Parental Leave Policy

• Graduate student employees must have been  employed for at least 2 full academic semesters on the date the parental leave is to begin. An employee's total service must be counted when determining if the employee has completed the required service, regardless of any breaks in service and regardless of the percentage of me paid during the service. 
• Graduate students must be registered and  matriculated, at the time of the request and throughout the leave period. 

Eligible graduate student employees  may be granted a Parental Leave (PL) of up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a calendar year (for State employees) and a "rolling" 12 month period (for Research employees) including long term care and intermittent care for the purpose of caring for a child following their birth (up to 12 weeks leave), adoption or foster care placement (up to 6 weeks leave for adoption or foster care placement), which must be taken within 1 year of the qualifying event.

Eligible non-employee graduate students are subject to the same guidelines.

Funding Clarification

• Research Assistant/University Fellow -12 weeks
• State Graduate Assistant (GA)- 1 semester
• State Teaching Assistant (TA)- 1 semester

Notice and Documentation

• Medical certification or other appropriate evidence will be required. 
• The graduate student shall give thirty (30)  days written notice, prior to the anticipated first day of leave, if possible, by using the request for Parental Leave Application form. 

Status and Benefits

• Graduate students will be excused from their  regular teaching, research, clinical or other training duties during the granted leave period
• Graduate students will be eligible to maintain  full-time, registered student status, allowing students to retain access to all Stony Brook University facilities and privileges (e.g. health insurance and student housing), and other university matters involving financial aid (e.g. loan eligibility and deferment) and immigration (e.g. visa requirements).
• Eligible graduate students are also accorded  an automatic one-semester extension of Graduate Program and Graduate School requirements and me limits on all academic work, including all a

Financial Support

During the granted leave period, students scheduled to be supported as Research Assistants, Graduate Assistants and eligible Fellows will receive financial support from the Graduate School at the level they would have received otherwise. 

• • RAs, GAs, and Fellows: up to 12 weeks
    • • TAs: one semester (not counted toward program funding limits).

Accommodations

The date on which the leave period begins  will be determined by the student in consultation with the student’s advisor and Graduate Program Director.

The Graduate School, with a designated Leave Facilitator, will help arrange and document accommodations (e.g., modified duties, mobility or health support, lactation space) between the student, advisor and Graduate Program, prior to the leave period, to be implemented upon return.