{"id":174,"date":"2026-02-26T19:29:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/?page_id=174"},"modified":"2026-02-26T19:29:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:29:55","slug":"massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns sidebar is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column sidebar is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>In accordance with the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) law (M.G.L. c. 175M), Clark University provides eligible employees with job-protected leave and access to paid benefits for qualifying family and medical reasons. MAPFML is administered through Clark University\u2019s approved private plan and is coordinated with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when applicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligible employees may take leave for their own serious health condition, to bond with a new child, or to care for a family member with a serious health condition, as defined under MAPFML.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/human-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/2022-Massachusetts-Paid-Family-Medical-Leave.pdf\">View information about Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave at Clark<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-eligibility\">Eligibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees are eligible for MAPFML if they meet the eligibility requirements established by the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML), which generally include earning a minimum amount in wages subject to PFML contributions during the applicable base period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligibility determinations, benefit approvals, and payment amounts are made by the DFML or Clark University\u2019s approved leave administrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-duration-of-leave\">Duration of leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Under MAPFML, eligible employees may take up to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>20 weeks of Paid Medical Leave<\/strong>&nbsp;in a benefit year for their own serious health condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12 weeks of Paid Family Leave<\/strong>&nbsp;to bond with a child following birth, adoption, or foster placement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12 weeks of Paid Family Leave<\/strong>&nbsp;to care for a family member with a serious health condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>26 weeks of Paid Family Leave<\/strong>&nbsp;to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The combined maximum leave entitlement under MAPFML is <strong>26 weeks in a single benefit year<\/strong>, as defined by the DFML.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When applicable, MAPFML will run&nbsp;<strong>concurrently with FMLA<\/strong>&nbsp;and other job-protected leaves to the fullest extent permitted by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reasons-for-mapfml-leave\">Reasons for MAPFML leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Paid Family or Medical Leave may be taken for the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The employee\u2019s own serious health condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bonding with a child during the first 12 months after birth, adoption, or foster placement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Caring for a family member with a serious health condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Qualifying military exigencies related to a family member\u2019s active duty service<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Caring for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For purposes of this policy, a&nbsp;<em>serious health condition<\/em>&nbsp;has the same meaning as defined under MAPFML and FMLA and generally includes an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition requiring inpatient care or continuing treatment by a health care provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-requesting-mapfml-leave\">Requesting MAPFML leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees requesting MAPFML must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Submit a leave request through&nbsp;<strong>authorized leave vendor<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Clark University\u2019s leave administrator, as soon as practicable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide at least&nbsp;<strong>30 days\u2019 advance notice<\/strong>&nbsp;when the need for leave is foreseeable (such as planned surgery or pregnancy)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submit required medical or family care documentation as requested by Prudential or the DFML<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our authorized Leave Vendor will coordinate the leave process in partnership with the Office of Human Resources and Organizational Excellence and will notify employees of approval, duration, benefit amounts, and ongoing documentation requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-use-of-accrued-paid-time\">Use of accrued paid time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>MAPFML provides&nbsp;<strong>paid benefits through the state or private plan<\/strong>. Employees may elect, where permitted, to supplement MAPFML benefits with accrued sick or vacation time in accordance with University policy and applicable law, but may not receive pay in excess of their regular weekly wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-benefits-during-leave\">Benefits during leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During MAPFML leave, employees\u2019 health and dental insurance will be continued on the same terms as if the employee were actively working, provided the employee continues to pay their normal premium contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If an employee is not receiving pay through payroll, premium payments must be made directly to the University in accordance with established billing procedures. Failure to make timely payments may result in coverage termination, subject to required notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-job-protection-and-reinstatement\">Job protection and reinstatement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>MAPFML provides job protection. Upon return from approved leave, employees will be reinstated to their former position or an equivalent position with the same pay, benefits, and employment status, unless the position has been eliminated due to legitimate operational reasons unrelated to the leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees must notify their supervisor and the Office of Human Resources and Organizational Excellence at least&nbsp;<strong>one week prior to their anticipated return date<\/strong>. A fitness-for-duty or return-to-work certification may be required for leaves taken due to the employee\u2019s own serious health condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-coordination-with-other-leave-laws\">Coordination with other leave laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>MAPFML will run concurrently with FMLA, the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act, and other applicable leave laws when the leave qualifies under more than one statute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-outside-employment\">Outside employment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees may not engage in outside employment while on MAPFML leave. Any employee who is gainfully employed elsewhere while on leave may be considered to have voluntarily resigned and may be subject to disciplinary action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-questions\">Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Questions regarding MAPFML eligibility, benefits, or the leave process should be directed to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/human-resources\/\">Office of Human Resources and Organizational Excellence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><nav class=\"is-vertical wp-block-navigation is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-navigation-is-layout-2c14e10a wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Section IV Menu\"><ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__container  is-vertical wp-block-navigation\"><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/bereavement\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Bereavement<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/pregnancy-loss-and-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Pregnancy loss and leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/other-types-of-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Other types of leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/family-medical-leave-act\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Family Medical Leave Act<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/domestic-violence-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Domestic violence leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/crime-victim-and-witness-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Crime victim and witness leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/small-necessities-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Small necessities leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/jury-duty-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Jury duty leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/voting-leave\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Voting leave<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/pregnant-workers-fairness-act\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Pregnant Workers Fairness Act<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/accommodations-for-nursing-mothers\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Accommodations for nursing mothers<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/leave-for-religious-observances\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Leave for religious observances<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/sick-leave-donation\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Sick leave donation<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In accordance with the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) law (M.G.L. c. 175M), Clark University provides eligible employees with job-protected leave and access to paid benefits for qualifying family and medical reasons. MAPFML is administered through Clark University\u2019s approved private plan and is coordinated with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":149,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-174","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave | Employee Handbook | Clark University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In accordance with the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) law (M.G.L. c. 175M), Clark University provides eligible employees with job-protected leave and access to paid benefits for qualifying family and medical reasons. MAPFML is administered through Clark University\u2019s approved private plan and is coordinated with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Employee Handbook\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClarkUniversityWorcester\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T00:29:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@clarkuniversity\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave | Employee Handbook | Clark University","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/employee-handbook\/leaves-of-absence\/massachusetts-paid-family-medical-leave\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave","og_description":"In accordance with the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) law (M.G.L. c. 175M), Clark University provides eligible employees with job-protected leave and access to paid benefits for qualifying family and medical reasons. 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