Starting July 1, Prudential will begin administering Family Medical Leave at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Employees currently approved for Family Medical Leave will receive communication in the coming days with important information and instructions. First, they will receive notification from NNS, followed by more details from Prudential. Starting July 1, follow these steps to request a Family Medical Leave.

Step 1:

Contact Prudential and report the company access code 51691 when calling or filing online.

By phone, contact Prudential directly at 833-494-1141, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or follow the menu prompt through the Leave of Absence phone line at 757-688-3800.

Online, log in to www.prudential.com/mybenefits. Click on “Claims and Absence” and then “File a Claim/Report an Absence.” There, you can input your information and download any forms you may need.

Step 2:

Follow instructions provided by Prudential.

Step 3:

Represented employees continue to call the absenteeism number at 757-688-9191 or 800-937-9191 to report your absence. Salaried employees continue to notify your supervisor of your Family Medical Leave-related absences.

Family Medical Leave approvals are for the time an employee is off from work. Requests for a shift-change, change in work schedule (including working remotely) or accommodating work restrictions must follow other company procedures. Contact your Human Resources or Labor Relations representative for questions.

The Family Medical Leave Act provides eligible employees the opportunity to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid job-protected leave over 12 months for a conditions covered by the act. To be eligible, employees must have worked 1,250 hours during the 12 months prior to the start of Family Medical Leave and have worked at NNS for 12 months. Eligible conditions include the following:

• Birth of a child and to bond with a newborn child within one year of birth.
• For the placement with employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to bond with that child within one year of placement.
• Care for an immediate family member (spouse, child or parent) with a serious health condition.
• An employee’s serious health condition when the employee is unable to perform the essential functions of their job work due to the serious health condition.
• For qualifying exigencies arising out of the fact that an employee’s spouse, son, daughter or parent is on covered active duty or called to active duty status.

The Family Medical Leave Act also allows eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave within a 12-month period to care for a covered service member with a serious illness or injury.