Effective July 1, 2025
All individuals with a 12-month postdoctoral appointment will receive applicable paid leave benefits while serving in the academic position beginning July 1, 2025.
As part of your 12-month postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Missouri, you are eligible to participate in university leave programs as described below.
Types of leave
- Caregiver leave
- Military
- Organ and bone marrow donor
- Paid time off (PTO)
- Parental leave
- Short-term disability
- Voting
- Winter break
- Additional types
Caregiver leave
Caregiver leave provides two weeks of paid time off within a rolling 12-month period to care for a family member with a serious health condition as defined by HR-407 Family and Medical Leave Act. Employees may take caregiver leave for more than one qualifying event within a rolling 12-month period.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-422 Caregiver Leave Pay. Apply to use caregiver leave by completing the instructions outlined on the Taking Qualifying or FMLA Leave webpage.
Military leave
Any University of Missouri employee who becomes a member of the armed forces will be granted a military leave of absence for military service. Individuals on military leave can choose to continue to receive their benefits, or they can suspend coverage while on military leave.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-405 Military Leave.
Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave
Staff and academic faculty who have completed at least one year of continuous, fully benefit-eligible employment immediately before the leave are eligible to receive a leave of absence with pay for solid organ and bone marrow donation and recovery. Employees are only eligible for leave if the employee is the person serving as the donor.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-416 Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave.
Paid time off (PTO)
Employees can use accrued hours in their paid time off (PTO) bank to take time off as they choose, whether for personal/family illness, travel, or other reason not covered by a specialized type of leave (listed below).
PTO hours are subject to supervisor approval and must be earned before taken. Employees may accumulate twice their annual accrual. PTO is accrued at the following rates:
| Employee Group | Years of Service | Days Per Year* |
| Office, technical, maintenance, and service (hourly) (includes all employees in positions designated as nonexempt and eligible for overtime pay) |
5 or less | 18 days (144 hours) |
| Over 5 | 23 days (184 hours) |
|
| Over 15 | 28 days (224 hours) |
|
| Administrative (salaried) (includes all employees in positions designated as exempt and not eligible for overtime pay) |
5 or less | 23 days (184 hours) |
| Over 5 | 28 days (224 hours) |
* Hours are prorated for employees working less than 100% FTE. MU Health Care hourly employees also have a PTO cash-in option.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-421 Paid Time Off (PTO).
Parental leave
Parental leave provides four weeks of paid time off within a rolling 12-month period for employees who are welcoming a new child into their home. Qualifying events include the birth of a child or the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.
Employees may take parental leave for more than one qualifying event within a rolling 12-month period, but may not exceed the maximum four weeks.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-423 Parental Leave Pay. Apply to use parental leave by completing the instructions outlined on the Taking Qualifying or FMLA Leave webpage.
Short-term disability
Effective Jan. 1, 2024, short-term disability provides eligible employees a percentage of income replacement for up to 20 weeks within a rolling 12-month period if they are unable to work due to a serious health condition.
Eligible employees automatically receive basic coverage and can purchase additional coverage. Because short-term disability is one of the qualifying leave types, employees must first apply in order to use short-term disability.
Get more detailed information on the Short-Term Disability webpage, as well as from the HR Policy Manual at HR-309 Short-Term Disability Plan and HR-309 Short-Term Disability Q&As. Apply to use short-term disability leave by completing the instructions outlined on the Taking Qualifying or FMLA Leave webpage.
Voting
Any employee who is eligible to vote in an election held within the state of Missouri may receive three successive hours' time off with pay for the purpose of voting. If an employee's working hours are such that they permit three successive hours between the opening and closing of the polls when not on duty, they are not eligible for any paid time off for the purpose of voting. Absence due to voting must be requested prior to Election Day. It is within a supervisor's right to specify the time an employee may be absent to vote.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-411 Voting.
Winter break leave
Winter break leave is paid time off for regular administrative, service and support staff and certain non-regular academic employees during the University's systemwide winter reduced operations period. The reduced operations period occurs between the Christmas Day holiday and the day before the New Year's Day holiday. This type of leave must be used during the winter break reduced operations period. Employees who are required to work during the reduced operations period are allowed an equivalent amount of leave to use at a later date.
Get more detailed information from the HR Policy Manual at HR-415 Winter Break Leave.
Additional leave
Additional leave types for which employees may be eligible include:
- Leave as a result of domestic or sexual violence (VESSA leave)
- Leave for Worker's Compensation Benefits
Reviewed 2025-05-19
