GGEA Maternity Workshop: Your Rights, Your Benefits

LEAVES Involuntary Voluntary Pregnancy Maternity Disability Family Illness Family Illness Sick Leave Personal Personal Differential Necessity Pay Status Unpaid Unpaid

LEAVES Involuntary  Pregnancy Disability  Sick Leave used 1 st  Differential Pay 2 nd (100 days) Voluntary  Family Care Leave –Up to 16 days of paid leave if banked (3 yearly family illness days, 3 family illness from PN Days, 10 Personal Necessity Days)  Maternity Leave –Up to one year of unpaid time

 Time prior to giving birth or after delivery that you must be out for medical reasons  Usually six weeks from date of birth for normal delivery and eight weeks for Caesarian  This leave is completely controlled by your Doctor

Pregnancy Disability Leave  Requires the use of your sick leave  When you run out of sick leave, you have 100 work days of differential pay (your regular pay minus the cost of a substitute teacher)

Maternity Leave Maternity Leave  Begins at conclusion of Pregnancy Disability Leave and can last up to one school year  BENEFITS MAY BE UNPAID  WITHOUT PAY  VOLUNTARY

Return Rights From Leaves  You have the right to return to your same school site if you have been on leave for one semester or less  WARNING: The District will not approve your return date near holidays, the end of the year, or just before a grading period

Additional Paid Days After Pregnancy Disability  10 Personal Necessity Days.  3 Family Illness Days  3 additional Family Illness Days may be used from your Sick Leave Days if you have them banked.

Medical Benefits  Your Medical Benefits will continue for six months from the first of the month following the last day you worked if you are on pregnancy disability, medical leave, or maternity leave Example: If your last day worked was March 10, six months from April 1 is September 30. Your benefits end at the end of the day on September 30 if you do not return to work.

Note Re: Summer School Teaching summer school is not part of your regular work year and will not restart your medical benefits eligibility period. Teaching summer school is not part of your regular work year and will not restart your medical benefits eligibility period.

Medical Benefits Continuation  COBRA (Federal Law) allows you to continue your medical benefits at your cost while you are on unpaid leave. Maternity leave is unpaid.  Contact Crystal Colwell ( ) at the District Office to apply for the continued benefits and arrange for payments  District Office – Second Floor

Additional Programs That May Help

THE STANDARD Disability Insurance  Available to GGEA members as a CTA-endorsed vendor  New teachers can enroll without providing medical information during first 120 days of employment. All others need to submit medical information with the application.  Contact THE STANDARD for claim forms or general information at or (800)

THE STANDARD Disability Insurance  Doctor’s note that you can’t work (Must be disability)  While sick leave is being used, you will receive $25/day  After no sick days remain, insurance supplements differential pay or provides 75% of your regular duty pay in tax-free dollars  7 day non-paid waiting period before benefits are paid  $35 per day in the hospital

125 Flexible Benefit Program  Provides for payment of child care expenses from pre-tax dollars  Can cover miscellaneous medical expenses as well  Enrollment period in September only  Should attend District orientation, which is held in September each year

Job Share  Two teachers share one teaching position = job share  Health benefits- 1. shared and each partner pays half per month 2. only one partner receives them 3. only one partner receives them and it is rotated each year (no side deals for extra pay or days worked)  See the current GGEA Contract for more details

Job Share Plan  A Job Share Contract must be signed by Job Share partners each year.  Participants and District must agree on terms and conditions of the plan.  Job share may not be dissolved unless a vacant position is available

Job Share  GGEA maintains a list of interested members to assist you in finding a partner. 

Don’t Forgets & Miscellaneous  Remember to add your child to your health insurance within thirty days of birth and deliver a copy of the original birth certificate to the District Office.  No STRS credit is earned while you are on unpaid status. However, you may purchase credit for time you are out on unpaid or maternity leave.  (714) or (800)

Don’t Forgets & Miscellaneous  You must work 75% of the school year for advancement on the salary schedule.  This applies to all leaves/absences.  You must work 139 days and can only miss 46 days.  You are responsible for counting the days! counting the days!

Don’t Forgets & Miscellaneous  Calendar of Leaves: DisabilityMaternity DisabilityMaternity Sick leave Family illness Sick leave Family illness Differential and PN Differential and PN Unpaid Unpaid

Don’t Forgets and Miscellaneous  Review your first paycheck after you return to work to ensure that your deductions for The Standard and/or your Flex 125 Plan are there. Call Payroll at X6300 if something is missing.  Call District Insurance at X6523 or 6495 to notify them that you are back at work and to reinstate your insurance.

Adoption  Family Care Leave for 12 weeks  10 days paid Personal Necessity  3 Family Illness Days  3 Additional Family Illness Days if sick days are banked  Rest of the leave is unpaid  Only 12 weeks my be used total between a couple where both partners work in the District

YOUR GGEA DUES  In order to maintain your disability coverage with The Standard while you are out on unpaid leave, you must continue to pay GGEA dues.  Call Susan at to arrange for a reduced dues payment.  Payments can be mailed to the GGEA Office.

MATERNITY WORKSHOP  GGEA thanks you for attending and Joli Armitage, Assistant Superintendent of Personnel  Fill out a GGEA evaluation sheet  Don’t forget, you can always refer to your contract under the leaves article or contact the District or GGEA