The University of Maine System (UMS) recognizes that employees may need time away from work for personal medical and family concerns. To provide peace of mind as employees juggle home and work demands, UMS offers paid family and medical leave to employees.

This benefit provides Paid FML for:

  • Medical Leave: For times when a serious health condition keeps you from working.
  • Parental Leave: Time to bond with a new child.
  • Family Care Leave: Time to care for a loved one with a serious health condition.
  • Military Family Leave: Time to prepare for a family member’s deployment.
  • Safe Leave: Time to find safety from abuse or violence.

All leave benefits fully comply with the Maine Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) law. UMS Paid FML is administered by the Standard.

Do I Qualify?

If you are a UMS Employee, you will likely qualify for Maine Paid FMLA. There are some exceptions:

  • You must work in Maine. If you reside outside of Maine, but commute to Maine for work, you qualify. If you work remotely outside the state of Maine, please see the “For Non-Maine Employees” section.  
  • If your only work in Maine is part of a work-study program, you’re not covered.
  • If you’re incarcerated, you’re not covered.

Additionally, you must meet certain earnings requirements, which will be determined by the Standard:

  • If you’ve earned 6 times the State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) during a certain time period, you would meet the earnings requirement for the program. The SAWW is announced by the Maine Department of Labor each year, taking into account wage data from across the state. The time period for earning 6 times the SAWW is your Base Period: the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your leave begins.

What Is the Benefit

The weekly benefit amount paid to employees and self-employed individuals on family leave or medical leave is calculated as follows:  

  • The portion of the covered individual’s average weekly wage that is equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage must be replaced at a rate of 90%; and
  • The portion of the covered individual’s average weekly wage that is more than 50% of the state average weekly wage must be replaced at a rate of 66% up to the maximum weekly benefit.  

The Maine Department of Labor offers a Paid FMLA benefit estimator (External Site) to estimate what your weekly benefit will be.

How Do I Apply?

Please reach out to the Employee Benefits Center to initiate your FMLA request, and send in the Request for Family or Medical Leave (External Site) to benefits@maine.edu. You may also call us at 207-973-3373.

Your PFML coverage at the University of Maine System is provided by Standard Insurance Company. Claims should be filed 30 days before foreseeable leave or as soon as practicable if the need for leave is not foreseeable. You must notify the Employee Benefits Center in addition to filing a claim. You can submit a ME PFML claim to The Standard Insurance Company by phone or online.

The address for Standard Insurance Company is 1100 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland OR 97204. More information about applying for paid FMLA can be found on the Employee Guide (PDF).

For Non-Maine Employees

If you do not reside in the state of Maine, your state of residence may offer a Paid Family and Leave Benefit. As of May 1st, 2026, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington provide forms of Paid FMLA. Please apply through your State Paid FMLA portal if you work and reside in one of these states.