Notice and Documentation

AIM's insurance carrier determines PFL eligibility and benefit payments. In most cases, the carrier must pay or deny a complete request within the period required by law. If a claim is denied, the carrier will provide information about requesting review by a neutral arbitrator, and Human Resources can discuss whether another form of leave may apply.

Benefits and Job Protection

Employees with AIM-provided health benefits will remain covered during PFL leave (including family or dependent coverage). Employees must continue to pay their regular contributions to the cost of the health insurance premiums at the same level they did prior to their PFL leave. Employees shall make payments directly to AIM Services during such leave since they will not have a paycheck from which to make the usual deductions. If an employee on PFL leave is more than 30 days late with providing payment to AIM Services, we will initiate the following steps to terminate such employee health insurance coverage:

• AIM Services will send a written notice at least 15 days before intending to end coverage and give the employee the option to remit any outstanding balance within 15 days; and
• If employee still does not send in payment within the 15-day window, AIM Services will terminate the employee's health coverage.

If an employee’s health plan coverage is cancelled during PFL, AIM Services will reinstate the employee into the health plan on the same terms as the employee had prior to taking leave when the employee returns from PFL leave. If the PFL extends over the course of enrollment in a new benefits plan year, the employee is entitled to the new or changed plan or benefits as if the employee was not on leave.

PFL and FMLA

When leave qualifies under both FMLA and PFL, AIM will provide the required notices and designate the leaves to run concurrently to the extent permitted by law. Eligibility and covered reasons differ: FMLA may cover the employee's own serious health condition, while PFL does not; PFL family-care coverage includes relationships not covered by FMLA; and PFL intermittent leave must be taken in full-day increments. Human Resources will explain which law applies and how much leave remains.

• Eligibility for PFL and FMLA are different:
• oEmployees who regularly work 20 or more hours per week become eligible for PFL after 26 consecutive weeks of employment with AIM. Employees who regularly work fewer than 20 hours per week become eligible after working 175 days for AIM; there is no minimum-hours requirement.
• oEmployees must have worked for AIM for at least 12 months, have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months immediately before leave begins, and meet the applicable worksite requirement to be eligible for FMLA leave. In general, only employment within seven years is counted unless the break in service is due to an employee's fulfillment of military obligations.
• FMLA is unpaid, job-protected leave, while PFL is paid, job-protected leave.
• FMLA and PFL can both be taken intermittently, however PFL can only be taken in daily increments, whereas FMLA would usually follow the employer's time off policy (but in any case, can be taken in as few as 15-minute increments under the statute)
• FMLA can be taken to bond with a child, care for a seriously ill family member, military exigency or one's own injury or illness – PFL does not allow an employee to take leave for their own injury or illness.