Leaves of Absence

Northwestern Medical Group (NMG) uses a third party called Sedgwick to evaluate and make a determination regarding a request for medical leave.  Faculty physicians employed by NMG--i.e., those who have a "NMG Member" record (typically record 1) in the Northwestern University MyHR system--should follow NMG's process to request a medical leave through Sedgwick. 

After Sedgwick approves the request, the faculty member is also eligible to take medical leave from NU, subject to NU's leave policies.  NU's leave benefit is applied to the NU portion of the faculty member's salary, and the NMG leave benefit is applied to the NMG portion of the candidate's salary.

After Sedgwick approves a medical leave request, submit using the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page). Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:

1. Copy of the Sedgwick leave approval notice
2. Position Data/Appointment Forms, printed from myHR and updated
   
   • Both the NU and NMG sets of forms should be updated with the appropriate leave of absence codes if the candidate will be taking leave from both entities.
   • The NMG set of forms (which is usually Record 1 in myHR) must be routed to NMG payroll for signature.  After the signature is obtained, submit the complete set of paperwork to FAO. 

Medical Leave Process

• Faculty member should contact The Hartford (1-888-541-7283) to initiate a medical leave.  Northwestern University partners with The Hartford to handle the faculty medical leave process, which helps maintain confidentiality of medical information. 
• The Hartford issues a preliminary letter indicating what leave benefits a faculty member is eligible for based on his or her length of service, hours worked, etc.  This letter typically asks the faculty member to provide additional medical documentation to complete leave process.
• The Hartford issues a final determination letter indicating whether the leave is approved or denied.
• If the leave is approved, the department administrator prints position data/appointment forms from myHR and updates them with the appropriate leave codes and dates, based on the determination letter.  The completed forms should be submitted using the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page). 

Academic full-time faculty--i.e., those who receive all of their salary from an FSM affiliate (e.g., Lurie Children's Hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab)--should follow the medical leave process of their employer, which will typically have an internal process for evaluating medical leave requests or use a third party vendor to manage the process.

After a leave approval notice is issued through the employer's medical leave process, the faculty member is also eligible to take medical leave from NU, subject to NU's leave policies. Submit the leave using the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page). Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:

1. Copy of the leave approval notice issued through the employer's medical leave process
2. Position Data/Appointment Forms, printed from myHR and updated

Note: If a leave is being requested in order for a faculty member to accept an appointment (e.g., visiting, adjunct) at another institution, first follow the process to request approval to obtain an outside appointment.

For all non-FMLA leaves of absence, submit the request using the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page). Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:

1. Leave of Absence (non-FMLA) Request Form
2. Position data/appointment forms, printed from myHR and updated
3. Prior correspondence with FAO regarding special circumstances, if applicable