Short-term disability: Does paid time off still accrue?

Q: “An employee went on maternity leave and will use paid time off until the short-term benefit kicks in. Does she continue to accrue PTO while on short-term disability?” – Anne, Texas

A: Whether employees continue to accrue PTO while on leave (medical or otherwise) is entirely up to your employer’s policy, so you should follow past practice. You don’t mention the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), so that may not apply here, but please note that you must treat FMLA leave just as any other leave when determining whether PTO continues to accrue. In other words, if you permit PTO to accrue while an employee is on vacation or sick leave generally, you must also permit PTO to accrue while an employee takes FMLA leave.