Voluntary Medical Leave
The following policy establishes the procedures under which a voluntary medical leave may occur, as well as the process for return from leave.
1. Initiation of Request
A student requesting medical leave must make the request in writing to the Director of Counseling and Health Services. The request may be for either one or two semesters. The Director will notify the Registrar of the request and will direct the student to provide appropriate documentation from a physician, therapist, or other qualified caregiver.
2. Determination of request
A decision approving or disapproving the medical leave request will be made by the Director of Counseling and Health Services. If there is a pending academic or disciplinary preceding that could result in a suspension from the University, medical leave requests will not be considered until the proceeding has concluded. A student under suspension from the University is ineligible for medical leave.
As part of receiving medical leave for mental health reasons, if indicated, the student may be asked to sign a behavioral agreement regarding ongoing treatment during the time he or she is on medical leave. Failure to comply with this treatment would result in a termination of the medical leave and mandatory withdrawal from school.
When a student has been approved for medical leave, the Director will provide a copy of the decision to the Registrar, the Academic Dean and the Vice Provost/Dean of Students. The Registrar will notify appropriate offices on campus of the student’s status and send a copy of the decision to the student for his or her records. Copies of the decision will be maintained in the student’s academic and student life files. Original documentation from the student’s medical records will be maintained by the Director of Counseling and Health Services.
A request for medical leave for the current semester must be made prior to the last week of class in the fall or spring semester, or prior to the last day of class in January term.
3. Effective date of medical leave status
A student whose request for medical leave is approved during the first sixty percent of the semester will be deemed to have medical leave status as of the date on which his or her request was made to the Director of Counseling and Health Services. The student will remain on medical leave status for the balance of that semester and may request an extension for the next semester by filing a request as described below.
A student whose request for medical leave is approved during the final forty percent of the semester will be deemed to be a medically excused continuing student for the balance of that semester, but will have medical leave status as of the first day of the following semester. The student may request an extension for one additional semester by filing a request as described on the following several pages.
4. Extension of medical leave status
A student on medical leave status may request a one-semester extension by providing new documentation to the Director of Counseling and Health Services by August 1 for the fall semester or December 1 for the spring semester. A decision approving or disapproving the request will be made by the Director of Counseling and Health Services. The Director will provide a copy of the decision to the Registrar, Academic Dean, and Vice Provost/Dean of Students. Medical leave status may continue no longer than two consecutive semesters. After this time, a student who does not return to the University will be deemed officially withdrawn.
5. Grades and completion of medical leave work
A student whose request for medical leave is approved during the first sixty percent of the semester will be given a grade of “W” (Withdrawal) in each course for which he or she is registered. No “I” (Incomplete) grades will be given. No credit will be earned for any course, and a prorated refund of charges will be made as described below. A student whose request for medical leave is approved during the final forty percent of the semester may be deemed medically excused and may be given a grade of “I” for one or more courses with the approval of the faculty member(s). When a grade of “I” is not deemed feasible, a grade of “W” will be given. No refund of charges will be made for courses in which a grade of “I” is given. To receive academic credit for a course, incomplete work must be completed by the final day of the semester following that during which medical leave was approved. It is the responsibility of the student to contact individual instructors to arrange for the timely completion of course work. If the student does not complete work in a course within this time, the grade of “I” for that course will be changed to a “W.”
6. Determination of fitness to return to campus
A student requesting to return from medical leave will be asked to sign a release allowing the Director of Counseling and Health Services to communicate with the physician, therapist, or other caregiver, as well as with other persons at Messiah University involved in determining the student’s fitness to return. The student must provide documentation from his or her physician, therapist, or other caregiver concerning current medical status by August 1 to be considered for approval to return for the fall semester, or by December 1 to be considered for approval to return for the spring semester. The student also may be required to have an interview with the Director of Counseling and Health Services and/or the Director of Academic Accessibility. The University reserves the right to require the student, in order to return to and remain in classes, to be in ongoing, off-campus treatment as well as other necessary stipulations. All information will be reviewed and a decision regarding fitness to return will be made by the Director of Counseling and Health Services, who will notify the Deans and the Registrar. The granting of medical leave by the University does not guarantee that the student will be allowed to return. If approved, the Director of Counseling and Health Services will notify the Registrar who will then notify the student and appropriate offices on campus. The granting of medical leave by the University does not guarantee that the student will be allowed to return.