01/20/2021
By Lauren Turner
As we welcome back students for the Spring 2021 semester, the Benefits Office would like to provide updates to some of our processes and review additional changes for 2021.
1) Tuition Remission Form for employees and their dependents attending classes at UMass Lowell has moved to a paperless Docusign approval process.
Eligible UMass Lowell employees and their dependents who attend classes at UMass Lowell can request the tuition discount benefits by completing an online form. Please review the tuition benefits. The new link is this Docusign form for UMass Lowell employees (or their dependents) attending classes at the UML campus only.
We have not yet received approval to use this process for the other UMass campuses or other MA state universities. Please continue to use the paper form if not taking classes at UML: Tuition Remission form for campuses other than UMass Lowell (pdf).
2) UMass Lowell extension of the paid Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) through March 31, 2021.
The federal law was effective from April 1 – Dec. 31, 2020. However, UMass Lowell has voluntarily extended the program. The program allows up to 10 days of paid leave for certain COVID-19-related exposures (at either 2/3 pay or 100% pay depending on the reason) with an additional 10 weeks of time for day care/child care reasons (at the 2/3 pay up to $200 per day). See the Families First Coronavirus Response Act page for more information.
3) Massachusetts offers a new Paid Family & Medical Leave Program in 2021.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, benefits may be available under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML). The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) reviews applications to determine eligibility for benefits. The application process is made directly with the state. Employees are required to give the university notice (via the Benefits Office) and the leave of absence forms we use will be revised to include a new category for MA PFML.
This benefit is available to certain groups of current and former employees. However, employees who earned less than $4,700 in the past 12 months are excluded. In addition, employees who have a primary work location outside of Massachusetts are not eligible. Most student employees are also excluded.
See the Paid Family and Medical Leave mandatory workplace poster from the Massachusetts DFML regarding this new law. For more information, please refer to the website: www.mass.gov/PFML.
Employers were required to deduct a new payroll tax effective Oct. 2019, for which the contributions made to PFML are being used to fund the benefits for eligible Massachusetts employees.
Effective Jan. 1, 2021, employees may request the Massachusetts PFML because of their own serious health condition or to bond with a new child or for qualifying military exigency or to care for an injured service member.
Effective July 1, 2021, employees may request the Massachusetts PFML for the serious health condition of a family member. Family member definitions are expanded from the federal FMLA definitions.
The new Massachusetts PFML requires 30-days notice to the employer prior to the start of the leave (or as soon as practical). There is a seven-day waiting period for benefits. If applying for these state benefits, you may not also use paid sick time or other paid time off benefits from the university for the same period of time.
For questions about benefits and eligibility, please contact the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave at 833-344-7365. For questions on requesting a leave of absence, please contact the Benefits Office at 978-934-4100 or email us at benefits@uml.edu.
4) Update on Surveillance Testing for Employees for Spring 2021.
The university is expanding surveillance testing capacity. Faculty, staff and commuter students who will be on campus are expected to participate in the onboarding and weekly surveillance testing program. The combination of in-house and Broad Institute testing is enabling this increased capacity. Results are provided typically within 24 to 36 hours.
Surveillance testing participants must sign up in advance and are expected to get tested weekly. Sign-up information is available online and on the COVID-19 website. For the week of Jan. 17, employees may go to the University Crossing Testing Center without an appointment for spring onboarding testing. Please stop by this week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Jan. 22. After this initial onboarding period, testing will be by appointment and only those participating in the program will be able to be tested.