{"id":239,"date":"2025-09-09T14:17:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T21:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/time-absence\/?page_id=239"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:51:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:51:17","slug":"how-to-file-for-pfml","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/time-absence\/fmla-and-pfml\/paid-family-and-medical-leave\/how-to-file-for-pfml\/","title":{"rendered":"How to file for PFML"},"content":{"rendered":"

This page applies to all staff, academic personnel, and student employees performing work in Washington state.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Overview<\/h4>\n

Employees can apply for paid leave benefits online through the Employment Security Department\u2019s Paid Family & Medical Leave webpage<\/a>. Filing a claim for paid leave benefits with ESD is a separate process from taking a leave of absence from the University. Employees should begin a leave of absence by following the appropriate UW process, including completing medical or other supporting documentation (e.g., a FMLA Health Care Provider Statement). ESD and UW cannot share medical documentation, but ESD may accept a copy of the medical documentation already provided to UW as part of the PFML claim.<\/p>\n

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Filing a claim<\/h4>\n

Generally, ESD’s process looks like this:<\/p>\n

Step 1: Employees will create a Benefit Account\u00a0<\/strong>(not an employer account) with ESD, provide contact information, confirm Washington state employment (UW\u2019s UBI #: 178019988), leave type requested, dates of the leave, date notice was provided to the UW, and documentation supporting the leave of absence.<\/p>\n

Step 2: ESD will use hours and wage information they receive quarterly from all employers in Washington to determine eligibility. ESD will contact UW to confirm details of the employee\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Once ESD approves the claim, employees will submit weekly claims to ESD for the paid benefit. To best support employees utilizing PFML, the UW allows employees the option of using an approved time off during the same time they are receiving the PFML benefit. This is called a \u201csupplemental benefit.\u201d<\/strong> Neither employees nor UW report supplemental benefits.<\/p>\n

Individuals have 12 months from the date of a child\u2019s birth or placement (foster or adoption) to take family leave. There is a waiting period of up to 7 days before an employee will be eligible for PFML benefits except for leaves for birth or placement of a child, leave for reasons related to a qualified military exigency, or for PFML covered leaves following the loss of a child. These exceptions are described at ESD’s What is family leave? webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Supplemental benefits<\/h4>\n

A supplemental benefit payment is a payment offered by an employer to an employee who is taking leave under the PFML program. UW has designated certain types of paid time off as supplemental benefits. This means employees can choose to use paid time off (as described below) to supplement the money they receive as partial wage replacement from the ESD while on a PFML leave. Employees can receive both paid time off from the UW and the PFML benefit from ESD for the same period.<\/p>\n

Shared Leave may not be designated as a supplemental benefit.<\/p>\n

Time off that can be designated as supplemental benefits<\/h5>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Employment program<\/th>\nA supplemental benefit is…<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Classified non-union<\/td>\nDefined by Washington Administrative Code (WAC) rules and includes:<\/p>\n
    \n
  • Sick time off<\/li>\n
  • Vacation time off<\/li>\n
  • Holiday taken time off<\/li>\n
  • Holiday credit time off<\/li>\n
  • Personal holiday time off<\/li>\n
  • Compensatory time off<\/li>\n
  • Northwest Hospital carryover time off<\/li>\n
  • Bereavement time off [1]<\/small><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Contract covered<\/td>\nDetermined by your collective bargaining agreement<\/a> [2]<\/small><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Professional staff, Librarians and Educators<\/td>\nDefined by the Professional Staff Program<\/a> and includes:<\/p>\n
Faculty, student hourly employees, non-UW student employees<\/td>\nSick time off<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Salaried Academic Student Employees (ASEs) and other academic personnel<\/td>\nDetermined by collective agreement provisions<\/a> that govern paid time off, and includes (Note: Not every time off type may be available to every employee):<\/p>\n