Welcome to Cocoon!
No matter the reason you to take a leave of absence—whether it’s to welcome a new baby, care for a loved one, or to manage your own health—our team is here to support you throughout.
Going out on leave can be a sensitive and sometimes difficult process to navigate. our goal is to simplify that process wherever we can, so you know what to expect and what's needed every step of the way throughout your leave journey.
How do I get started?
In your Cocoon dashboard, you can kick off the process by drafting your leave plan in private.
As you draft your plan, you'll get a clear view of:
Your available entitlements that provide job protection
If and how you’ll be paid while on leave
Which leave forms or claims you may need to complete
Click on the $ icon to explore potential pay sources:
And click on the clock 🕐 icon to understand your time-off entitlements:
As you plan your leave (and throughout its duration), we’ll coordinate all of these leave eligibility and entitlements and ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and employer policies. Where applicable, we'll also help guide you through the claims process to make sure you’re receiving all funds available to you throughout your leave, which may come from multiple sources. (Learn more about leave pay here.)
Do I need to tell my company I’m taking leave or does Cocoon do that?
You can plan your leave privately in Cocoon until you’re ready.
Once submitted, we'll automatically notify your HR team and direct manager about your intended leave dates. If you make any changes to your leave plan after submission, we’ll keep everyone in the loop.
Your leave plan is not active or confirmed until it has been submitted to your employer.
Why do I need to submit my plan and sign consents?
In order to ensure we’re able to most effectively facilitate your leave, claims, and pay, we’ll need your authorization and consent for Cocoon and/or your employer to take action on your behalf.
Once we have that, we can:
Guide you on completing any required documents or claims
Heck track your entitlements and leave time balances
Coordinate any pay your eligible for among your employer and state or insurance benefits
During my leave, what kind of outreach should I expect from Cocoon?
We’ll handle all the leave logistics we can for you but will need to reach out occasionally to keep things running smoothly or to unblock claims or payments. Below are some reasons you’ll hear from us (note: these will vary depending on your leave type and plan).
Confirming leave dates
Cocoon will reach out at the start and end of your leave to confirm that your dates are accurate. We need this verification since inaccurate dates could delay the filing of your claims or disrupt your pay.
Completing applicable claim forms
If you have a disability component to your leave (e.g. you are a birthing parent or going on medical leave), we’ll provide you with the leave forms that require your medical provider's certification, as well as the instructions for them to complete these forms accurately and completely. It will be your responsibility to ensure these leave forms are submitted to Cocoon in a timely fashion. Learn more about medical leave forms here, and caregiver leave forms here.
Submitting child information
If you are on parental leave, Cocoon will reach out on your child’s expected due date to request confirmation information regarding your child's arrival.
Verifying your benefit payments
As you begin to receive payments from state programs and your private disability provider, we’ll ask you to verify your benefit payments within the pay section of your Cocoon dashboard.This allows our team to ensure your employer pay is being coordinated accurately.
Report your hours of absence
If you are taking an intermittent medical or caregiver leave you will need to report your hours of absence. This helps us keep track of your time entitlements.
One-off state program and disability provider requests
Additionally, once your claims are finalized, we may ask you to reach out to your private disability provider or state program to respond to one-off requests. We try to avoid this as much as possible, but oftentimes state programs and private insurance will refuse to progress your claims unless they're able to coordinate with the recipient of benefits directly. In these situations, Cocoon will provide guidance and support to best action next steps wherever we can.
If you receive a notice or request from a claim entity and would like guidance, please let us know at [email protected] or upload the documentation to your Cocoon dashboard so we're better able to help.
We know outreach while you're out on leave can be stressful, so please never hesitate to reach out to [email protected] or schedule a call via the Contact us button in your dashboard to speak with one of our certified leave specialists.
What’s the "Your tasks" tab for and how do I use it?
Your tasks is a customized to-do list that outlines all the steps needed for your leave to be approved and receive payment. Tasks shown in black are ready for you to take action now. Tasks shown in gray aren’t available yet, but will open up when it’s time to take action.
See here for more info about claims forms and filing.
Can I adjust my leave dates after submission?
Yes! We understand that leave plans often change so you can always adjust your leave dates after submission. In general, make sure to submit your leave as soon as you're ready to announce your leave plans—the sooner you can let your team know, the more time they will have to adequately prepare for your leave.
When you make changes to your leave plan, we’ll automatically trigger an update to your team.
To make changes to your leave dates click edit plan on The Your leave tab:
Please note that any adjustments to your leave dates should also be communicated to your private disability and/or state carriers. This is to ensure you remain eligible for leave benefits during the course of your leave.
For parental leaves:
For non-medically certified sections of parental leave (most commonly known as bonding leave) you can make adjustments to your leave for any time that hasn't already been taken, as long as you give reasonable notice to your employer that your leave dates have changed. If your state has a paid leave program, we may need to amend your these claims or help facilitate repayment of benefits.
A note on medical leaves:
Medical leaves must be taken under the care of a medical provider, which means that your leave dates in Cocoon should reflect the dates that your medical provider has certified on your short-term disability claims.
If your medical provider recommends you alter or extend your leave dates, please update your plan and let us know as soon as possible!
Where will my pay come from?
Once you submit your leave in Cocoon, you can go to Your payments tab on your Cocoon Dashboard and dig into granular details of your leave pay. View your estimated pay from each source across all pay periods during your leave.
As you begin to receive payments from state programs and your private disability provider, you can always verify your benefit payments to make sure you're being paid correctly.
See here for more in-depth information on leave pay.
What should I go to HR/People team for?
While we’re happy to answer any and all questions that might come up around your leave, there are some topics that can come up that we're not best positioned to help with.
Information on non-leave benefits
For information on other benefits - such as health insurance, vesting, or 401(k)s - your HR/People team will be your best resource!
Accommodation requests
If your medical provider recommends accommodations upon your return to work, you'll want to coordinate directly with your People team.
Paid time off (PTO) and sick days
If you'd like to supplement your leave with PTO days or sick days - or if your employer offers a ramp-back or part-time return program - your People team is best positioned to help discuss your options here.
Taxes and benefit deductions
Cocoon does not have visibility into tax deductions and any additional deductions such as 401k, healthcare insurance, and any additional deduction you may have already set up with your employer.
How does Cocoon protect my data?
We take data security very seriously. We protect your personal information by:
Encrypting all user data at rest and in transit
Maintaining our SOC2 Type II certification (a leading audit on how cloud-based service providers handle sensitive information)
Implementing strict internal data access controls
Running periodic penetration tests by third-party security consultants to ensure our product and infrastructure are secure
We’re here for you.
Leave can be complicated, but you’re not alone. Our support team is always ready to help. If you have any questions, reach out anytime to [email protected].