Medical Leave of Absence (“MLOA”)

A student may apply for a medical leave of absence when, due to some physical or psychological problem, they are unable to complete the course of study during a given semester. In such circumstance, the student must make a request to withdraw prior to the last day of the semester and before the faculty have submitted final grades for the courses involved. It is important to note that an approved MLOA will apply to all courses for which the student is currently registered. In general, a student who receives at least one passing academic grade in a given semester is deemed ineligible for a medical withdrawal. Further, students seeking only to withdraw from some, but not all, courses in a given semester will be subject to the normal withdrawal processes described above.

The following procedures and policies apply to MLOAs:

Students seeking a medical leave from a given semester must first submit a notice to the Office of Student Success Advising to withdraw from all courses for which they have registered. Upon such notification, the student will immediately be withdrawn and awarded withdrawal grades based upon the date of notification, pending completion of the process below.
The student must complete a Medical Leave Request form and submit it to the Dean of Student Success Advising.
In addition, the student must submit to the Dean of Student Success Advising a letter from a licensed medical or mental health professional (appropriate to the reason for withdrawal), certifying that due to a medical problem – either physical or psychological – the student is unable to continue their studies during the current semester. Where the medical problem is of a psychological nature, such a request will be forwarded to the Director of the Counseling and Wellness Center prior to the approval of their request (see section on Medical Leave for Psychological Reasons below).
All requests for MLOAs, along with substantiating documentation, must be submitted no later than the end of the semester for which such consideration is sought. In extenuating circumstances, requests for retroactive medical withdrawals, along with substantiating documentation, may be made no later than 30 days after the end of the semester for which such consideration is sought. Under highly extenuating circumstances, a limited extension of this deadline may be granted by the VPAA/Dean.
After all documentation has been submitted and the request is granted, the Dean of Student Success Advising will authorize the Registrar to award “W” grades in all courses for which the student registered during the semester.
Students whose requests have been granted will receive a letter from the Dean of Student Success Advising confirming the approval of the request and outlining the associated terms and conditions.
It is understood that the granting of a MLOA, whether psychological or physical, does not in any way constitute or imply a cancellation of tuition or other fees for which the student is currently liable. The determination of any refund will be in accordance with the College’s refund policy. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase Tuition Insurance in September, prior to the start of classes, to cover any liability resulting from a medical withdrawal. Those who purchased insurance should notify the carrier who will contact the Center for Student Services for information regarding processing the claim.
A student whose MLOA request is granted may apply for maintenance of matriculation for up to two subsequent semesters. A request must be made to the Registrar in the Center for Student Services prior to the start of each semester for which the student wishes to maintain matriculation.
A student whose request for medical leave (for physical reasons) was granted is required to submit a letter of clearance from a medical practitioner to the Dean of Student Success Advising no sooner that 30 days before the start of next semester for which registration is sought. In cases where the leave was precipitated by psychological reasons, such a clearance is also mandatory (see section on Medical Leave for Psychological Reasons below).
Students who fail to register for a subsequent semester (Fall or Spring) and who have not been granted maintenance of matriculation must apply for and be approved for readmission prior to further registration. In the event that such an absence from the college was initiated through a medical withdrawal, the medical clearance letter becomes mandatory and must be submitted along with the application for readmission.
In all cases, students whose MLOA was granted may not re-register for any subsequent semester without prior approval by the Dean of Student Success Advising. In addition, at the discretion of the Dean, a student whose leave was granted may be required to take an involuntary leave of absence from the college for up to one year.
All international students and students in special programs, such as HEOP and Academic Access, must inform the directors of their programs of any intention to request a medical withdrawal.

Medical Leave of Absence for Psychological Reasons

Sometimes students are unable to continue in school for psycho- logical reasons. In rare cases, the College will require a student to take a leave of absence to address these concerns. In most cases, however, the student realizes the need to go on leave. Students granted psychological leaves have a “hold” placed on their records accessible to selected staff only.

The College’s Objectives

The College seeks to foster the success of all students, whether they are afflicted with a mental disability or experience mental health challenges. The College encourages and provides students with support and resources for help and treatment. To the extent required by law, the College will work with students to achieve reasonable accommodations with the hope that they may be able to continue their education.

Counseling and Mental Health Services

The College provides mental health counseling and referral services to students through its Counseling and Wellness Center (“CWC”). A full description of the services provided through the CWC is contained in the Student Handbook.

Confidentiality

The services provided by the CWC are confidential. The CWC may recommend that the student allow the CWC to share information with the student’s family or others. Federal law permits the CWC to disclose information about a student to the extent necessary to protect the student and others from a serious and imminent threat to his/her safety or the safety of others, and disclosures are permitted if the student will not consent to interventions that should ameliorate the risk of harm.

Accommodations

The College will seek to reasonably accommodate students suffering from a mental disability to enable them to remain enrolled at the College and to return following their leave. Students must request, preferably in writing, an accommodation which the College will evaluate.

The general policies and guidelines governing placing a student on medical leave of absence for (“MLOA”) psychological reasons and the condi- tions for returning from leave follow:

Voluntary Medical Leave of Absence

In a voluntary MLOA the student consents to the leave and the conditions for return from leave. The Director of CWC evaluates the student and/or reviews supportive documentation from other mental health professionals before recommending the leave to the Dean of Student Success Advising who implements the leave. The general criteria for recommending a voluntary medical leave of absence are either:

the student needs to leave school to concentrate on treatment for mental health is- sues or
the student’s academic performance is compromised because of mental health issues.

Once placed on a voluntary medical leave of absence, the student must fulfill requirements for return from leave. Financial obligations are not waived by a voluntary MLOA. There is a block on the student’s record preventing registration for classes.

A student granted a voluntary MLOA under certain circumstances may be permitted to maintain contact with the College and attend campus events pursuant to an agreed plan between the College and the student.

Involuntary Medical Leave of Absence

An involuntary medical leave of absence (“MLOA”) is appropriate for students who refuse to take a voluntary MLOA of absence and engage or threaten to engage in behavior which:

poses a significant risk to the health or safety of one’s self or others, or
causes significant property damage, or
substantially interferes with the community and/or academic activities, and the risk cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level through reasonable accommodations. Decisions as to involuntary leaves must consider whether there are any reasonable accommodations that would allow the student to meet minimum academic requirements and remain safely in the College. If the safety of the student and others is an issue, the College shall determine the nature and severity of the risk, the probability that injury will actually occur, and whether accommodations can sufficiently mitigate the risk

In all cases the Director of the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) evaluates the student directly and/or reviews materials from other mental health professionals before making a recommendation to the Dean of Students, in consultation with the Dean of Student Success Advising, to place the student on an in- voluntary leave. Before a decision is reached by the Dean of Students as to an involuntary MLOA, the College will notify the student that it is considering imposing an involuntary leave and the reasons for the College’s belief that the student may be required to be placed on an involuntary leave. The student and/or their parents or guardian may provide the College with relevant information to consider. The College may, in its discretion if circumstances permit it to do so without creating a significant risk of harm to the student or to others, allow the student to personally appear and be heard. In exceptional circumstances, where safety is an immediate concern, the College may take interim steps pending a final decision. In such exceptional circumstances, the College will notify the student of its interim decision and the factual basis of its decision and allow the student, or his/her parents or guardian, if reasonably practical, an opportunity to provide his/her reasons why the interim decision to impose an involuntary MLOA should not be imposed. At a later date, as circumstances warrant, the College will provide the student with a greater opportunity to be heard and present further facts opposing an involuntary MLOA.

Once placed on an involuntary MLOA, the student must fulfill the requirements for return from leave. Until that time, a block on the student’s record prevents registration for classes.

If the College imposes an involuntary MLOA, it may deny or restrict the student’s contacts with the College community during the leave as needed for safety reasons. The College may limit or deny the student’s communications with faculty, administration, staff and other students, and may limit or deny campus access.

A student placed on involuntary MLOA may appeal in accordance with the Appeal process set forth below.

Hospitalization and Inpatient Admission

When a student is hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, in general he or she will be required to have an in person evaluation with the Director of Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC), who will make a recommendation to the Vice President for Student Affairs and, if appropriate, the Director of Residence Life, on whether the student is safe to return to the residence halls and/or remain in the College. Occasionally, remaining in the residence hall or the College may require certain conditions, such as attendance in counseling sessions.

Leave of Absence and Residential Hall Status

All residential students who take an involuntary or voluntary leave of absence must leave the residence hall. In some instances, the student is required to leave the residence hall but is permitted to complete the academic semester. This decision is generally made by the Vice President for Student Affairs in consultation with the Director of Residence Life, Dean of Student Success Advising, and Director of CWC.

Financial Obligations to Marymount Manhattan College

Students on a psychological leave will be expected to fulfill all financial obligations to the College for that semester, in accordance with published liability dates. Students will be charged forfeiture based on the date of official withdrawal and the College’s tuition cancellation policy. In order to not be billed for a given semester a student must be withdrawn by the end of the first official day of classes for that semester.

Readmission Process for Psychological Leaves of Absence

To return from a medical leave of absence a student must generally fulfill these conditions:

Be out of school for a minimum of three months
Be in treatment during the entire time away from school
Have the therapist submit a Certificate of Readiness to Return form to the Director of CWC.
Be evaluated by the Director of CWC approximately one month before the student’s intended return.

While these are the general conditions, individual circumstances may dictate modified conditions for return. Based on fulfillment of the conditions for return, the Director of CWC makes a recommendation to the Dean of Student Success Advising about the student’s readiness to return. Sometimes conditions are attached to the recommendation, such as ongoing treatment. It should be noted that because the CWC Director’s evaluation takes place shortly before the start of the term, which is necessary to properly assess the student’s readiness, the block on registration will not be removed until that time. If the decision is not to readmit, the CWC Director in consultation with the Dean of Student Success Advising will specify the conditions that must be met before readmission. Newly readmitted students should consult with the Dean of Student Success Advising to determine their class schedule given their prior psychological difficulties.

Appeals Process

A student has a right to file a written appeal (“Appeal”) to the Vice President for Student Affairs requesting a review or reconsideration of:

the denial of a request for a voluntary MLOA (physical reasons);
the denial of a request for a voluntary MLOA for psychological reasons;
the denial of a request for return from a MLOA from either physical or psychological;
the implementation of an involuntary leave of absence.

The Appeal must be submitted to the Vice President for Student Affairs within seven business days of the date of the denial of a leave or the implementation of an involuntary leave.

An Appeal will be considered under the following circumstances:

the presentation of new material information or evidence not considered in the original determination;
new information or evidence that was not available at the time of the original determination; and/or
a material deviation from procedures that negatively affected the outcome of the original determination.

Appeals made on other grounds will not be considered.

As appropriate, the student should include relevant supporting documentation with the Appeal. The Vice President for Student Affairs will carefully consider the Appeal and any supporting documentation and make a final decision based on the best available information and a careful review of all facts and circumstances.

A final decision on an involuntary medical leave appeal will be made within five business days of receipt. Final decisions on voluntary medical leave appeals will be made within ten business days of receipt, or the Vice President for Student Affairs will notify the student that additional time will be necessary to consider the Appeal. The decision of the Vice President on the Appeal is final and not subject to further review.