Eastern Oregon University > Human Resources > PAID LEAVE OREGON

PAID LEAVE OREGON

Paid Leave Oregon 

Effective September 3, 2023, employees in the state of Oregon may be eligible for the new Paid Leave Oregon program, which provides the following:

  • Family leave to care for an eligible family member with a serious illness or injury or to bond with a new child after birth, adoption, or foster care placement
  • Medical leave for the employee’s serious health condition
  • Safe leave for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking

What you should know:

  • EOU has elected to use an equivalent plan with The Standard.
  • Payroll taxes begin with the September payroll for EOU employees. Both workers and employers contribute to the fund through payroll taxes. Large employers (such as EOU) contribute 40%, and employees contribute 60% of the total contribution. The total contribution is set at 1% of wages. (For example, an employee earning $1,000, the total contribution would be $10.00. The employer would pay 40% ($4.00), and the employee would pay 60% ($6.00).
  • Who’s covered – An employee who earned at least $1,000 in the year may be eligible
  • You can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year (up to 14 weeks for pregnancy-related medical leave). Paid leave will run concurrently with FMLA/OFLA leave where applicable.
  • If you’ve worked for EOU for more than 90 days, your job is protected.
  • The benefit amount you receive from Standard Insurance will depend on your wages and income and based on the requirements set forth by the State of Oregon. (Claims are filed directly with the Standard, and payments come directly from them, not from EOU)
  • Employees must notify their employer (through Human Resources) at least 30 days before taking the leave, or if the leave is unexpected, within 24 hours. (Additional documentation may be required)
  • Employees will file claims for benefits directly with the Standard using the claim forms below.

Eligible Family Member Definition: spouse, same-gender domestic partner, custodial parent, non-custodial parent, adoptive parent, foster parent, biological parent, parent-in-law, parent of same-gender domestic partner, sibling, step-sibling, grandparent or grandchild of the employee, or a person with whom the employee is or was in a relationship of in loco parentis. It also includes the biological, adopted, foster, or stepchild of an employee or the child of an employee’s same-gender domestic partner and any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with a covered individual is the equivalent of a family member.

PDF HR ZOOM TRAINING

OR PFML & PEBB Short-Term Disability Weekly Benefit Chart

Common Questions

PLO Benefits Calculator (NEW)

How to file a claim

PAID LEAVE OREGON CLAIM PROCESS AND BENEFIT INFORMATION:

EMPLOYEE Instructions

  • When an employee plans to be absent from work for reasons relating to a medical condition, care of a family member, military service assignment, or bereavement of a family member, the Employee completes a “Leave Request” using the Mountie Hub/Employee Services/Leave Request/Submit A New Request tab (online through Mountie Hub). 
    • All requests require an employee to describe the reason for the leave and the anticipated start and end dates of the leave.
    • Every time an employee begins a continuous leave of absence or begins a resumption of an intermittent leave, the employee must complete the online leave request in their Mountie Hub. 
  • The leave of absence request moves through the workflow:  supervisor to HR.
  • When HR receives the request, HR will:
    • Contact the employee requesting the leave of absence within 48 hours.
    • Review with the employee the different leave of absence options based on the reasons for the leave.

Note:  If the reason for the employee’s leave of absence also qualifies for other types of leave of absence such as the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA), then HR will give the employee instructions and paperwork to complete for the other types of leave.  HR will process the FMLA/OFLA completed paperwork. 

  • Advise the employee on applying for PLO weekly benefits with The Standard.  The Standard prefers employees to apply for PLO benefits by telephone; paper applications are also available.
  • HOW TO FILE A CLAIM.  PLO leave eligibility and the employee’s weekly benefit amount while on their PLO leave are determined entirely by The Standard (not EOU).
    • The Standard requires an employee using a PLO leave to call and inform them every time they begin a new PLO leave or resume taking an intermittent PLO leave after returning to work, even if only for one day.
  • Employee’s option to use PLO leave “top-off”:  While on a PLO leave and receiving PLO weekly benefit payments, the employee also has the option to use their available EOU accrued paid time off (PTO) benefits, including paid sick days, paid vacation days, paid personal days, or paid comp time. This is called PLO leave “top-off.”  Employees may use up to a full day of available PTO for each day they are on PLO leave of absence and receiving PLO weekly benefits.
  • EOU Timesheets:  An EOU employee, when out on any leave of absence, must submit an EOU timesheet every month. The timesheet must be completed per the employee’s regular timesheet submittal time.

Timesheet instructions:

  • When the employee does NOT choose to use available accrued PTO to “top-off” their PLO weekly benefit, they are to select Leave without Pay “LWOP” for the hours of each day they have been on their PLO leave of absence.
    • When the employee DOES choose to use available accrued PTO to “top-off” their PLO weekly benefits, they enter the number of PTO hours that they want to use each day while on their PLO leave of absence.  When a leave of absence is for a medical-related reason, paid sick hours are to be used before vacation, personal, or comp time paid leave hours.

While receiving payment through The Standard, if you do not receive a paycheck from EOU, you may need to self-pay the employee portion of your benefits that would normally come from your paycheck. Please contact Human Resources at hr@eou.edu or 541 962-3087 for additional information.