Leaves Specialist

Chicago Public Schools•Chicago, IL

9d•Onsite

About The Position

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. Reporting to the Absence & Disability Manager, 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. This is a full-time, exempt position that will be paid for time worked on a salary basis.

Requirements

High School diploma or GED equivalent is required
Minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience, including two (2) years of experience administering leaves of absence, healthcare, or Short-Term Disability

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of two (2) years of related experience
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
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

Responsibilities

Provide tier 2 customer support regarding leave of absence benefits, insurance, short-term disability and entitlement information
Responsible for the service quality and efficiency of assigned transactions including responding timely and accurately to employee inquiries by phone and email
Organize, upload and monitor all leave-related information in inboxes
Develop a working knowledge of CPS leave policies, Short-Term Disability Plan and employment policies
Complete intake and processing for all leaves of absence including FMLA, short-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
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.
Review medical information per FMLA law, STD Plan, Board policy, and collective bargaining agreements. Familiarity with ODG and FMLA guidelines. Input ICD codes accurately.
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.
Ensure HIPAA and ADA compliance and confidentiality of employee matters is maintained
Other duties as assigned