Leaves Specialist - Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL
About the Job
Job Number:
2300036NPosting Date
: Aug 21, 2023, 8:00:14 PMPrimary Location
: West Side-2651 W Washington Blvd (Dodge-Garfield Park)Estimated Annual Salary Range
: 50,000.00 - 66,000.00Overtime Status
: ExemptFinal salary offers are dependent upon candidate qualifications.
JOB DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
The Absence and Disability Department within the Talent Office is responsible for processing all medical and non-medical leaves of absence, administering the AWOL (absent without leave) process, Short-Term Disability, Benefit Billing, Donation of Sick Days, Fitness for Duty and Reasonable Suspicion exams.
Job Summary:
The Leaves Specialist is responsible for the intake and processing of all medical and non-medical leaves of absence and the Short-Term Disability benefit, including administration, mailings, communication, and records maintenance through email and a Tier II call center. The Leaves Specialist will be a knowledgeable resource in the areas of FMLA federal law, CPS supplemental medical leaves, non-medical leaves, and Short-Term Disability per CPS policy and Board rules. Additionally, this position will be a liaison between Workers Compensation, Benefits Billing, the ADA Office, the Office of Administrative Hearings, Payroll, CPS Staffing, and the Talent Office. The Leaves Specialist will report to the Absence and Disability Manager.
The Leaves Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
- Complete intake and processing for all leaves of absence including FMLA, short and long-term disability, CPS supplemental leaves, paid parental leave, and non-medical leaves, in accordance with FMLA law, CPS Policy and Board Rules, CPS Short-Term Disability (STD) Plan, and Collective Bargaining Agreements.
- Serve as a liaison between the leave of absence program and other CPS departments, schools, and the HR Talent Partners. Provide advice and information on all aspects of the leave of absence and Short-Term Disability programs.
- Review medical information per FMLA law, STD Plan, Board policy, and collective bargaining agreements. Familiarity with ODG and FMLA guidelines. Input ICD codes accurately.
- Organize, upload and monitor all leave-related information in inboxes.
- Research and resolve employee inquiries about leaves of absence and discrepancies with pay from the STD benefit. Escalate STD appeals and FMLA second opinions. Collaborate with team members to respond timely to all questions and escalations.
- Provide excellent customer service to employees going out on leave of absence or requesting information about insurance, employment, and benefit entitlement.
- Interact with Payroll, the ADA Office, and other departments as needed on issues affecting compliance with all benefit plans, including projects related to collective bargaining agreements.
- Ensure HIPAA and ADA compliance and confidentiality of employee matters is maintained.
- Escalate issues to Leaves Analyst as needed.
- Responsible for the service quality and efficiency of assigned transactions; offers suggestions for process improvement to the Leave Analyst.
- Provide tier 2 customer service for leave of absence and STD benefit questions from the contact center.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Leaves Specialist must possess the following qualifications:
Education and Experience Required:
- High School diploma or GED equivalent is required, in combination with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience, including two (2) years of experience administering leaves of absence, healthcare, or Short-Term Disability
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of two (2) years of related experience, preferred
- Experience administering absence and/or disability leaves and data in an HRIS system (E.g., Peoplesoft) or other applicable leave management system preferred
- Experience in a complex, large-scale and fast-paced environment preferred
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Excellent customer service acumen; Results-oriented and able to work well in a fast-paced team environment.
- Detail-oriented with strong communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.
- Must be an organized, self-starter that is able to log all completed activities.
- Demonstrate high levels of integrity, honesty, credibility, and the courage to make difficult yet necessary decisions.
- Strong leadership and team-building skills.
- Ability to quickly develop a strong working knowledge of CPS leave policies, Short-Term Disability Plan and employment policies.
- Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support schools and principals.
- Ability to define problems, understand reports and related data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps.
- Ability to quickly gain a working knowledge of Google Suite, PeopleSoft, Oracle, and other CPS systems.
Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:
- Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
- Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.