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JOB AID
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Maternity Leave Requests
FOR HOURLY, SALARIED AND TRUCK DRIVER ASSOCIATES
The enhanced maternity benefit in combination with
short-term disability supports eligible birth moms with
up to ten weeks of protected paid time away from work.
1. GIVE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT
When an associate asks about taking a leave of absence,
let the associate know you are there to support them
during this time and assist them with the process.
2. PROVIDE ASSOCIATE LEAVE GUIDE
Provide the appropriate Associate Leave Guide for
the type of leave they are requesting, and direct the
associate to resources on:
• One.Walmart.com > Work > Leave of Absence Toolkit
or
• One.Walmart.com/LOA
Associate Leave of Absence Guides are available when
associates are taking a leave of absence for their own
health condition including maternity, parental and family
care, and all other leave types, including military leave.
3. DIRECT THE ASSOCIATE TO SEDGWICK TO
SUBMIT LEAVE OF ABSENCE REQUEST
Advise the associate to submit a leave of absence
request, as soon as possible. Failure to report their leave
of absence in a timely manner may result in missed pay
and may cause delays in the approval process.
Maternity benefits are combined with short-term
disability benefits. This means, associates requesting a
maternity leave will follow Sedgwick’s short-term
disability and leave of absence request process.
©2021 Walmart Inc.
Confidential – Internal Use Only | 031621B
• One.Walmart.com > Work > Leave of Absence Toolkit
> mySedgwick; or
• mySedgwick.com/Walmart; or
• By phone: contact Sedgwick at 800-492-5678, option 7
(for S
upervisors or People Partners only)
The associate’s pay during the leave of absence is based on
information the associate shares during the Leave Request
intake process. Remind the associate of the importance of
providing accurate information to Sedgwick.
For maternity leave, hourly associates will be asked
for their past 26 weeks of pay information. This will be
averaged and the average will be the amount paid to
associates while on maternity leave.
For drivers, their average daily pay rate will be reviewed to
determine payment while on maternity leave.
ELIGIBILITY FOR MATERNITY LEAVE
• Salaried and truck drivers – eligible as of hire date
• Full-time hourly associates – eligible following 12 months of
service at the time they become new parents
• Part-time/temporary – not eligible
How to apply for a leave of absence:
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For associate to provide to Sedgwick:
• Walmart Identification Number (WIN)
• First day of absence
• Estimated return date
• Work schedule for the last three week period for
salaried associates and two weeks for hourly
• PTO days salaried associates, or PTO hours for
hourly associates, wish to use for any unpaid leave, if
applicable
• Documentation may be required to receive pay while
on leave.
Discuss the importance of providing documentation
to Sedgwick or following-up with the health care
professional (applicable for medical and family care
leaves) to ensure medical documentation is submitted
timely to avoid a denied leave and a disruption in pay.
In the event of an associate is not working and has not
submitted a leave request within three days of initial
leave, please send the Leave Request Letter to the
associate. It can be found within the Leave of Absence
Toolkit > Management & People Partner Section
> Requesting Leave. If the associate isn’t working and
hasn’t submitted a leave within five days of sending the
Leave Request Letter, please contact Legal to discuss
termination. In the meantime, you can use “unapproved
absence” to inactivate the associate and stop their pay in
GAIN for salaried associates.
4. SUPPORT THE ASSOCIATE WHILE ON LEAVE
OF ABSENCE
Resources to assist the associate while on leave include:
• Leave Status Repor:
– You’ll receive a report each Wednesday from
Sedgwick via email
WHERE TO FIND WALMART LEAVE POLICIES
Please review our leave policies on the WIRE for:
• Military
• Personal
• Parental pay and family
care pay (salary and drivers)
• Medical
• Maternity
• Parental pay (hourly)
– Includes all associates who have submitted a leave to
Sedgwick, the status, type, and leave dates, as well as
other useful information
• Status of leave: Check mySedgwick to review the
status of the leave
• Other leave-related questions: If you have questions
or
concerns not answered by mySedgwick, contact
Sedgwick at 800-492-5678, Option 7 (for Supervisors or
People Partners only)
• Questions about pay: If an associate doesn’t feel their
pay is correct, please contact Sedgwick. If the associate
still doesn’t feel their pay is correct after speaking with
Sedgwick, please contact [email protected] and
use the appropriate web form.
5. ASSOCIATES RETURNING TO WORK FROM A
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Prior to associate’s return to work (RTW)
The associate is instructed to contact the facility once
they are aware of their return to work date. The associate
may be returning with or without restrictions.
When an associate returns from FMLA Leave or Job
Protected Leave
• We will reinstate the associate to their former position
or to a position providing the associate with the same
rate of pay, status, employment benefits and other
terms and conditions the associate had before they
took FMLA Leave or Job Protected Leave.
• If associate cannot perform the essential functions
of their former job or an equivalent one and is not
eligible for a reasonable accommodation, we may
offer associate an open position for which associate is
qualified and which they can perform, or associate may
request a transfer to another open position.
If associate returns to work after having used all of their
available FMLA or Job Protected Leave
• The associate is not guaranteed any position, including
their previous position. Make reasonable efforts to
assist the associate in applying for an open position
they are qualified to perform, based on your facility’s
business needs at the time of the associates return.
• The associate’s hours scheduled and pay rate will be
appropriate to the position offered.
• For additional information please refer to the FMLA
Leave of Absence Policy.
©2021 Walmart Inc.
Confidential – Internal Use Only | 031621B
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For business-critical reasons, if you bring an associate back
to a different schedule, you will need to ensure they are
paid appropriately for the scheduled time worked after the
leave ended. Please email LOAQOD@wal-mart.com and
complete the appropriate web form with the associate’s
name, WIN, work schedule they should have returned to
and the work schedule they actually returned to. You will
be contacted on how to correct the associate’s pay.
If you returned the associate on the correct schedule,
but the associate doesn’t feel their pay is correct, please
email LOAQOD@wal-mart.com and complete the
appropriate web form.
IMPORTANT: Please remind the associate to repor their
return to work to Sedgwick.
This step is necessary for all leave types to resume the
associate’s regular wages.
Sedgwick will reach out to the associate typically within
seven days of the associate’s scheduled return to work.
The associate’s return to work could be reported then, on
the associate’s medical release, by contacting Sedgwick or
by entering their return to work in mySedgwick.
If the associate fails to report their return to work to
Sedgwick, resulting in incorrect pay following the return
from leave, advise the associate to contact Sedgwick at
800-492-5678.
REMINDER
City or state paid sick leave or other mandated benefits
may be available to associates in your area. For more
details, please go to One.Walmart.com/LOA.
Information & resources
Toolkit: The Leave of Absence Toolkit for associates
offers information about the leave process, plus links to
related tools and information on One.Walmart.com/LOA.
Leave policies:
Policies for these programs are available
on One.Walmart.com > Work > Policies.
Other benefit resources: Benefit resources for help
when associates are away from work are available on
One.Walmart.com.
• Resources For Living®
• Medical plan healthcare advisor
• Life with Baby
Sedgwick contact information:
• Phone: 800-492-5678
• Fax: 859-264-4372 or 859-280-3270
• Email: walmartforms@sedgwicksir.com
Accommodation Service Center (ASC):
• Phone: 855-489-1600
©2021 Walmart Inc.
Confidential – Internal Use Only | 031621B
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©2021 Walmart Inc.
Confidential – Internal Use Only | 031621B
HOW MATERNITY AND PARENTAL
LEAVE WORK TOGETHER
HOW HOURL
Y ASSOCIATES SHORT-TERM
DISABILITY BENEFITS WORK
Benefits begin after a waiting period of seven calendar days
from the date of associate’s approved disability. During this
waiting period, the associate may use any earned and unused
PTO hours to cover 100 percent of their income. If the associate
does not have enough PTO, they may take the time as unpaid.
Once the associate’s short-term disability claim is approved
for maternity leave, the benefit provides up 100 percent of
their wages after the waiting period for up to 10 weeks. If the
associate continues to have a disabling condition following the
10-week window of maternity leave, then the associate may
be eligible for up to another 15 weeks of short-term disability
coverage. If the associate has enrolled in short-term disability
enhanced coverage, the plan pays up to 60 percent of their
average weekly wage. Otherwise, they may receive up to 50
percent of their average weekly wage with the basic plan.
As a reminder, there is a one-year waiting period from the
associate’s hire date before short-term disability benefits are
available to associates. And, as soon as they are eligible, they
are automatically enrolled in basic coverage.
Associates may be interested in combining maternity and
parental leave. Here’s how it works:
Birth mothers can take up to 10 weeks of protected paid
maternity leave.
They’ll receive 100 percent of their pay (based on your average
weekly wages).
Associates can use the new parental benefit (see below) for an
additional six weeks, for a total of 16 weeks of protected paid
leave for birth mothers.
As with all short-term disability benefits, there is a 7-day
waiting period, when associates can use PTO to get paid.
Here’s how it adds up to 16 weeks of paid protected leave:
