Time off for childbirth, adoption and foster care

• Eligible employees are those who earn benefits.
• You may request up to 12 weeks of leave.
• Your job is protected during your approved block of time.
• Paid parental leave (childbirth and adoption only) is part of the 12 weeks. Paid parental leave does not extend the 12-week period.
• You may use paid and unpaid time to cover your leave of absence.

Parent that gives birth (carrying parent)

• You may use sick leave the first six weeks after a vaginal delivery or eight weeks after a C-section.
• You may also use vacation, PTO and other paid leave. Other paid leave includes vacation/PTO donations, holiday, banked special leave without pay, and comp time.
• You may file a short-term disability claim if you have the county's coverage. Short-term disability covers the first six weeks after a vaginal delivery or eight weeks after a C-section. Before receiving short-term disability payments you must use up any other paid leave over 80 hours. View the policy sheet for short-term disability (PDF).

Birth parents (non-carrying), spouses, domestic partners, adoptive and foster parents

• You may use sick leave the first six weeks after a birth.
• You may also use vacation, PTO and other paid leave. Other paid leave includes vacation/PTO donations, holiday, banked special leave without pay, and comp time.
• You can't get short-term disability payments

Your rights and responsibilities under federal law

Read your rights and responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF).

Paid parental leave for childbirth and adoption

• Paid parental leave provides parents with additional income for childbirth or adoption (not available for foster care).
• You may request three weeks (up to 120 hours) paid parental leave.
• Amount of paid parental leave is based on your standard hours times three. For example, 40 standard weekly hours would equal 120 hours paid parental leave. Your standard hours are listed in APEX.
• The parent that gives birth must use paid parental leave hours within 12 weeks of birth.
• Birth parents (non-carrying), spouses and adoptive parents must use paid parental leave within one year of a birth or adoption.
• Proof of birth or adoption is needed before your request can be approved.
• Your job is protected if you take paid parental leave as one block of time. If you take it in intervals, contact HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.
• Request paid parental leave.

Planning your income for your leave of absence

Parental leave is a complex process. The HR leave and accommodation management office helps you understand your income options.

Vacation-PTO donation program

• You must run out all your paid leave before you can receive donations. But you can still receive donations while also receiving short-term disability payments.
• You can use donations within six weeks after a vaginal delivery or eight weeks for a C-section. The six or eight weeks is considered the medical part of your leave.
• Learn about the vacation-PTO donation program.

Special leave without pay

• Available to employees who earn benefits
• With your supervisor's approval, you may take up to 160 hours per payroll year. A payroll year is a 12-month period which starts in late December.
• You can use these hours even if you still have vacation, sick time, or PTO.
• You earn vacation, sick time, and PTO as if you had worked.
• County contributions to your insurance premiums are unaffected.
• If your paycheck doesn’t cover your premiums, they come out of your next available paycheck.
• PERA (employee retirement fund) contributions are not made but you can make them up at the end of the year. Call PERA at 651-296-7460. If you choose to make up your payments, the county will make its contributions.
• Seniority and retention pay are unaffected.
• You can work and bank these hours. This allows you to get paid for those hours later.
• Special leave without pay hours reset to 160 every payroll year.

Continuing your benefits while on your leave of absence

The way you pay for your benefits varies

• If you get a paycheck during your leave of absence, premiums come out of your paycheck.
• If your paycheck doesn’t cover the premiums, they come out of your next available paycheck.
• If you're out for an extended period of unpaid time, you'll receive a letter from the HR leave and accommodation management office with information on continuing your benefits.
• You may request personal leave of absence beyond your 12-week leave. Your supervisor must approve this. In this case, you can cover benefits at your own expense. This means no county contribution.

Questions

Contact the HR leave and accommodation management office at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

Signing up for short-term disability coverage

To receive short-term disability payments, you must sign up for the county's short-term disability coverage. Read more about the county's short-term disability insurance.

To see if you already have short-term disability coverage, check your benefits summary in APEX.

Steps to take before you can receive payments

• You must file a claim and have it approved. View the short-term disability claim instructions (PDF).
• You must record your last day of paid time in APEX.
• You will have a waiting period (a number of days you choose from when you signed up).
• If you have sick leave, you must use up your sick leave.
• Other paid leave can total no more than 80 hours (vacation, PTO, holiday, comp time, and banked special leave without pay). You must use up any hours over 80 before you can receive short-term disability payments. Some sheriff's office union contracts may not allow you to save 80 hours.

Receiving payments

Short-term disability payments come from The Standard insurance company, not the county.

Impact on taxes for receiving short-term disability

You must claim short-term disability payments on your taxes.

Questions

Contact the HR leave and accommodation management office at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

Discuss your leave of absence with your supervisor

• How you will prepare for your leave of absence and when it will start?
• How would you like your timesheet coded?
• What is your plan to return to work?

Request a leave of absence at least 30 days in advance

• Request your leave at least 30 days before a due date or child placement date.
• Use an estimated date if you’re unsure what start date to use.
• Follow your department policies and procedures.

Sheriff's employees

Contact Kathleen Smith at kathleen.smith@hennepin.us

All other employees

Complete the leave of absence request form

Plan for your income during your leave of absence

Consider how you want to use your sick leave, vacation, PTO, comp time, holiday and banked special leave without pay.

Check your leave balances.

Plan for how to use paid parental leave. The parent that gives birth must use paid parental leave within the 12-week leave of absence. Birth parents (non-carrying), spouses, and adoptive parents must use it within one year of the birth or adoption.

Parent that gives birth filing for short-term disability payments: before getting payments, you’ll have a waiting period of 7, 14, 30, or 45 days (whichever you chose when you signed up for short-term disability). You can cover the waiting period with other paid leave such as vacation, sick time, or PTO.

If you want to use special leave without pay, discuss it with your supervisor.

Printable checklist

Checklist for before and after the birth (PDF)

Lactation support information

View the county's webpage on lactation support.

Consider the Healthy Mom and Baby program

Pregnant employees who have county health insurance can take part. Learn more about PreferredOne's Healthy Mom and Baby program (PDF).

Cancel or suspend your MetroPass or parking contract

• Cancel or suspend MetroPass.
• To cancel or suspend your parking contract, check with your parking provider.

Questions

Contact the HR leave and accommodation management office at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

Notify your supervisor

Notify your supervisor of your child's birth or placement date.

Add your child to your insurance (if applicable)

Within 30 days of the birth, complete the family status change form (PDF).

Before you file for short-term disability (parent that gives birth only)

Record your last day of paid time in APEX, including any regular hours or other paid leave. You must be on the county network. If you can't access the network, contact your supervisor to record your time for you.

Make sure your total paid leave balance is no higher than 80 hours.

Once you've recorded your last day of paid time in APEX (parent that gives birth only)

• You can file for short-term disability.
• Read and follow short-term disability claim instructions (PDF).
• To file a claim, call The Standard insurance company at 1-833-878-8857.

Request paid parental leave

• Birth parents (carrying) receiving short-term disability payments: you can only start receiving paid parental leave after your short-term disability payments end.
• Paid parental leave covers birth and adoption only. It does not cover foster care.
• Proof of birth or adoption is needed before your request can be approved. 
• Once approved, paid parental leave hours show up in APEX in about one week.
• You’ll get an email letting you know when the hours are available. In the meantime consider covering the gap with other paid leave.
• Paid parental leave hours show up as awarded time.
• View the paid parental leave request form.

Code your timesheet while on leave

If you don’t have network access your supervisor will code your timesheet for you.

Printable checklist

Browse the checklist for before and after the birth (PDF).

Lactation support information

View the county's webpage on lactation support.

Additional programs to consider

Lactation pump discount

Employees with county health insurance can get up to $300 off an electric lactation pump.

For more information contact PreferredOne at 763-847-4477.

Support for child care

New Horizon Academy offers accredited childcare and daycare services for children up to five years old.

New Horizon offers a discount to county employees. Proof of employment is required.

• New Horizon flyer (PDF)
• New Horizon back-up care flyer (PDF)

Pre-tax child care savings

You can set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible child care.

Learn more about dependent care assistance.

Questions

Contact the HR leave and accommodation management office at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

Your return-to-work date

Discuss your return-to-work date with your supervisor.

Resuming your benefits

You may see an impact on your paycheck or an impact on how your benefits start again. This depends on how you took your leave.

Contact HR for more information at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

Lactation rooms in county buildings

Nursing parents can use the county's lactation rooms.

Questions

Contact the HR leave and accommodation management office at HR.LAM.Office@hennepin.us.

We provide a supportive environment to enable employees who are lactating to express their milk in privacy during work hours.

• Lactation support information for employees (DOCX)
• Lactation support for information for supervisors (DOCX)