4.1 Medical Leave of Absence

Eligibility

To be eligible for an LOA, a student must have successfully completed at least one semester at CWI and have a documented Serious Medical Condition which was not reasonably foreseeable prior to the start of the semester during which the LOA was requested.

Request Process

In order to request an LOA, a student must complete the Medical Leave of Absence Request Form and attach sufficient medical documentation, including a recommendation from a licensed medical provider that a Medical LOA may benefit a student.

In addition to medical documentation, students must certify via the application that they have consulted with Financial Aid to determine any financial implications of a medical withdrawal. Students must also certify that they have spoken with an academic advisor to review the impact of an LOA on their academic progress and have developed a revised academic plan. Other meetings and/or consultations may be required based on individual student circumstances (e.g. students using Veteran’s Educational Benefits may be required to meet with a School Certifying Official in order to review any financial implications and/or discuss possible additional support options.)

Students may request an LOA of up to one calendar year from the date that the LOA Request is approved.

Approvals & Denials

All LOA requests will be reviewed by the Dean of Students to determine if the student is eligible for a leave of absence, has completed all required steps, and has provided sufficient medical documentation to support a leave of absence. This review does not make medical judgments or determinations of severity, it only determines if the medical documentation provided shows that the student is experiencing a Serious Medical Condition, and that a leave of absence is recommended by a medical provider.

A determination will be made within 10 business days and communicated to the student via their CWI-issued email address.

If an LOA request is approved, the Dean of Students will facilitate a withdrawal from all current courses and cancel registration in any future semesters covered by the LOA. In special circumstances, an LOA may be granted for a future period of time, if supported by documentation, and in those cases, withdrawal will be processed at that time, as appropriate. A grade of W will be placed on a student’s transcript for each course in which they were enrolled.

If an LOA request is denied, the notice letter will provide information on how to file an appeal of the decision. All appeals will be heard by the Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services. An appeal will only be considered if it meets one or more of the following three criteria: 1) new information which was not available at the time of application for an LOA is now available that would significantly impact the outcome, 2) a procedural error was made determining the outcome of an LOA application that, if corrected, has the potential to alter the outcome, and/or 3) the employee determining the outcome of the LOA application had a specific bias or conflict of interest, which can be supported with specific actions, behaviors, or statements, which likely altered the outcome of the hearing. If a student files an appeal and it is denied, there is no further avenue for appeal.

Expectations of Students On LOA

During Leave

While on LOA, students are not required to maintain enrollment with the College and will not be considered enrolled, nor have access to campus facilities and services which are reserved for the use of enrolled students.

An LOA will extend for the period of time noted in the LOA Approval letter. In rare cases where a student provides medical documentation of unforeseen circumstances that necessitate extending an LOA, an extension of not more than 4 months may be granted, using the same review standards as those noted above for initial LOA requests.

Returning from Leave

Students must submit a request to return from LOA prior to the expiration of the LOA and at least 30 days prior to the start of the academic term the student is returning into. The purpose of the request to return is to ensure that the student is prepared to return to the college and the program they were enrolled in prior to the LOA and is connected to the proper campus resources to support their continued academic success.

For the purposes of returning from an LOA, an academic term may be the start of the Fall, Spring or Summer term, as well as the start of a shortened academic term, such as starting 8-week courses that begin mid-semester in the Fall and Spring semesters.  While students may choose to return at the start of an 8-week course or at the start of the summer semester, this is not required. The LOA will be in effect until the start of the next Fall or Spring semester, whichever is sooner, following the receipt of a request to return from an LOA. In programs where there is a multi-semester or multi-year sequence of courses, return from LOA may be delayed until the start of the next semester that corresponds with the semester in which the courses being taught match those in the semester in which a student was granted an LOA. Return from an LOA does not provide an exception to any prerequisite or co-requisite course requirements. Return from an LOA may be delayed for students returning to limited access or waitlisted programs if there is not a space available for the intended semester of return.

Failure to Return

If the student fails to submit a request to return prior to the end of an approved LOA and does not request an extension in writing, the LOA is considered forfeited. The student would need to reapply to the College and/or any limited access programs should they choose to return to the College at a future date.

Limitations & Other Support Options

This process is intended to provide students with a voluntary option to temporarily pause their academic progress to focus on their health. A Medical LOA may not be imposed upon or required of a student. The Medical LOA process does not replace or modify the Involuntary Withdrawal Process.

A medical leave of absence does not alter the College’s obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to students under applicable laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or Title IX. Prior to applying for a Medical Leave of Absence, students with any type of disability are encouraged to contact Student Disability Services and students experiencing pregnancy or adoption of a child are encouraged to contact the Deputy Title IX coordinator to determine if other options or processes may be more appropriate to assist.