Leaves of Absence
What you need to know
You can request a leave of absence anytime you need time away from work to care for a family member with a serious health condition, care for your own serious health condition, have a baby, bond with a new child, report for military duty or handle other important matters. Simply review your options to see which type of leave makes sense for your needs. Then follow the steps below to request and manage your leave.
Types of leave
Simplot offers different types of leave to support what’s happening in your life. These are in addition to any state-provided leaves that may be available where you live.
Family and Medical Leave
FMLA provides unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible family and medical reasons — if you’ve worked at Simplot for at least 12 months and worked 1,250 hours in the past 12 months. Your health coverage continues during your leave. Review the FMLA process flow.
Medical Leave of Absence
Medical Leave of Absence provides unpaid, job-protected leave if you need to be away from work due to your own health condition or pregnancy. You’re eligible on the first day of the calendar month after your date of hire.
Short-Term Disability
Short-Term Disability replaces part of your pay if you’re unable to work for more than three days due to illness, injury or pregnancy.
Family Building Leave
Family Building Leave provides up to 12 paid weeks off to welcome or bond with your new child (after birth, adoption, placement for foster care or legal guardianship). You’re eligible on the first day of the calendar month after your hire date.
Military Leave
Military leave provides job-protected time off if you or a family member is called to active duty or training in any branch of the U.S. Military (including active duty as a reservist). Your duty/training must meet USERRA and or/applicable state law qualifications.
Personal Leave
Personal leave is unpaid leave for personal reasons when you’ve exhausted your vacation and sick leave. The leave must be at least five days and no more than 12 weeks.
Taking leave
Follow these important steps before and during your leave.
Before your leave
Identify your leave type.
Review the leave options above and be sure to understand if the leave is paid or unpaid. If you have questions, ask your manager, Human Resources (HR) manager or The Standard, our leave of absence administrator. They can help you determine the type of leave that best fits your circumstances and eligibility. For more information, see the Leave of Absences policies available on The Pulse.
Notify your manager, HR and The Standard.
Talk with your manager as soon as you know you’ll need a leave of absence. This way, your team can plan for your time away. If you can’t provide advance notice, follow the call-in procedure at your location to let your manager know you will not be at work.
Contact your site’s HR for important information relevant to your leave request.
Contact The Standard’s Absence Management Service Center to request leave at least 30 days before your leave (or as soon as possible if your leave is unexpected) by following the steps below.
- Call 844-289-2307 or log in at standard.com/absence. (First-time users will need to create an account.)
- Answer questions about your absence and provide the following information:
- Employer name: J.R. Simplot
- Group Policy number: 649728
- Employee ID number
- Last day you will be/were at work
- Reason you’re requesting leave
- Physician’s contact information (name, address, phone and fax number) if the leave is health-related
Apply for state-provided leave.
If your state offers paid family or disability leave, contact the state to apply. Currently, this includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington and Washington D.C. Keep in mind, this list can change as new states add leave programs. Be sure to check with your state to confirm what’s available.
Submit requested paperwork to The Standard.
The Standard will mail an information packet and may request additional information from you. Be sure to provide it by the requested deadline.
- For military leave: Contact The Standard for documentation requirements.
- For certain leaves: Sign and return the Authorization to Release Information within five days of receiving your information packet.
- For medical-related leaves: Within 19 days of reporting your leave, confirm (with your medical provider and with The Standard) that your medical provider has completed and submitted the Attending Physician Statement. It is your responsibility to confirm, and a late statement could delay your STD payments.
- For FMLA: Return the FMLA certification within 18 days.
- For Family Building Leave: Provide documentation that shows you are the child’s parent or guardian (a certificate of live birth, for example).
Watch for The Standard’s decision.
The Standard will let you know if your leave is approved or denied based on Simplot’s leave policies, the law and the documentation you provide. You will receive the decision by mail, usually within five business days of receiving your claim. They will let you know if they need more time or information to reach a decision.
During your leave
Be prepared to pay your benefit premiums.
You will still have benefits while on leave. If you are on an unpaid leave, you will pay your benefit premiums (in arrears) by payroll deduction when you return.
Get support if you need it.
Contact Spring Health for help during your leave of absence. You get up to 10 free therapy sessions (virtually or in person) for you and each of your dependents.
Let us know about any changes.
If your leave dates change, notify your manager and The Standard as soon as possible. Additional documentation may be required.
Confirm your return to work.
Contact your manager and The Standard at least two weeks before you plan to return to work (or as soon as possible) to confirm your return date. Submit your Return from Leave Authorization form, if applicable, and schedule your first day back at work.