

  1. Purpose. To provide parents time off to care for and bond with a child newly added to the family and, to the extent permitted by state law, to be paid during such leave. To adapt an employee's work schedule and/or duties to help reduce conflict with parental obligations.
  2. Iowa Paid Parental Leave (IPPL). Iowa Paid Parental Leave provides paid leave to eligible university employees who become parents through birth or adoption of a child. Eligible employees are those who are otherwise eligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (see III-22.7.d(1) and (2)), and who have FMLA hours available. Eligible employees may use IPPL within the first 12 months following the birth or placement of the child. IPPL must be used concurrently with approved FMLA leave. Using IPPL does not reduce an employee’s other paid leave accruals (e.g., sick or vacation leave).

    An employee may choose to use IPPL continuously, typically immediately after the birth or placement of the child, and/or intermittently during the following twelve months. The timing and duration of IPPL taken after the employee returns from an initial continuous leave immediately following the birth or placement of the child may be subject to approval based on operational needs.

    IPPL is a paid leave benefit, separate from and in addition to all other university paid leave policies.
  3. Leave eligibility: faculty, professional and scientific staff, and non-organized merit system staff. 

    Leave entitlement by role/relationship.
    1. A birth mother (i.e., an employee who gives birth) An employee who gives birth is entitled to leave for any period of pregnancy-related temporary disability, to be charged against accrued sick leave. Based on current medical practice, a leave of 6 weeks or less following the birth would not require the employee to provide disability documentation. If an employee's accumulated sick leave is insufficient to cover the 6-week period of disability, the leave balance will be charged, at the employee's request, to vacation time (as applicable), compensatory time (as applicable), available donations through the Catastrophic Leave Program (III-22.9), or a leave of absence without pay. Any request for non–medically necessary absence beyond the 6-week period of disability is considered as a leave of absence without pay  or as vacation.
    2. A newly adoptive parent is entitled to 1 week (5 days) of paid adoption leave to be charged against accrued sick leave. Departments are encouraged to practice flexibility when working with employees to meet the needs of their growing family using available leave accruals. Time not charged to accrued sick leave may be charged to accrued vacation (as applicable), compensatory time (as applicable), or taken as leave without pay.
    3. Birthing parent. An eligible employee who gives birth is entitled to leave as follows:
      1. Four weeks of Iowa Paid Parental Leave (160 hours based on full-time employment, pro-rated for part-time), subject to availability of FMLA leave.
      2. Leave for any period of pregnancy-related temporary disability will be charged against accrued sick leave. Under current institutional practice, a leave of 6 weeks or less following the birth does not require the employee to provide medical verification.
      3. If an employee's accumulated sick leave is insufficient to cover the period of disability, the leave balance will be charged to available vacation leave or compensatory time, as determined by the employee, consistent with university policy. Upon exhaustion of paid leave accruals, employees may use available donations through the Catastrophic Leave Program (III-22.9) as applicable. Typically, employees must exhaust all paid leave before being approved for a leave of absence without pay. However, under extenuating circumstances, an employee may request to be placed on an unpaid leave in lieu of exhausting vacation accruals. Such requests should be submitted to the applicable local human resources office for review and approval, subject to operational needs. Leave for non–medically necessary absence beyond the period of disability and after IPPL is exhausted  will be considered as a leave of absence without pay or as vacation.
    4. Non-birthing parent. An eligible employee who is the non-birthing parent (not including adoptive parents, who are covered below) is entitled to leave as follows:
      1. One week of Iowa Paid Parental Leave (40 hours for full-time employment, pro-rated for part-time), and
      2. Family Caregiving Leave, based on available sick leave accruals as defined in III-22.3.c above, to care for the spouse/partner who gave birth during the spouse/partner’s period of medical disability.
    5. Adoptive parent. An eligible employee who is a newly adoptive parent is entitled to leave as follows:
      1. Four weeks of Iowa Paid Parental Leave (160 hours based on full-time employment, pro-rated for part-time), and
      2. One week of adoption leave that will be charged against accrued sick leave. If the employee does not have sufficient sick leave accruals, the adoption leave may be charged to accrued vacation (as applicable), compensatory time (as applicable), or taken as leave without pay.
      3. Employees who become parents via a surrogate will be treated as adoptive parents for purposes of parental leave.
    6. Employee’s notice to their supervisor. It is the employee’s responsibility to inform their supervisor at the earliest possible time about the number of days required for need for, and expected duration of, leave. Greater notice enables operational adjustments to facilitate the leave.
    7. Flexibility encouraged. Recognizing the wide variety of family types that exist, the university strongly encourages departments and units to be flexible in granting additional time off, in accordance with university policy,  beyond what is described above to be supportive of the emotional and physical well-being of the employee and/or their family.
  4. Reasonable accommodations and/or adaptation to employment duties/schedule.
    1. The university will provide reasonable accommodations to for an employee’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause undue hardship to the university. Such accommodations are coordinated through Faculty and Staff Disability Services (FSDS) (for non–health care employees) and Leave and Disability Administration (LDA) (for healthcare employees).
    2. Probationary faculty. For each minor child newly added to the family of a probationary faculty member (e.g., biological, adopted, stepchild, or by guardianship) during the probationary period or within 2 years prior to the initial appointment, the faculty member shall be eligible for extension of the probationary period as provided in III-10.1a(4)(e)(1).
    3. Departments are strongly encouraged to work with faculty and staff to modify schedules and duties, such as travel, be flexible in providing reasonable accommodations to assist new parents.
  5. Family Caregiving Leave. See III-22.3 above.

(See also III-24 Work Arrangements.)