Medical Leave of Absence

Leave of absence (LOA) or medical leave of absence (MLOA) has special implications in today’s competitive world and warrants special attention in any discussion of transitional age youth (TAY) mental health. The impact of such leaves in terms of offering support and scaffolding the return to school or work can be enormous. This chapter defines and describes leaves of absence in university settings and discusses the role of the legal system. Finally, the authors provide a brief synopsis of the results of a survey on looking at MLOA policies at select universities across different regions of the USA.