The Office of Human Resources

Medical and Family Leave Programs

mother in hospital bed holding newborn girl

Photo Credit: MIKI Yoshihito via Creative Commons

Mass Paid Family and Medical Leave is a Massachusetts law that provides paid family and medical leave benefits to eligible employees working in Massachusetts*. Under MPFML, eligible employees can take leave:

  • For your own serious health condition as certified by a healthcare provider, including illness, injury, or pregnancy/childbirth (up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave)
  • To bond with your child during the first 12 months after birth, adoption, or foster placement (up to 12 weeks of paid family leave)
  • To care for a family member with a serious health condition as certified by a healthcare provider, including illness, injury, or pregnancy/childbirth (up to 12 weeks of paid family leave)
  • To care for a family member who was injured serving in the armed forces (up to 26 weeks of paid family leave)
  • To manage affairs while a family member is on active duty (up to 12 weeks of paid family leave)
Under MPFML, the definition of "family member" is expanded to include not only a spouse, parent or child, but also a domestic partner, a parent of a spouse or domestic partner, grandparents, grandchildren and siblings.

Brandeis has developed a set of comprehensive and consistent paid family and medical leave benefits that best support employees and their families. Our primary goal is always to put the health and well-being of you and your family first. We know taking a leave of absence can be stressful and confusing, and we have done our best to simplify the process while giving you expanded leave options that support a work-life balance.

The Standard, ​our third party leave administrator, manages all leave of absence requests​​​.
Review the detailed steps of "How To Request A Leave" and submit your request. Create your own profile either by phone or online.
Please note our Group Policy number is 759559, The Standard may ask you for this information and your employee ID number.
Please ask to have your leave packet sent to your personal email address. Packets are sent via USPS, but email will be quicker.
“How I will Paid While on Leave”. Here you will select the employee group type you belong to. (Faculty – Benefits Eligible, Staff Employees – Exempt and Non-Exempt and Non-Benefit Eligible – Faculty and Staff (works less than .50 FTE hours)).

*Eligibility for MPFML: Employees must work in Massachusetts. If you work for Brandeis in another state, you are not eligible for Brandeis' Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits, but your state may offer similar programs. Please contact your states' family leave department for additional information.
Brandeis employees are covered by the MPFML if they work in Massachusetts and if they are subject to Massachusetts withholding and unemployment benefits.