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Personal Disability

Hackensack Meridian Health team members are eligible for several types of leave. Under the Family Medical Leave Act, team members must have completed at least one year of service with Hackensack Meridian Health, worked at least 1,250 hours during the preceding 12-month period, and declared intent to return to work after the leave. Team members are eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period. Eligibility for benefits during the leave, length of leave, and other conditions depend upon the circumstances of the leave and other qualifying factors. Please see our Leaves of Absence policy on PolicyStat for a full list of leaves available and corresponding eligibility requirements.

Quick links

I need to request a leave of absence for a personal disability. How do I get started?

  1. Notify your leader of your intent to take a leave.
  2. Call The Hartford at 1-888-924-4155 or log in/create an account at MyBenefits.TheHartford.com to submit your request for a leave. You must call 30 days in advance of the leave, if possible. If the leave is unexpected, you must call the day you learn of the need for leave or the following business day.
  3. Provide proper documentation to The Hartford within 15 business days of the leave request. If documentation is not provided within 15 days, the leave may be denied. Be prepared to supply the following information:
    • Name, last four digits of your social security number, date of birth, date last worked and date of hire
    • Medical provider’s name, phone number and fax number
    • Description of your illness or injury
    • Leader’s name and phone number
    • Description of your occupation
    • Preferred method of communication while on leave
  4. The Hartford will let you know if the request has been approved or denied within five business days after receiving all necessary documentation. This decision will be based on your hours, length of service and remaining leave time available. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for an FMLA personal leave of absence or need an at-work accommodation, the same process outlined above should be followed. The Hartford will refer your accommodation request to the LOA Accommodations team who will follow up accordingly.

I am on an approved leave for a personal disability. How will I be paid?

What if I need to take an intermittent leave for a personal disability?

When medically necessary, a team member with a serious health condition may take leave on an intermittent or reduced work schedule basis.

An intermittent leave is taken in separate blocks of time due to a single illness or injury, and may include leave periods from an hour or more to several weeks.

A reduced schedule leave reduces an eligible team member’s usual number of working hours per workweek, or hours per workday.

If a team member takes a leave intermittently or on a reduced work schedule basis in order to obtain planned medical treatment, the team member must, when requested, attempt to schedule the leave so as not to unduly disrupt HMH’s operations.

  • Notify your leader of your intent to take a leave.
  • To apply for intermittent leave, please call The Hartford at 1-888-924-4155 or log in/create an account at MyBenefits.TheHartford.com to open a claim. Please note: Team members must call The Hartford each day they plan to take a leave, in order to receive payment.
  • Team members taking an approved intermittent leave for their own health condition or during pregnancy will draw from their ESL for each intermittent leave day taken. If/when ESL is exhausted, team members are permitted to draw from their PTO — drawing first from PTO FT Status Bank (if available) and then PTO True Balance (not to go below 80 hours), then PTO Drawdown Bank.

I am returning to work following a leave of absence for a personal disability. What do I need to do?

  1. Submit a return to work note from your medical provider that clearly indicates whether your return is with or without restrictions to the LOA Accommodations team via e-mail at HMHRTW@hmhn.org or fax at 1-848-245-8453. Be sure to include your name, team member ID, phone number, and your leader’s name. Please note: Failure to submit this information to the LOA Accommodations team as far in advance of your planned return as possible could result in a delay in pay and system access.
  2. Call The Hartford at 1-888-924-4155 or log in/create an account at MyBenefits.TheHartford.com to report your return to work date.
  3. After completing these steps, you may need to complete additional steps depending on your specific situation.
    • If your return to work note includes work restrictions, do not report to work until the LOA Accommodations team contacts you, which will be within 24 hours (except on weekends), to discuss your work restrictions and the protocol for your return.
    • If you have a communicable disease or are out on a Workers’ Compensation leave, you must report to your local Occupational Health office to be cleared prior to returning to work. After you report to Occupational Health, they will then follow up with the LOA Accommodations team regarding your return to work date.
    • If neither of these situations applies to you, please move on to Step 4.
  4. Once you have completed the necessary steps, the LOA Accommodations team will then update your status via MyWay-PeopleSoft and confirm your return to work date with your leader.
  5. Notify your leader to coordinate your return to work.
Download the Personal Disability Reference Guide

Contact Information

Download the Leaves of Absence Directory

Understand who to contact for specific leave-related questions

Other Types of Leave

Family Member Disability

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Parental Leave

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Earned Sick Leave

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Military Leave

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Subject to union negotiations. We are required by law to deal with the unions on behalf of unionized team members, and we will continue to do so. We will only negotiate with the unions, not with individual unionized team members.
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