Policy

Consult the Human Resources Policy Manual, available on the web in the Policies & Union Contracts section of the HR Web Site. Before the individual goes on leave, the leave must be approved by the Provost (except medical emergencies) AND a PAF must be submitted for the leave.

Process

Print an Active PAF for the employee from the People @ Columbia system. Print/type information directly on the form, completing the required fields. Verify that the form is complete, sign it, and route it to the appropriate office for approval. Once it is approved, forward the form to the HRPC.

If a person has more than one position, make sure to submit PAFs for each position on which the leave has an impact, even if the position is zero salary.

Leaves should be processed on multiple PAFs to ensure the integrity of the employee’s record. Timeliness is also important to ensure that employees entitled to NY State Disability (for Staff Associates only) get paid on time and, where appropriate, that department accounts get reimbursed on time.

On-time Leaves Use Multiple PAFs: In the case where the DA is informed prior to or near the date of leave and the leave return date is not absolute, we encourage the use of multiple PAFs and request that you not be especially predictive (i.e., use one when you are notified of the leave and then submit another one when you are sure of the return date or the begin date of the next leave.

Note: In the case where the DA is informed after the employee has taken and returned from leave, use one PAF for both leaves by entering the Action/Reason codes and dates at the top of the PAF.

Active PAF: The form is available through the People @ Columbia system:

Log into the MyColumbia portal (www.my.columbia.edu/) and go to the “Administration” page. Under the “Tools” menu, click on the People @ Columbia — Self Service, then click on Manager Self Service. This takes you to “People @ Columbia.”
On the left navigation bar in “People @ Columbia,” click on the following folder path: Manager Self Service > Job and Personal Information > Employee Personal Information.
Click on the employee name.
On the “Employee Information” page, click on Generate PAF for Employee. This will generate a PAF with the fields populated for the employee’s information.

Documentation: Different kinds of leaves require different kinds of documents. DA’s should check with their local HR Office.

Workflow

Required Steps & Field Descriptions

Step 1 – Top

Effective Date: Enter the date for the leave action.

Leave Action: Enter the appropriate leave action code.

Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.

Step 2 – Leaves of Absence

Place on Unpaid Leave

Leave Action: LOA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Leave Begin Date: Enter the date that the leave begins.
Leave End Date: Enter the date that the leave will end.
Expect Ret: Enter the date that you expect the employee to return.
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.
Partial Pay: Check the No box.

Return from Unpaid Leave

Leave Action: LOA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.

Place on Paid Leave – Partial Salary

Leave Action: PLA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Leave Begin Date: Enter the date that the leave begins.
Leave End Date: Enter the date that the leave will end (if known).
Expect Ret: Enter the date that you expect the employee to return (the day after the leave ends).
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.
Partial Pay: Check the Yes box.
Comp Rate$: Enter the new annualized salary.

Return from Paid Leave – Partial Salary

Leave Action: PLA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.
Comp Rate$: Enter the new annualized salary.

Paid Leave – Full Salary

Leave Action: PLA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Leave Begin Date: Enter the date that the leave begins.
Leave End Date: Enter the date that the leave will end.
Expect Ret: Enter the date that you expect the employee to return.
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.
Partial Pay: Check the No box.

Return from Paid Leave – Full Salary

Leave Action: PLA
Leave Reason: Enter the appropriate leave reason code.
Actual Ret.: Enter the date that the employee actually returned to work.

Step 3 – Authorization/Approvals

Name, Title, Date: The names, titles, and dates of approval of you, any other approver in your department, and the Final Approver for your campus.

HRPC, Title, Date: FOR HRPC USE ONLY.

Exercises

Exercise 1
Sample Completed PAF (Coming Soon)

Scenario

Name: Jane Smith.
Leave: Medical Disability.
Begins 10/12/04.
Expected Return: 11/31/05.
Actual Return: 1/16/05.
LOA Salary: $34,500.