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Employees

Employees who are pregnant are protected from discrimination in employment by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act,  Kentucky Pregnant Worker’s Act, and University policy.  Pregnant employees are also eligible for accommodations if they experience pregnancy-related disabilities or pregnancy-related limitations.

Employment policies related to leave

Employees should contact Employee Relations (859) 257-8758 to discuss pregnancy-related leave options. HR Policy and Procedure #82: Temporary Disability Leave provides information regarding pregnancy, maternity, and paternity leave.

Employees eligible for Family and Medical Leave should complete their application before the child's birth. Please contact the  Family Medical Leave Administrators at (859) 257-8758 with questions about this process.

Pregnant employees who are not eligible for Family Medical Leave or do not have accrued leave are still eligible for leave to recover from childbirth. Depending on the type of birth, a pregnant employee is eligible for 6-8 weeks of maternity leave. No paperwork is required to receive leave for recovery from childbirth when an employee is not eligible for Family Medical Leave. Pregnant employees eligible for Family Medical Leave are required to use Family Medical Leave.

Pregnancy-related limitations

The Kentucky Pregnant Worker’s Act requires Kentucky employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees who have limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions unless it would pose an undue hardship on the employer to do so.

Employees with pregnancy-related limitations (ex., lifting restrictions) should contact Heather Roop (859) 257-8927 to discuss accommodations. The University will try to ensure that the employee can continue working under limitations.

Pregnancy-related disabilities

Pregnancy itself is not considered a disability. However, if an employee experiences a pregnancy-related disability (ex., preeclampsia, gestational diabetes), they may be eligible to apply for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If the pregnancy-related disability causes the employee not to be able to perform the essential functions of their job or if the essential functions of the job place the pregnancy at risk, the employee may request accommodations.

An employee with a pregnancy-related disability should complete the Request for a Reasonable Accommodation Form to request an accommodation and ask their provider to complete the Medical Inquiry Form. The employee should return both forms to Heather Roop for review.

Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis, with the goal being to provide an accommodation that allows pregnant employees to continue working throughout their pregnancy.

Accommodation requests related to COVID-19

Pregnant employees who have concerns related to COVID-19 should address those concerns with their supervisor.

CDC guidelines state that pregnant people may be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people. A department should put forth as much effort as possible to lessen the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for pregnant employees when requested.

A department or employee may contact Institutional Equity at (859) 257-8927 with questions.

Resources

Human Resources has a comprehensive list of resources available to employees who are pregnant or parenting.

 

Accommodation requests related to a pregnancy-related limitation or disability

Employees can request an accommodation for a pregnancy-related limitation or a pregnancy-related disability by contacting Heather Roop.

 

Lactation on Campus

Employees are entitled to breaks for lactation. Please review the Lactation Guidelines and the List of available lactation rooms.

Students

Title IX and University policy protect pregnant or parenting students from discrimination in education programs and activities.

The University will try to ensure that you can continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities by providing you with reasonable adjustments to participate, excusing absences due to pregnancy and childbirth for as long as medically necessary, and allowing you to make up missed work.

Every student has different needs. Typical requests are for excused absences, larger or different types of desks, alternative methods of attendance, altered assignment due dates, and lactation breaks. Please contact Institutional Equity to discuss what you need to be academically successful while pregnant or parenting. 

 

Pregnancy-related disabilities

If you have a disability related to pregnancy (ex., hyperemesis gravidarum, or preeclampsia), please contact the Disability Resource Center.

 

COVID-19-related restrictions

If you have concerns or restrictions related to pregnancy and COVID-19, please contact the Disability Resource Center to discuss appropriate accommodations. 

 

Resources

There are resources available to you on campus and in the Lexington community. For a complete list, click here.

 

Accommodation requests related to pregnancy or parenting

Request a Pregnancy-Related Accommodation by contacting Ellen Kilgore.

 

Campus Resources

Center for Support and Intervention (CSI)

Graduate and Family Housing

 

Health Care Resources

University Health Services (UHS)

UK Women’s Health Obstetrics and Gynecology

UK Midwife Clinic

Lexington- Fayette County Health Department

Bluegrass Health Center of Lexington, KY

 

Lactation on Campus

List of available lactation rooms

 

Resources for Parenting Students

One Parent Scholar House

Child Care Assistance Program

The Nest

Request a Pregnancy-Related Accommodation

Employees

  • If you have a pregnancy-related disability or limitation and would like to discuss appropriate accommodations, please contact Heather Roop

Students