Leave of Absence Specialist

Leave of Absence Specialist (16-Week Contract)

Location: Onsite, Lacey, WA

Duration: 16-week contract

Pay: $33.00 to $38.00 per hour, depending on experience

Schedule: Day Shift, 40 hours per week

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Leave of Absence (LOA) Specialist to support our HR team during a 16-week contract. You’ll manage employee leave requests from start to finish, coordinate overlapping leaves, handle workers’ compensation claims for our self-insured program, and answer employment questions accurately and quickly. This role suits someone who knows FMLA and Washington leave laws well, can find answers in policies and plan documents, and does well in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

What You’ll Do

• Manage the full leave lifecycle for FMLA, Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), ADA accommodations, workers’ compensation, military leave, and company-provided leaves.
• Decide eligibility and send required notices on time, including Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities notices and Designation notices.
• Review medical certifications for completeness and follow up on missing information without asking for a diagnosis.
• Track continuous, intermittent, and reduced-schedule leave accurately in the leave tracking system.
• Coordinate overlapping leaves (FMLA, WA PFML, short-term disability, workers’ comp, and PTO). Make sure entitlements run concurrently where allowed and employees understand how their leaves work together.
• Manage workers’ compensation claims for our self-insured program, working with our third-party administrator (TPA). This includes incident reporting and documentation, claim intake and follow-up, light-duty and return-to-work coordination, and communication with employees, managers, and medical providers, all in line with Washington L&I self-insurance requirements.
• Partner with payroll and benefits on pay substitution, benefit continuation, and premium collection during leave.
• Manage return-to-work steps, including fitness-for-duty certifications, job restoration, and transition into the ADA interactive process when leave is exhausted.
• Research company policies, handbooks, plan documents, and applicable laws to answer employee and manager questions clearly and consistently.
• Keep confidential, accurate, audit-ready records, with medical information stored separately from personnel files.
• Flag compliance risks and escalate complex cases to HR leadership or legal as needed.

What You Bring

• 2 years of experience administering leaves of absence, including FMLA and state paid leave programs (Washington PFML strongly preferred).
• Hands-on experience with workers’ compensation claims in a self-insured environment, including working with a TPA and running return-to-work or light-duty programs. Experience with Washington L&I self-insurance rules is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to manage overlapping and concurrent leaves and explain them in plain language.
• Working knowledge of ADA accommodations and the interactive process.
• Strong research skills, including finding answers in company documents, policies, and regulations and applying them correctly.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with high case volume, changing priorities, and tight deadlines.
• Excellent organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Clear, empathetic written and verbal communication with employees going through difficult situations.
• Sound judgment and discretion with confidential and medical information.
• Proficiency with HRIS or leave management systems and Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.

Nice to Have

• Experience with a third-party leave administrator or absence management platform.
• Experience in a multi-state workforce or with other state leave laws.
• HR certification (SHRM-CP, PHR) or a Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) designation.

TruFit Staffing is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. TruFit Staffing is an ALE and offers a Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) plan in compliance with ACA rules and regulations.