Pregnancy and Parenting
Employees
Pregnant employees are protected from employment discrimination by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, The Pregnant Workers Fairness 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 pregnancy, maternity, and paternity leave information.
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 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Kentucky Pregnant Worker’s Act require 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 or Brandon Williams at (859) 562-2601 to discuss accommodations. The University will try to ensure 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.
Resources
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
If you are a University student and need information relating to pregnancy accommodations or parenting information, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at (859) 562-2601 or visit https://oeo.uky.edu/key-priorities/pregnancy-and-parenting for more information.