Compensation and Benefits While on Leave

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS WHILE ON LEAVE

 While on leave of absence, employees are not eligible for any type of pay except for:

*You must draw from these banks concurrently with your leave, if applicable. Any incentive plans you would have received during your leave of absence will be paid when you return to work, provided you meet all eligibility requirements.

Compensation

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Your may choose to use your PTO hours while on a leave. You will need to make arrangements with your department timekeeper for entry of PTO hours into the payroll system each pay period. You may request to use PTO in conjunction with STD or workers’ compensation, as long as the combined amounts aren’t more than 100% of your pay. 

Paid Parental Leave

Texas Health offers a Paid Parental Leave benefit that allows up to 3 weeks of paid leave a year. This paid leave benefit is for eligible employees to bond with a newborn child or a placed child under 18 years of age. More information can be found here. 

Active Duty Supplemental Pay

Employees requesting Military Leave for Foreign Deployment may request Active Duty Supplemental Pay. You may be eligible for Active Duty Supplemental Pay for up to 18 months, if your military pay is less than your base pay at Texas Health. Contact the IDM department for more information at 682-236-7278.

Benefits Paid by Insurance Companies

Please note that Short and Long-Term Disability and Workers’ Compensation payments are paid by insurance companies and not Texas Health.

Paycheck Deductions While on Leave

Keep in mind that all of the same deductions that are normally taken from your pay, such as benefit premiums and 401(k) contributions, will be taken from any pay you receive from Texas Health during your leave.  

Benefits

You may continue most of your Texas Health benefits while on leave, as long as you continue to pay your portion of the premiums. If you are receiving PTO, your benefit premiums will be deducted from your check. If you are not receiving PTO for all of your leave, you must pay your share of the premiums each pay period. You will receive a benefit billing statement telling you how much you will need to pay. Your coverage will terminate if you fail to make timely premium payments. A written notice will be mailed to you 15 days prior to the termination of benefits. Unpaid premiums remaining when your leave ends will be collected from your paycheck when you return.

To contribute to the following benefits, you must actively be at work:

  • Health Savings Account*
  • Day Care Flexible Spending Account

If you go a leave of absence, your contributions will be stopped. When you return from leave, the annual per pay period contribution will be recalculated based on the number of pay periods left in the year. 

*you still receive the employer contribution while on a leave of absence 

Changes to your Benefits while on leave

If you will be adding a new family member during your leave of absence, you must make the change in the enrollment system within 31 days of your qualifying life event. See Making Changes After Enrollment for more information. If you are on a Military Leave, you may drop some or all of your benefits at any time. If you are on an unpaid leave of absence (not utilizing PTO or EIB), you may drop some or all of your benefits within 31 days of going on an unpaid leave. To make any changes to your benefits while on leave, please contact Texas Health Benefits Support at 1-877-MyTHRLink (1-877-698-4754) and select prompt 9.

401(k) Contributions and Loan Payments

If you receive EIB or PTO pay from Texas Health while on leave, your contributions to the Texas Health 401(k) will continue. Once you stop receiving paychecks from Texas Health, contributions to the 401(k) will cease. If you have taken a loan from your 401(k), you are responsible for making payments while you are on a leave of absence.