Beginning January 1, 2026, our Paid Family and Medical Leave processes are changing, and our program will be called Paid Leave Oregon. The process information on this page is being updated for 2026. If you have specific questions, contact your unit HR team or email hrleaves@uoregon.edu.
General
Claims
Supervisor and Payroll Admin
Who's covered by Paid Leave Oregon?
All actively working and contributing full- and part-time employees who work for an Oregon employer. At UO, this includes faculty, officers of administration, classified, graduate, temporary and student employees. The program does not cover employees who work remotely in other states.
What does Paid Leave Oregon provide?
PLO provides a weekly wage replacement for up to 12 weeks of medical, family, or safe leave in a 52-week period starting from the day your leave begins. An additional 2 weeks, for a total of 14 weeks, of family leave is available for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation.
What types of leave are covered under Paid Leave Oregon?
PLO provides paid time off for:
Family Leave
Caring for members of your family for:- Birth of a child
- Bonding with a child in the first year:
- After birth
- Through adoption
- Placement for foster care
- A qualifying family member's serious health condition.
- Medical Leave
To care for yourself when you have a serious health condition. Safe Leave
For survivors of:- Sexual assault
- Domestic violence
- Harassment
- Stalking
Who is considered a family member under Paid Leave Oregon?
A family member is defined by state law and can be any of the following:
- Your spouse or domestic partner
- Your child (biological, adopted, stepchild, or foster child), your spouse or domestic partner’s child, or the child’s spouse or domestic partner
- Your parent (biological, adoptive, stepparent, foster parent, or legal guardian), the parent of your spouse or domestic partner, or your parent’s spouse or domestic partner
- Your sibling or stepsibling or their spouse or domestic partner
- Your grandparent or your grandparent’s spouse or domestic partner
- Your grandchild or your grandchild’s spouse or domestic partner
- Anyone you are related to by blood or affinity, whose close association with a covered individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.
What is The Standard's/Unum's role in administering Paid Leave Oregon?
The Standard (or Unum, for claims starting 1/1/26 or after) will provide eligibility determination, claims processing and benefit payment to employees.
How do I apply/file a claim for Paid Leave Oregon?
Instructions for leaves starting before January 1, 2026
Instructions for leaves starting on or after January 1, 2026 (coming soon)
What information will I need to provide The Standard/Unum at the time I file my claim?
The Standard will walk you through the process during your call; however, you will want to refer to policy #762384-Z. You will also need to provide your name, employer, type of leave requesting, dates of your leave and healthcare provider name and contact information.
For Unum claims, see How to Request Protected Leave.
Do I need to notify my supervisor or Human Resources if I plan to take leave under Paid Leave Oregon?
If your leave is foreseeable, you are required to file your claim with The Standard (or Unum, for claims starting 1/1/26 or after) and notify your supervisor, in writing, 30 days in advance. If you do not give the required notice, your first weekly benefit may be reduced. In an emergency, you must notify your supervisor (this does not have to be in writing) that you plan to use Paid Leave within 24 hours. Follow up with a written notice to your supervisor within 3 days after starting leave.
How will benefits be paid?
Once you have filed a claim with The Standard, and the claim has been approved, benefits will be paid on a weekly basis directly from The Standard. Please note that the average turnaround time for claim filing to claim decision is 17 business days. After The Standard has received all required documentation the average claim decision turn around time is 2-3 business days. PFML benefit payments are issued by physical check from The Standard and mailed to the address provided by the employee. Please allow for 7-10 days for the check to arrive.
PFML benefits are determined by The Standard and are based on a state-created formula using your average weekly wage from the 52-weeks preceding your leave and the average weekly wage of all employees in the state of Oregon. The maximum weekly PFML benefit for the 2025 - 2026 year is $1,636.56.
For claims starting 1/1/26 or after, you can request direct deposit payments from Unum to receive payments up to a week sooner than by paper check.
How is Paid Leave Oregon funded?
PLO is funded by payroll taxes. Employees contribute .6% of gross monthly wages per month via payroll deduction. Employers contribute .4% of gross monthly wages per month.
Example: If an employee’s monthly gross wage is $2,000; the UO would pay $8.00 per month, and the employee would pay $12.00 per month.
Can I opt out of contributing?
No. Per Oregon state law, eligible employees may not opt out of contributions.
Are contributions taxable?
Contributions will be included in wages subject to Oregon tax and will be included on your W2.
Are benefits received taxable?
Yes. Benefits received are considered taxable income.
How does Paid Leave Oregon interact with short-term disability?
PLO benefits are considered deductible income under the terms of our short-term disability (STD) policy. STD benefits are reduced by any benefits employees are eligible to receive from PLO because of their own health condition. STD benefit amount will be the difference between the amount employees are eligible to receive from PLO and the maximum benefits amount of the STD claim.
- Important! * Even if an employee does not apply for PLO for their own serious health condition, their STD benefits will be reduced.
- The minimum amount of weekly STD benefits an employee may receive is $25.
- STD benefits apply only to an employee's own health condition; therefore, there is no interaction between STD and PLO for situations other than one's own health condition.
- Note that The Standard will continue to administer UO employees' short-term disability claims even though they will no longer administer our Paid Leave Oregon claims as of 1/1/26.
Does Paid Leave Oregon cover employees who work remotely outside of Oregon?
No, Oregon's program does not cover employees who work remotely in other states, but employees in several states may qualify those states' programs.
Is Paid Leave Oregon available for a non-birthing parent?
Yes. A non-birthing parent may receive 12 weeks of paid family leave under Paid Leave Oregon. The leave must be used within one year of the birth.
Can I take 12 weeks of leave under FMLA or OFLA and then take my 12 weeks under Paid Leave Oregon?
No. If you are eligible for FMLA at the time you apply for Paid Leave Oregon, the leaves will run concurrently. Paid Leave Oregon and OFLA do not run concurrently.
Will I receive health insurance while receiving Paid Leave Oregon benefits?
Health insurance will continue while on an approved Paid Leave Oregon claim. Employees will be responsible for paying their monthly premium share while on leave. Failure to pay the monthly premium may result in termination of coverage.
Is my job protected while I'm on Paid Leave Oregon?
If you've worked for the UO for at least 90 days, your job will be protected.
Can I take Paid Leave Oregon intermittently?
Yes. Benefits may be taken in increments equal to one work day or one work week.
Am I required to apply for Paid Leave Oregon benefits if I need to take leave?
No, you are not required to apply for Paid Leave Oregon benefits. However, you do pay into the program and are encouraged to apply.
What notifications do supervisors receive?
Supervisors receive notifications of pending claims, approved/denied/cancelled decisions, and date modifications to claims
What notifications do Payroll/HR Administrators receive?
Payroll/HR Administrators receive notifications of pending claims, approved/denied/cancelled decisions, date modifications to claims, and accrued leave top-off information.
Who is eligible to “top off” their PLO?
Employees not receiving 100% of their wages while on PLO may use accrued leave (if eligible and available) to bring them to 100% of their normal wage, or "top off."
How do employees maintain their health insurance benefits while on Paid Leave Oregon?
Employees who wish to maintain their health insurance benefits must continue to pay their employee share of the monthly benefit premiums. If an employee does not use or is ineligible to top off their PFML benefits with accrued leave, they will be sent a self-pay notice from the Benefits Office.
How should top off be recorded on timesheets?
Employees and payroll/HR administrators are notified of the number of hours the employee must enter into their timesheet. They should only enter the amount of accrued leave hours designated for their leave claim.
Example: if an employee’s top-off amount is 2.66 hours, the employee should record 2.66 of accrued leave every day they are using PFML.
- If this employee is on continuous leave, 2.66 hours must be entered for each workday absence for the duration of their PFML claim.
- If this employee is on an intermittent PFML claim, they must enter 2.66 accrued leave hours for each workday absence they report to The Standard to use PFML.
How does PLO interact with holiday pay?
The Standard/Unum pays PLO benefits on holidays.
- Only the specified top-off amount should be recorded on the holiday.
- Employees are not permitted to receive full holiday pay while on PLO.
- If an employee does not use or is ineligible to top-off their PLO benefits with accrued leave, they are in unpaid status and thus not eligible to receive holiday pay.