Parental Leave 

Parental leave allows eligible state employees who are the legal, foster, or adoptive parents of a child to take up to 240 hours of paid leave within the first 12 weeks following the child’s birth or placement. A new parent will have up to 240 hours to focus on bonding with their child and building their family without having the financial worries that result from unpaid leave.   

Resources

Parental Leave Request Form

PS 12 Employee Leave

PM 20 Employee Leave

Civil Service Rule 11.36

Civil Service Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Parental leave is paid leave that provides eligible employees time to bond with a child following the birth of a child or placement of a child under the age of 18 with the employee for adoption or foster care. Parental leave also allows adoptive and foster parents to attend post-placement court proceedings and mandatory meetings related to the placement.

Legal parents, adoptive parents and foster parents are eligible for parental leave when they occupy a leave-earning position on the date of the qualifying event, including the birth of a child or the placement of a child under the age of 18 with the employee for adoption or foster care.

To be eligible for parental leave, on the date leave is to begin the employee must:

  • Be employed in a leave-earning position; and
  • Have been employed by the state for at least 12 months; and
  • Have worked for at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of parental leave.

Parental leave is available for use only during the 12 weeks (84 calendar days) immediately following the commencement of the qualifying event.  Parental leave may be used continuously or intermittently.

An eligible employee may be granted up to six weeks (240 hours) of parental leave during the twelve-week (84-day) period following a qualifying event.

Employees are entitled to compensation at the rate of 100% of their base pay while on parental leave, without deduction to eligible employee’s annual, sick, or compensatory leave balances.

Employees may request Parental Leave by completing and submitting the Parental Leave Request Form. In addition to the request form, you may be required to produce acceptable proof in support of your request, such as a birth certificate or adoption decree, confirming your relationship to the child for whom Parental Leave is requested or proof of attendance at court proceedings or other mandated meetings related to adoption or foster placement.

Request for leave should be made at least 30 days prior to your leave start date to ensure that your leave will be properly recorded. If the leave is unforeseeable, notify your supervisor and LSU’s FMLA Specialist as soon as possible about your need for leave.