Leave of Absence Specialist

We're hiring a Leave of Absence Specialist to run the day-to-day operations of our leave program across Cadence Health and Cadence Solutions. On the People Success team, you'll support frontline managers and exempt and non-exempt employees with clear guidance, timely follow-up, and accurate case administration. You’ll manage a high-volume, multi-state leave caseload, with a particular focus on our non-exempt and clinical workforce, partnering closely with managers, Payroll, and Benefits to coordinate intermittent absences, pay impacts, and return-to-work transitions.

This is a hands-on, operational role for someone who knows FMLA, ADA, and state leave requirements well. You'll own leave-related employee tickets in our ticketing system and HRIS, and coordinate with leave and disability vendors. You'll work with Payroll, Benefits, and People partners to keep cases moving from intake through return to work, resolving routine questions under established policy and escalating matters that need a leadership or accommodation decision.

• Own day-to-day leave case administration from intake through closure, including eligibility review with the leave administrator, documentation follow-up, status tracking, extensions, and return to work. Coordinate vendor determinations and escalate decisions outside delegated authority.
• Coordinate FMLA, state and local leave, military leave (USERRA), and company leave programs with vendors and internal partners, following each party's assigned responsibilities.
• Track continuous, intermittent, and reduced-schedule leave, and ensure time records, pay codes, and payroll inputs are accurate for exempt and non-exempt employees.
• Coordinate overlapping leave programs, PTO, salary continuation, disability benefits, state paid leave, and benefit deductions with vendors, Payroll, and Benefits to resolve gaps or discrepancies before processing deadlines.
• Coordinate return-to-work dates and documentation, and route restrictions, extension requests, and leave exhaustion to People Success leadership for timely review.

• Own leave and assigned accommodation tickets from intake through resolution, including triage, responses, case notes, and closure within service standards.
• Explain leave steps, documentation, vendor responsibilities, and pay and benefits impacts in plain, empathetic language, including for frontline and shift-based staff. Send proactive updates so employees always know what happens next.
• Guide frontline managers on leave dates, intermittent absences, scheduling coordination, and return-to-work steps.
• Resolve routine questions independently, and escalate complex issues with a concise summary of the case, actions taken, and the decision or support needed.

• Serve as the internal operational contact for third-party leave administrators and disability carriers, acting as the liaison between vendors and employees on FMLA and state leave approvals.
• Monitor vendor cases and deliverables, including determinations, notices, and certifications. Track pending actions and escalate delays through established channels.
• Maintain accurate leave dates, case status, employee records, and approved payroll inputs across leave administration platforms and the HRIS; reconcile discrepancies between vendor and internal records.
• Support vendor and HRIS transitions by validating active cases, tracking open handoffs, and communicating new procedures to employees and managers.

• Support the ADA and PWFA interactive process by coordinating intake, employee communications, permissible documentation requests, stakeholder follow-up, and case tracking under established procedures.
• Coordinate approved accommodations with managers and track implementation and review dates.
• Identify leave cases that may require accommodation review and promptly route them to People Success leadership.
• Maintain confidential, audit-ready case records and medical documentation in restricted systems.
• Conduct periodic case and data audits, track required notices, documentation, and deadlines, and coordinate corrections with vendors and internal partners. Apply established compliance procedures and flag risks, disputes, policy exceptions, and relevant regulatory changes to People Success leadership.

• Maintain case trackers, checklists, response templates, and employee guidance, and recommend practical fixes for recurring questions.
• Report regularly on active cases, incoming tickets, backlog and aging, response times, upcoming returns, vendor delays, and unresolved payroll issues.
• Prioritize by required deadlines, employee needs, and payroll timing, and flag capacity constraints and backup coverage needs to your leader.

• 3+ years of hands-on leave administration experience, including independently managing a multi-state caseload from intake through closure and coordinating with third-party leave administrators and disability carriers.
• Strong practical knowledge of FMLA, ADA, PWFA, USERRA, and state leave and disability requirements and best practices, including when to seek guidance.
• Experience managing a high-volume leave caseload supporting non-exempt and clinical or other shift-based employees, including intermittent leave tracking and payroll coordination, as well as supporting frontline managers and exempt employees.
• Experience with employee ticketing tools, leave management platforms, and an HRIS, plus the ability to learn new systems quickly and keep records accurate across them.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through across competing deadlines.
• Sound judgment about confidentiality and escalation.
• Clear, empathetic communication and the ability to explain complex processes simply to employees and managers.

• Experience in healthcare or another environment with frontline, shift-based employees.
• Experience with Unthread, TriNet, Sparrow, Hartford, Lincoln, or Rippling.
• Experience supporting vendor transitions or an HRIS implementation, ideally at a fast-growing company.
• CLMS certification or a comparable leave administration credential.