Paid Parental Leave Procedures

Governing policy: Paid Parental Leave Policy

Department: Human Resources

Effective: January 1, 2026

Purpose and use of paid parental leave (PRL)

Paid parental leave is a benefit to eligible employees recognizing family and work-life balance as important and vital to the success of the City of Minneapolis. PRL provides up to twelve (12) weeks of full income replacement to eligible employees following the live birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. This leave is intended to provide paid time to bond with the new child and adjust to a new family situation. Eligible employees must exhaust their PRL within twelve (12) months of the qualifying event. PRL not used within twelve (12) months of the qualifying event will be forfeited.

If you are concurrently eligible for PRL and Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”), use of PRL will draw down on your available PFML balances (and vice versa). PRL and PFML will run concurrently to the greatest extent possible.

Eligibility

To be eligible for PRL, the employee must:

1. Be a regular full-time, seasonal full-time, or regular part-time employee at the time of the qualifying event; and
2. Become a parent through a qualifying event occurring on or after the effective date of the Policy.

The term “qualifying event” means the live birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. The live birth of an employee’s child is a qualifying event regardless of whether the employee is a birthing parent and includes the live birth of an employee’s child by the employee’s spouse or gestational surrogate.

For the purposes of the Paid Parental Leave Policy, "registered domestic partners," as defined in Minneapolis Code of Ordinances Chapter 142, are considered spouses.

Regular full-time, seasonal full-time, and regular part-time employees with qualifying foster care placements during calendar 2025 shall be permitted to seek adjustment of any paid or unpaid leave already taken related to the qualifying event and shall be eligible to access additional PRL to the extent they have not already taken twelve (12) weeks of paid or unpaid leave related to the qualifying event.

Using PRL

PRL is designed for eligible employees to bond with a new child and to adjust to a new family situation. It can be used intermittently. For FLSA non-exempt employees, PRL is permitted in one-hour increments. For exempt employees, PRL is permitted in full-day increments.

When an employee is concurrently eligible for PRL and PFML, use of PRL will draw down on the employee’s available PFML balances (and vice versa). PRL and PFML will run concurrently to the greatest extent possible.

Amount of leave available

Eligible employees will receive full income replacement under PRL following a qualifying event as follows:

1. Regular full-time employee – Up to 480 hours (twelve weeks) of full income replacement.
2. Seasonal full-time employee – Up to 480 hours of full income replacement.
3. Regular part-time employee who works at least 20 hours per week – income replacement is pro-rated in accordance with their regular work schedule.
4. Sworn Fire Personnel working a 24-hour shift – Up to 656 hours of full income replacement.

Multiple births or adoptions do not increase the amount of PRL granted for the qualifying event. Multiple births or placements for adoption or foster care within the same benefit year do not increase the amount of PRL available in the benefit year.

PRL and other types of leave

PRL will run concurrently with other leaves available under federal and state law to the greatest extent possible, as described below:

1. Family Medical Leave (“FML”) under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”): When an employee is eligible for and has not exhausted their FML, PRL will run concurrently with the employee’s FML.
2. Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) granted under state law: When an employee is eligible for and has not exhausted their PFML, PRL will run concurrently with the employee’s PFML.
3. Pregnancy and Parenting Leave (“PPL”) granted under state law: When an employee is eligible for and has not exhausted their PPL, PRL will run concurrently with the employee’s PPL.
4. Holiday leave: If a paid holiday occurs during the time an employee is on PRL, the employee’s time should be coded consecutively as PRL and not holiday leave. The holiday will not extend the length of the paid parental leave.
5. Vacation and sick leave: Vacation and sick leave will continue to accrue while an employee is out on PRL.

Accessing PRL benefits

1. Employees seeking PRL under these Procedures must contact The Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) to complete the leave request process and fill out the appropriate paperwork.
2. An employee requesting to take PRL intermittently shall provide the employer with a schedule of needed workdays off as soon as practicable and must make a reasonable effort to schedule the intermittent leave so as not to disrupt unduly the operations of the employer.
3. An employee taking PRL intermittently must report the intermittent leave used to The Standard.
4. The Standard confirms employee eligibility for PFML, FMLA, and state law PPL (if applicable) and for leave under these Procedures.
   
   1. If eligibility for PFML/FMLA/PPL and PRL is confirmed, The Standard approves leave, informs employee, and communicates with management regarding timing of the leave and leave taken intermittently.
   2. If employee is not yet eligible for PFML/FMLA/PPL, or has exhausted their PFML/FMLA/PPL leave, The Standard will still determine employee eligibility for PRL. If eligible, The Standard approves PRL, informs employee, and communicates with management regarding timing of the leave and leave taken intermittently.
5. PRL begins and employee enters time in COMET (or other time entry system), using the appropriate payroll codes. In COMET, those payroll codes are:
   1. PRF (paid parental leave under these Procedures + FMLA);
   2. PRL (paid parental leave only; or paid parental leave + state PPL);
   3. PRG (Fire personnel working 24-hour shifts + paid parental leave + FMLA);
   4. PRM (Fire personnel working 24-hour shifts + paid parental leave only; or paid parental leave + state PPL).
   
   Additionally, the code PFMT (Paid Family Medical Tracking) should be added as a separate line when any of the above codes are used. With all the above (2 rows one for parental and one for PFML).
6. Immediate supervisor reviews and approves time in COMET (or other time entry system).

Termination of Paid Parental Leave

The ability to access and use PRL will end after the employee uses the maximum amount of leave, up to twelve (12) weeks, within twelve (12) months of the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. This twelve-month period will be extended where the child must remain in the hospital longer than the mother, in which case the leave must be used within twelve months after the child leaves the hospital. PRL benefits not used within these timeframes will be forfeited.

Appeal Process

Should an employee disagree with a decision concerning a request for PRL benefits, the employee may appeal to the Chief Human Resources Officer (or designee) who will conduct a review of relevant information. The appeal must state the specific issue being appealed, the factual basis for the appeal, and include any other information in support of the appeal.

Appeals must be made in writing and directed to the following:

Appeals must be received within 15 calendar days of the decision regarding the specific issue being appealed.

The decision of the Chief Human Resources Officer (or designee) shall be final.