Time Away & Caregiving

Leave of Absence

Overview

Need time away from work for medical or personal reasons? You may be able to take a leave of absence. Aflac manages all of our leave programs except Personal Leave, which is managed by AEO.

Family Medical Leave (FMLA)1

Get up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for family or medical reasons (including to care for your same- or opposite-sex domestic partner) or up to 26 weeks for certain military leaves during a 12-month period.

FMLA is unpaid unless you qualify for Short-Term Disability or Workers’ Compensation benefits. If your leave is unpaid, you can use any available Paid Time Off (PTO).

To request PTO, please reach out to your AEO Benefits Team contact.

Caregiver Leave1

You can take a paid Caregiver Leave to care for a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent with a serious health condition. You must provide supporting medical documentation to be approved for this leave.

Leaves can be taken in as little as 1-day increments or up to 4 weeks in a 12-month period with 100% pay.2

Adult daughter speaks to her elderly mother who sits in a wheelchair

Parental Leave

Take paid time off to care for and bond with your child. If you have 30 consecutive days of full-time service, you’re eligible for 8 weeks of 100%-paid Parental Leave. You must take this leave within 12 months of the qualifying event (birth or adoption of child).

Paid Parental Leave benefits start immediately following Short-Term Disability and any applicable state-paid leave.

VIsit Parental Leave Page

New Dependent Leave1,2

If you’ve used all 12 weeks of FMLA, you can request additional time to spend at home with your newborn, adopted or foster child. New Dependent Leave begins directly following your Paid Parental Leave if you choose to remain out of work. You can get up to 4 weeks of New Dependent Leave, which must be taken all at once. You can take this leave up to 1 year from your child’s birth, adoption or foster placement.

The leave is unpaid, but you can use available PTO or borrow up to 80 hours of PTO. To request PTO, reach out to your AEO Benefits Team contact.

A black woman reads to her young foster child

Military Leave

You may be eligible for this leave option if you’re called to duty and need time away from work to serve. You may also be eligible for the difference between your average pay while working and the pay you received (called the “differential benefit”). You will receive the differential benefit for the duration of your military service or up to a maximum of 1 year, whichever is shorter.

To see if you qualify and confirm length of differential pay, you will need to provide a copy of your orders to your AEO Benefits Team contact.

Personal Leave

If you’ve completed at least 6 months of service, you may be eligible for up to 30 days of unpaid leave to take care of personal issues. Both full- time and part-time associates may be eligible. You must provide the reason in writing, and the request will be reviewed by your Supervisor and the Benefits Department.

Aflac does not manage Personal Leaves. Please reach out to your AEO Benefits Team contact to request a Personal Leave.

A man looks out the window while holding a mug of tea

State-Paid Leave

If you live in a state where you’re eligible to receive paid leave, you must file a separate claim with the state to receive those benefits. For example, if you’re in California, you may be eligible to file a claim with California EDD.

Aflac manages New York State Disability and New York Paid Family Leave (NYPFL).

New York Paid Prenatal Leave

Effective January 1, 2025, eligible birthing parents in New York will be eligible to take Paid Prenatal Leave during pregnancy or situations related to pregnancy.

Birthing parents will be eligible for 20 hours of paid prenatal leave in a 52-week calendar period for the following healthcare services related to pregnancy:

  • Physical examinations
  • Medical procedures
  • Monitoring and testing
  • Discussions with a healthcare provider

Time must be taken in 1 hour increments.  Benefits will be paid out in your AEO paycheck.

1To be eligible for this leave, you must have 1 year of service and have worked 1,250 hours.

2Your premiums for other benefits, like your medical plan, may not continue during this leave. Work with the Benefits Department to prepare for keeping your benefits during this leave.

How To File a Leave of Absence

This process applies to all leaves except Personal Leaves. To request a Personal Leave, reach out to your AEO Benefits Team contact.

  1. 1

    Notify your supervisor immediately

    Reach out to your supervisor as soon as possible to let them know you’d like to request a leave of absence.

  2. 2

    Contact the Benefits Department If you have questions

    Call the Benefits Department at 724-779-5678, option 6.

  3. 3

    Contact Aflac.

    Call 844-440-1063 or visit mygrouplifedisability.aflac.com.

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