Employee Leaves

This page provides a general overview for leave of absences processed by Human Resources. Additional leave types, such as sick, bereavement, personal necessity, vacation, jury duty, etc, are covered in your applicable collective bargaining agreement or handbook. 

There are many factors impacting eligibility and leave options including, but not limited to, the circumstances creating the leave need, your bargaining unit, duration of employment, hours worked, prior leave usage, and accrued time.

Human Resources is available to help you navigate leave options and find out what you may be eligible for. For an individualized assessment and evaluation of your leave eligibility and options, please complete the Leave of Absence Inquiry form linked below or contact Human Resources.

Please also review your applicable collective bargaining agreement for comprehensive information on available leave options:

When taking a leave due to your own personal health condition or to care for someone else with a serious health condition, the leave laws involved usually include FMLA (federal law) and CFRA (state law). These two leave types run concurrently in most circumstances. To be eligible for an FMLA and/or CFRA leave, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Worked at Cerritos College for at least twelve (12) months
  • Worked at least 1,250 hours in the past twelve (12) months
  • Have not exhausted your FMLA/CFRA leave in the last twelve (12) months

Please refer to the pamphlets below for more information on FMLA and CFRA:

While on leave for a personal medical condition, you will be paid using your available accruals which may include sick/personal necessity, vacation, floating holiday, or comp time, depending on what is available based on your employee classification and/or collective bargaining agreement. If available accruals exhaust, extended sick leave may be available depending on your bargaining unit and duration of leave. 

While on leave to care for a family member, you will be paid using your available accruals that are allowed to be used for family medical purposes. These could include PN, family illness, floating holiday, comp time, and vacation, depending on what is available based on your employee classification and/or collective bargaining agreement. The regular (non-PN and non-family illness) portion of your sick leave bank cannot be used, since it is reserved for medical conditions of the employee only. After exhaustion of available accruals, FMLA/CFRA time will be unpaid.

Employees at Cerritos College do not pay into State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Paid Family Leave (PFL) to receive wage replacement from these state insurance programs. If you have a policy with American Fidelity, you may contact them to file a claim. Payment and eligibility is not determined by the District and is administered by American Fidelity based on the policy you purchased with them. 

When taking a leave due to pregnancy, the California Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) law entitles you to time off for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions. The only requirement is to be disabled to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition. There is not an hours worked or length of service requirement. FMLA will run concurrently with PDL when you are eligible for it. 

Please refer to the pamphlet below for more information on Pregnancy Disability Leave:

PDL does not cover pay, and the pay provisions listed under the FMLA and CFRA section above for a personal health condition apply to a PDL leave. For faculty, the CCFF contract covers one additional day under Article 22 for Leave for birth or adoption of a child. 

Pregnancy Disability Leave is used by the birthing parent during disability. However, employees may also be eligible for Parental Leave bonding time (see below).

Parental Leave entitles birthing and non-birthing parents up to twelve (12) weeks to spend time with newly born, fostered. or adopted children. The leave can be taken within a year from the event date.

Classified, certificated, and management employees may be eligible for parental leave if they have met the following eligibility requirements:

  • Worked for the District for at least twelve (12) months
  • Have a newly born, fostered, or adopted child with

Eligible employees may use sick leave for their Parental Leave, and receive 50% pay after exhaustion of sick time.

Parental Leave will run concurrently with CFRA and FMLA, when eligible and available.

For more information, refer to the following collective bargaining agreement articles:

  • Classified Employees: Article 17
  • Faculty: Article 36

The district provides various military-related leaves for employees who are in active duty and employees with family members in the military.

Active Duty

Classified and certificated employees called up to active duty are eligible for paid leave during their active duty with thirty (30) days of pay. More thorough information can be found in Article 41 of the CCFF CBA and Article 19 of the CSEA CBA.

Qualifying Exigency  and Military Caregiver Leave

Qualifying Exigency Leave provides up to twelve (12) weeks of unpaid leave under FMLA when a family member is deployed to a foreign country with the Armed Forces.

Military Caregiver Leave provides up to twenty-six (26) weeks of unpaid leave under FMLA to care for an injured or ill member of the Armed Forces.

Please view the pamphlet below regarding Qualifying Exigency and Military Caregiver Leave under FMLA.

California law entitles employees to take up to five (5) days of leave from worker after a reproductive loss including:

  • Miscarriage
  • Stillbirth
  • Failed adoption
  • Failed surrogacy
  • Unsuccessful assisted reproduction

For Classified and and Certificated employees, reproductive loss leave is paid under bereavement. 

Please see the pamphlet below for additional information:

California law entitles employees up to thirty (30) days of paid leave within a one-year period for organ donation, and up to five (5) days of paid leave for donating bone marrow.