LOA Specialist

About the role

The LOA Specialist liaises between leave of absence third party administrator and Associates. This role ensures all leave of absence processes are adhered to by Associates to enable timely return to work.

Responsibilities

• Maintains communication with Associates on leave to facilitate smooth and timely return to work; relays communication between employees and their managers during leave as appropriate.
• Creates and maintains proactive communication resources for Associates in relation to leave of absence process.
• Advises managers and Associates on the interaction of leave laws with paid time off and short/long term disability benefits.
• Responds to telephone inquiries, emails, or has face-to-face interactions with associates regarding leaves; assists associates by explaining options and required paperwork, and refers Associates to appropriate carrier when necessary.
• Researches and resolves escalated leaves of absence matters.
• Communicates with associates regarding leaves; processes all leave approvals, denials, and responds to rebuttals.
• Oversees the return-to-work process for Associates returning from extended FMLA or other leave(s).
• Manages the fitness for duty process for Associates with applicable vendor including treatment and return to work determination.
• Participates and advises on crew member article 18, and disciplinary calls.
• Maintains relationship with both FA and Pilot unions, as well as Inflight and Flight Ops management.
• Maintains up to date knowledge on applicable CBAs and letters of agreement.
• Develops and maintains leaves metrics, analyzes data for trends, and provides recommendations for improvement.
• Develops and provides reports as requested.
• Makes compliance recommendations regarding new and evolving leaves legislation.
• Implements process improvements to continuously improve efficiency and customer service.
• Acts as a liaison with third-party administrators, vendors, and internal employees.
• Manages relationship, initiates evaluations and review final determinations with company Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) as required by the FAA.
• Provides customer service and advocates for the associates on leave to resolve claims, eligibility, and other issues.
• Assists in the ongoing development and improvement of leaves policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws, labor agreements, and state and federal laws.
• Drafts and/or recommends revisions to company leave policies in collaboration with Legal and Employee Relations.
• Collaborates with internal departments (e.g., IT, recruiting, payroll, etc.) on leaves issues.
• Provides associate leave history, absence trends, etc. to supervisors, managers, and employee relations as required.
• Back up support for Workers Compensation as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 2 years of related health and welfare administration experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of applicable leave and accommodation laws including the FMLA, ADA, and state and local laws.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in accordance with HIPPA rules and regulations.