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Employee and Retiree Service Center → Employees → Life Events → New Child

New Child

New Addition to the Family? Be Prepared!
While you prepare your home for your new arrival, don’t forget to also prepare your career for the changes ahead. Planning ahead for leave, understanding when you will be paid, and learning about insurance coverage will let you focus on your new family member.

Taking Leave

Get information about how leave is computed, if and how the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to your leave, and more on our Child Care Leave page.

New Child Checklist

Expecting, Adopting, and New Parents Before and After:
A Checklist of Necessary Actions

Orange arrow Printable version (PDF)

This checklist is meant to guide you through the process of taking child care leave for maternity, paternity, and adoption and updating your employee information after the arrival of a child. Please see the child care leave page on the Employee and Retiree Service Center website for additional important information prior to taking any action.


Before the birth/adoption

Check box graphicUnderstand the Family and Medical Leave Act to see if you qualify and how it affects your leave plans.

Check box graphicCalculate your planned leave dates.

Check box graphicSubmit your leave paperwork to your principal/supervisor.

Check box graphic Understand your location's leave forms procedure. You may be asked to forward the forms to ERSC, or your location may forward them on your behalf. It is your responsibility to ensure that all forms are received at ERSC at least one month in advance of your expected leave date. Contract deadlines apply to leaves that are year-long.

Birth parents:
Check box graphicMCPS Form 430-1: Leave Request. Be sure to thoroughly review Section I, which indicates the possible need for additional forms relating to your health insurance.

Check box graphic MCPS Form 440-35: Certification of Physician or Health Care Provider

Adoptive parents:
Check box graphicMCPS Form 430-1: Leave Request. Be sure to thoroughly review Section I, which indicates the possible need for additional forms relating to your health insurance.
Check box graphicCourt/agency documents verifying adoption


Check box graphicUnderstand how your leave plans affect your health insurance rates when you go on long-term leave (longer than 60 duty days).

  Check box graphicReview the active rates, the cost of health insurance for active employees.

Check box graphicReview the leave rates, the cost of health insurance for employees who are on long-term leave.

Check box graphicIf you choose to discontinue your health insurance while you are on leave, visit the Employee Self-Service (ESS) web page and select Benefits enrollment/changes due to qualifying life event. Log in to the Benefits Enrollment System and follow the on-screen instructions to discontinue your benefits. You will have 60 days from the date you return from leave to re-enroll.

Check box graphicCalculate the number of sick days available to you.

Remember you may use your sick leave to be paid only for the six calendar weeks immediately following a regular delivery or adoption or eight calendar weeks following a Caesarean delivery. An MCEA unit member who has earned sick leave may use up to 10 weeks for the birth or adoption of his/her child, if the 10 weeks occurs when the member would normally work and be paid.

Check box graphic If you are a member of your union's sick leave bank, please contact your union regarding grant eligibility.

If you are eligible for a sick bank grant from your union:
Check box graphicContact your union for a sick bank grant application.

If you are not eligible for a sick bank grant from your union:
Check box graphic Understand that your leave status will be moved to unpaid leave once you exhaust your available sick leave.


After the birth/adoption

Check box graphicCall your work location to inform the timekeeper of the date of your child’s birth and whether the birth was a Caesarean delivery. This ensures that you are paid correctly.

Check box graphicCall ERSC to report your child's birth date and the type of delivery.

Check box graphicSEIU members: Call your union to report your child's birth date and type of delivery if you have applied or will be applying for a sick bank grant.

Check box graphicMCEA members: Print and complete the forms listed on this MCEA web page and send them to MCEA to apply for a sick bank grant.

Check box graphicMCAAP/MCBOA members: Call your union to report your child's birth date and type of delivery if you have applied or will be applying for a sick bank grant.

Check box graphicMake any necessary updates to your leave dates. The early or late arrival of your child will change your expected leave dates.

Check box graphic Complete a revised MCPS Form 430-1: Leave Request. No new medical documentation is required.
Check box graphic Obtain signatures from your principal/supervisor
Check box graphic Submit to ERSC

IMPORTANT! Remember that FMLA protection only covers those who meet the qualification criteria and only applies to the first 60 duty days of leave. The early or late arrival of your child may extend your leave past the 60 duty days protected by FMLA. Therefore, it is crucial that you submit revised paperwork to ERSC to establish your intentions.

Additional recommended personal and financial updates

New parents may want to consider the following list of actions and updates.

Check box graphicAdd Your New Dependent to Your Health Insurance

 Check box graphicVisit ESS and select Benefits enrollment/changes due to qualifying life event. Log in to the Benefits Enrollment System and follow the on-screen instructions to enroll your dependent in your health insurance
Check box graphic Include your new dependent's social security number
AND
Check box graphicDownload a copy of your child's birth certificate or birth registration or mail them to ERSC
OR
Check box graphicDownload a copy of the court document verifying the adoption or mail it to ERSC

IMPORTANT! You have 60 calendar days following the birth or adoption of your child to enroll him or her in your employee benefits. If you do not complete enrollment within 60 calendar days, you must wait until a future Open Enrollment.

If there is a delay in your receipt of required documents (birth registration, birth certificate, social security number and adoption papers), please contact ERSC before the end of the 60-day period.

For additional information about enrolling dependents in your employee benefits, please refer to the Employee Benefit Summary.

Check box graphicSign up for a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for Dependent Care or Medical Expenses. You may soon have childcare expenses and out-of-pocket medical costs that are predictable. This is the ideal situation for an FSA.

Check box graphic Visit the ERSC website for information about FSAs, including:

Introductory Video about FSAs
Flexible Spending Account Information
A List of Eligible Medical Expenses  

Check box graphic Visit ESS and select Benefits enrollment/changes due to qualifying life event. Log in and follow the on-screen instructions to

to sign up for a Medical or Dependent Care FSA.

IMPORTANT! You are not eligible to enroll in an FSA until you have returned to work. You have 60 calendar days following the date you return to work to enroll in an FSA via the online Benefits Enrollment System. If you do not complete enrollment within 60 calendar days, you must wait until a future open enrollment.

Additional information about enrolling in an FSA

Check box graphicAdjust Your Income Tax Withholding by visiting the Employee Self-Service web page and clicking on My W-4 under the green My Pay banner. Log in using your MCPS username and password and follow the on-screen instructions.

Check box graphicUpdate your life insurance beneficiaries.

Basic Employee Term Life Insurance and Optional Employee Term Life Insurance
Check box graphicVisit ESS and select Benefits enrollment/changes due to qualifying life event. Log in and follow the on-screen instructions to update your beneficiaries.

Check box graphicUpdate your 403(b) and/or 457(b) plan beneficiaries. Contact your vendor for additional information.

Check box graphic Update your Pension Plan beneficiaries.

MCPS Core and/or Supplement pension plan
Check box graphicMCPS Form 455-5: Designation of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries

State Core pension plan
Check box graphicState Form MSR004: Designation of Beneficiary

Check box graphicResearch and consider purchasing Employee and/or Dependent Life Insurance.

Read the Life Insurance section of the ERSC website for information about cost, coverage, and eligibility for:

Check box graphic Basic Employee Term Life Insurance
Check box graphic Optional Employee Term Life Insurance
Check box graphic Basic Dependent Term Life Insurance
Check box graphic Optional Dependent Term Life Insurance

IMPORTANT! Different types of life insurance have different enrollment timeframes. Please understand that you are only able to purchase new or additional employee life insurance during the annual Open Enrollment period each Fall.

If you are already enrolled in Basic Employee Term Life Insurance and you add your child as a dependent to your Employee Benefit Plan, you automatically receive Basic Dependent Life Insurance and you are eligible to purchase Optional Dependent Term Life Insurance.

You have 60 calendar days from the date of birth/adoption to purchase Optional Dependent Term Life Insurance. To do so, visit ESS and select Benefits enrollment/changes due to qualifying life event. Log in and follow the on-screen instructions.

Additional information about dependent life insurance