The university offers a spectrum of coordinated services that can provide valuable assistance to faculty and staff members facing a medical leave due to illness or injury. These services provide support for the staff member while they are away on leave and to help them get back to work as soon as they are medically able.

These services include assistance understanding eligibility for sick time, occupational health services, mental and emotional counseling, ergonomic assessments, long-term disability benefits and more.

Managers and supervisors, along with human resources representatives, are in a unique position to help employees manage such absences because of the different university policies and multiple parties involved.

Partners in Providing Services to Faculty, Staff and Supervisors

• Work Connections—the university’s illness and injury case management program provides case-management services to connect faculty, staff and supervisors to resources and coordinate administrative procedures with U-M departments such as the Benefits Office, Human Resources and Payroll
• Benefits Office—administers the long-term disability plan and health insurance benefits to provide access to the care employees need
• Long-Term Disability—a benefit plan that can provide a source of income when an employee becomes totally disabled and can no longer work due to illness or injury
• Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) and the Michigan Medicine Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience—provide confidential mental and emotional counseling services to faculty and staff on campus and in the Health System
• Staff Human Resources Services—provides guidance and interpretation of human resources policies and practices
• Academic Human Resources—provides consultation related to programs, policies and procedures for instructional and primary faculty, as well as graduate student instructors, research assistants and staff assistants
• Michigan Medicine Human Resources—works closely with employees and departments to administer procedures related to their employment, including paid time off
• Occupational Health Services—provides no-cost medical treatment and rehabilitation services for work-related injuries and illnesses
• Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office—plays a central role in furthering the university’s commitment to diversity and equal opportunity and ensures compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Medical Ergonomics Program—provide guidance and assistance at the job site to facilitate a successful match between the faculty or staff member's abilities and the job site needs

Other Resources

• Answers to many frequently asked questions about illness and injury services can be found on the Work Connections website
• The Leaves of Absence page provides information and resources to help staff and supervisors, including checklists and frequently asked questions
• The Standard Practice Guide has policy information for sick time pay (SPG 201.11-0), leaves of absence (SPG 201.30) and more
• Answers to many frequently asked questions about the university’s expanded long-term disability plan
• Return to work information to help employees safely get back to work when they are facing changing capabilities due to illness or injury
• Guide for supervisors of employees returning from medical leaves (PDF)
• Change in Ability to Work Resource Guide (PDF)