Unpaid Leave - Benefits Continuation

Employees who require an extended leave of absence may enter a Leave Without Pay (LWOP) status. In most cases, employees are expected to exhaust all available accrued paid leave before transitioning to LWOP.

This section outlines the employee’s responsibility for maintaining benefit coverage during LWOP, including the payment of applicable benefit premiums.

FMLA/OFLA Leave

In accordance with Deschutes County Leave Policy HR-14, employees are required to exhaust all available accrued leave before entering a Leave Without Pay (LWOP) status. This requirement applies to all types of leave, including those taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA).

Employees who have exhausted all accrued leave and remain in LWOP status for an entire pay period are responsible for the timely payment of their employee health premium cost share during the LWOP period. Failure to make timely payments may result in the retroactive termination of health coverage, effective the month in which the last premium cost share was paid.

For additional details and available options to maintain benefit coverage while on LWOP, please refer to the supporting document titled:
“Protected Unpaid Leave of Absence Benefits Information.”

LWOP while on Paid Leave Oregon (PLO)

Under Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) statutory provisions, employees may elect to use accrued paid leave while receiving PLO benefit payments.

If an employee either exhausts their accrued leave or chooses not to use available accruals while receiving PLO benefits, they will be placed in a Leave Without Pay (LWOP) status. During any period of LWOP, the employee remains responsible for the timely payment of their health premium cost share.

Failure to make timely payments may result in disruption or termination of benefit coverage.

Impact of Extended Unpaid Leave on Other Benefits

When an employee is on an extended period of Leave Without Pay (LWOP), certain benefits may be affected. For example:

Oregon PERS Service Credit: Extended unpaid leave may result in a reduction of service credit with the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).

Paid County Holidays: Employees eligible for paid County holidays may not receive holiday pay if they are on continuous LWOP during the holiday period.

For questions regarding Oregon PERS service credit, please contact Oregon PERS directly at 888-320-7377.

For inquiries related to paid County holidays, please refer to your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or contact Human Resources at HR@deschutes.org.