The University of California is proposing to change its family and medical leave-year definition to a calendar year, effective Jan. 1, 2000. Current policies and collective bargaining agreements for staff and academic personnel grant employees up to 12 work weeks of family and medical leave during the 12-month period that begins on the date leave is first taken. The change is being triggered by final regulations issued by the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission that allow California employers, including the University of California, to choose any one of several alternate methods for defining the leave year. The proposed change, intended to be responsive to employee needs and simplify the administration of such leaves, would have the following effects: Under the new definition, employees who have at least 12 months of university service and who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of the requested leave would be granted up to 12 work weeks of leave for any qualifying reason during the 12-month period that begins each Jan. 1. An employee who has the need to continue a family and medical leave in progress on Dec. 31 for the same qualifying reason would not be required to re-qualify to continue eligibility for family and medical leave in the new calendar year; however, the portion of leave that continues into the new calendar year would count against the employees entitlement to 12 workweeks of leave for that calendar year. If an employee in this circumstance requests leave for a different qualifying reason, that employee would be required to re-qualify to be eligible, subject to the maximum 12 workweeks allowed in a calendar year. All eligible employees would be entitled to continuation of health benefits (i.e., medical, dental, and vision), as provided in the applicable policy or collective bargaining agreement, for all periods of time on approved family and medical leaves, including leaves that exceed 12 workweeks because they continue from one calendar year into the next calendar year. Different rules, however, apply to continuation of health benefits during leaves other than family and medical leave.