How to Request Leave
The process for requesting leave depends on the type of leave being requested. To request Sick Leave for a medical appointment or minor illness (i.e. cold or flu) or Vacation Leave, first discuss your leave plans with your supervisor then use ConnectCarolina Self Service to select your leave reason and enter the hours on your timecard (TIM).
If you need to request some other type of leave, for example, Community Service Leave or Military Leave, please reach out to your departmental HR Representative to confirm the leave request procedure. For information about Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL), including how to donate VSL, see the Voluntary Shared Leave policy.
Other types of leave requests, like leave for family and/or medical reasons, require different processes, which are outlined below. Please note that some leave types require you to upload supporting documentation.
About Leave
Before requesting leave, be sure to review your accrued leave balances. If there is a chance part or all of your leave may be unpaid, please contact the Leave Team to discuss your options for benefits continuation. Please email leave@unc.edu with Leave Desk Billing in the subject line.
About Family and/or Medical-Related Leave
Employees who request leave for any family and/or medical reason are responsible for providing the University with appropriate supporting documentation to support an FMLA-qualifying absence. Failure to provide the University with appropriate documentation may result in the employee’s request for leave being denied.
Family and/or Medical-Related Leave Reasons
- Your own serious health condition
- Birth of a child and/or bonding with newborn
- Care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition
- Military Caregiver Leave to care for a covered service member or veteran
- Placement of child with employee through adoption or foster care
- Qualifying exigency leave to attend to qualifying activities or events when your family member is on covered active duty or called to covered active duty
Leave Types
Family and medical-related leave may be either continuous, intermittent or on a reduced-schedule basis. In most instances, your or your family member’s health care provider will specify which type of leave is needed when completing the medical certification form.
Continuous leave is taken in one continuous block of time. While on continuous leave, you will not be expected to work.
Intermittent leave is taken in separate, nonconsecutive blocks of time. If your need for leave is intermittent, the medical certification form will usually specify the frequency and duration (i.e., two hours per day, three days per week), and that need will be communicated to you, your supervisor and your departmental HR contacts. If you are taking intermittent leave: Discuss the process for reporting FMLA-related absences with your department.
While on Reduced schedule leave, your daily and weekly work hours may be reduced (i.e., you may only work 6 hours per day, 4 days per week).
Before Requesting Leave
To take family and/or medical-related leave, you should provide your supervisor and departmental HR Rep with appropriate notice. If you do not know who your HR Rep is, you can contact your school/division’s HR Officer using the directory on the School/Division HR Offices page.
If you know in advance of your need for a leave of absence, give at least 30 days’ notice, if possible. If you learn of your need for time off or a leave of absence less than 30 days ahead of time, request it as soon as you are able.
Please let your supervisor know:
- The reason that you are requesting leave. If you are requesting leave for your own serious health condition(s), you do not need to share any specifics about your health circumstances. However, you do need to provide enough information so that your supervisor can understand that your absence may be covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
- What type of leave you are requesting (continuous, intermittent or reduced schedule).
- Your estimated leave start date and return date.
- The estimated frequency and/or duration of leave.
How to Request Leave
Online Leave Request Form
The online Leave Request Form is not a paper form or pdf file — it is an online form you access through ConnectCarolina Self Service to request family and/or medical-related leave reasons. The online Leave Request Form applies to requests for leave under the following policies:
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Faculty Serious Illness Leave (FSIL)
- Faculty Parental Leave (FPL)
- Paid Parental Leave (PPL)
- Family Illness Leave (FIL)
- Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL)
Before you submit the online Leave Request Form, discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
After you submit the online Leave Request Form:
- The form will go to the Leave Team in the Office of Human Resources to review.
- The completed form will be used to determine your eligibility for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) and for other leave benefits including:
- Paid Parental Leave
- Faculty Serious Illness & Parental Leave
- Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL)
- A confirmation email will be sent to you, your supervisor and your HR Representative with instructions on how to view the form. No personal health information will be shared with your department if you are requesting leave for a medical reason.
- The Leave Team will send you a FMLA Leave Notice of Eligibility email and copy your supervisor and departmental HR Representative to let you know:
- What leave benefits you may be eligible for
- If additional information is needed
- When any additional information is due
- Submit any required supporting documentation in ConnectCarolina by the deadline. See How to submit leave attachments in ConnectCarolina section below.
- The Leave Team will review the documentation you provided, and if it is sufficient, an email will be sent to you, your supervisor and your departmental HR Representative advising of the dates and type of leave you have been approved for. If the information provided is not sufficient, your Leave Consultant will be in touch with you for follow up with your health care provider.
If you have any questions about your request for leave, please contact your assigned Leave Consultant or email leave@unc.edu with the leave request Form ID in the subject line.
If you need to update or withdraw a leave request after you have submitted the online Leave Request Form, email leave@unc.edu.
View the resources below to learn how to submit an online Leave Request Form on an employee’s behalf:
PDF / Paper Forms
You will use fill out a paper / pdf form and then upload it into ConnectCarolina for:
- Attesting to an in loco parentis relationship
- Donating Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL)
Reasons for Leave
For Vacation, Sick and Community Service Leave, see the Leave and Holidays page of the HR at UNC website.
For links to the Faculty Serious Illness, Major Disability, and Faculty Parental Leave and Research and Study Leave policies, see the Faculty Leave page.
For donating Voluntary Shared Leave, see the Voluntary Shared Leave page.
To request other leave, use the toggles below to find out what you need to know for each type of leave request reason, including:
- Leave request process
- Steps to requesting leave
- What you need to know before requesting leave
- Any required leave attachments like forms and supporting documentation
- Related policies
To request leave for a serious health condition that makes you unable to perform the functions of your job:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Submit the online Leave Request Form in ConnectCarolina Self Service 30 days in advance or as soon as possible.
- Once the request is submitted, the Leave Administration Team in Human Resources will send you a FMLA Notice of Eligibility, copying your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- The Notice will include a link to the Employee’s Medical Certification (Form WH-380-E) and a copy of your Position Description.
- You will have 15 calendar days to submit the medical certification.
- Complete the employee information in Section I of the form and have your health care provider complete Section II.
- Submit the completed form in ConnectCarolina Self Service. (See How to submit leave attachments in ConnectCarolina section below.)
- To return to work if you’ve been out on a continuous leave of absence:
- Provide at least two-days’ advance notice of your intent to return to work.
- Have your medical provider complete the Medical Leave Return to Work Form.
- Submit the completed form online in ConnectCarolina prior to returning to work.
Supporting documentation needed:
- DOL Form WH-380-E
- Medical Leave Return to Work Form
To request time away from work for adoption or foster-care placement and to bond with a newly placed child within 12 months:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Complete the online Leave Request Form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.
- Within 15 days following the placement of the child, submit the documentation confirming the family relationship.
Supporting documentation needed: Record confirming family relationship
Examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Foster care/adoption placement letter
- Adoption court documents
If you need time off for prenatal care, are medically unable to work prior to the birth of the child OR are medically unable to return to work 6-8 weeks following the birth of the child:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Submit the online Leave Request Form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.
- Once the request is submitted, the Leave Administration Team in Human Resources will send you a FMLA Notice of Eligibility, copying your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- The Notice will include a link to the Employee’s Medical Certification (Form WH-380-E) and a copy of your Position Description.
- You will have 15 calendar days to submit the medical certification.
- Complete the employee information in Section I of the form and have your health care provider complete Section II.
- Submit the completed form in ConnectCarolina Self Service. (See How to submit leave attachments in ConnectCarolina section below.)
Supporting documentation needed:
- DOL Form WH-380-E
For birth and/or non-birth parent
To request time away from work to bond with a newborn child:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Complete the online Leave Request Form.
- Confirm the family relationship by providing a copy of acceptable documentation
- Submit the documentation online in ConnectCarolina within 15 days following the birth of child.
Supporting documentation needed: Record confirming the family relationship
Examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Simple statement of the relationship, including your name, PID, the child’s name and date of birth
- Child’s verification of birth facts
- Child’s birth certificate
To request time away from work to care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Complete the online Leave Request Form.
- Have the medical provider complete the Family Member’s Form WH-380-F.
- Submit the completed form online in ConnectCarolina within 15 days of submitting the online Leave Request Form.
Supporting documentation needed: DOL Form WH-380-F
For In Loco Parentis
For care of a child or children for whom you stand in the role of in loco parentis or to care for an individual who once stood in the role of in loco parentis to them when you were a child, you will also need to complete the Attestation of In Loco Parentis Relationship Form.
To request time away from work to care for a current service member with a serious injury or illness:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Complete the online Leave Request Form.
- Have the medical provider complete the Military Caregiver for a Current Service member, Form WH-385.
- Submit the form online in ConnectCarolina within 15 days of submitting the online Leave Request Form.
Supporting documentation needed: DOL Form WH-385
To request time away from work to care for a covered veteran with a serious injury or illness:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Have the medical provider complete the DOL Form WH-385-V.
- Submit the form online in ConnectCarolina within 15 days of submitting the online Leave Request Form.
Supporting documentation needed: DOL Form WH-385-V
To request time away from work due to a qualifying exigency arising out of the foreign deployment of employee’s spouse, child or parent:
- Discuss your request for leave with your supervisor and departmental HR Representative.
- Complete the online Leave Request Form.
- Complete DOL Form WH-384.
- Submit the form online in ConnectCarolina within 15 days of submitting the online Leave Request Form.
Supporting documentation needed: DOL Form WH-384
Leave Forms / Attachments
Leave attachments refer to files you will need to upload into ConnectCarolina to accompany your leave request:
- Leave forms:
- Medical Certification
- Medical Leave Return to Work form
- Voluntary Shared Leave Donation Form
- Supporting documentation required for verifying your need for leave.
- For example, proof of birth, adoption or foster care placement
Leave Forms
Below are the leave attachment files needed for the forms and supporting documentation for each leave reason.
*Note: If these forms do not download when the link is clicked, please try another browser or right-click the link and choose to download the file.
- DOL Form WH-380-E — Medical Certification Form | (pdf) | for your own serious health condition and for the birth of a child
- Medical Leave Return to Work Form (pdf) | for your own serious health condition
- DOL Form WH-380-F (pdf) | for care of a child, spouse or parent with serious health condition
- Attestation of In Loco Parentis Relationship Form (pdf) | for care of a child, spouse or parent in loco parentis
- DOL Form WH-385 (pdf) | for care for a current service member with a serious injury or illness
- DOL Form WH-385-V (pdf) | for care for a veteran with a serious injury or illness
- DOL Form WH-384 (pdf) | for qualifying exigency
- Voluntary Shared Donation Form (pdf) | for donating shared leave
How to Submit Leave Attachments in ConnectCarolina
Use the toggles to find instructions, how-to videos and other resources for using ConnectCarolina for submitting leave attachments.
- Log in to ConnectCarolina Self Service using your Onyen and password.
- Click on the My Benefits tile.
- From the left menu, click on the drop-down arrow beside the Leave.
- Click on Submit a Leave Document.
- On the Submit a Document: Document Information page, scroll down to File Attachments.
- Click the Upload button.
- Navigate to and select your saved file.
- Under the Description header, click the drop-down arrow to the right of the empty selection box.
- Select the appropriate form type from the menu.
- Click on the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page.
View the resources below for more detailed instructions:
- Log in to ConnectCarolina Self Service using your Onyen and password
- Click on the My Benefits tile.
- From the left menu, click on the drop-down arrow beside the Leave.
- Click on View My Leave Forms.
Note: If an employee is not able to use the online Leave Request Form or submit a leave attachment via ConnectCarolina, the employee’s departmental HR Representative can do so on the employee’s behalf; however, HR Reps will NOT have access to view an employee’s leave documents in ConnectCarolina once the leave attachment eForm has been executed.
Leave Policies
Questions?
The Benefits, Leave & Total WellBeing team can help!
Please call 919-962-3071 for assistance.