The following message was sent by CALS HR Director Veronica Law to the CALS community on Feb. 6, 2026:

On Feb. 2, University Health Services (UHS) notified the campus community of a confirmed measles case involving a student. The university continues to work closely with Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to investigate the case. UHS is sharing updates at https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/measles/.

The measles virus is highly contagious, and there are members of our community who may need to quarantine. This message contains helpful reminders from the Office of Human Resources about time away and workplace accommodations.

Please note that OHR’s guidance remains unchanged. If employees are unable to work, they should let their supervisor know and follow the usual steps for requesting time off. Consistent with our current processes, if employees need to request a leave of absence for a family or medical reason, they should work with the CALS Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) by contacting the calshr.ddrs@cals.wisc.edu mailbox.

Sharing medical information or vaccine status with your supervisor

Some positions, such as health or animal care, may require employees to share vaccine status as part of their work on campus. For most positions, you do not need to tell your supervisor your vaccination status, details about your medical condition, accommodation, or information about a family member’s health. Medical information is kept separate from your personnel file. Only discuss medical information with your CALS DDR representative.

Time away 

If you are unable to work, you will be required to take a leave of absence.

If your reason for leave is related to a required quarantine, illness, your own medical or pregnancy-related condition, or the medical condition of a family member, send a message to calshr.ddrs@cals.wisc.edu to connect with the CALS DDR representative. They will use the information you provide about your individual circumstances to identify your leave of absence options.

You may be required to use paid leave like vacation, personal holiday, sick leave, or other leave types during your leave of absence. If paid leave is not available, you may be required to take unpaid leave.

Workplace accommodations

Employees are encouraged to contact the CALS DDR representative if they need workplace accommodation related to a disability or pregnancy-related limitation. If you are unsure if this applies to you or would like support, contact the calshr.ddrs@cals.wisc.edu mailbox for more information.

Feeling safe in the workplace

Concerns about safety are understandable during a public health event. Below are resources to support you.

• Public health and safety information for measles – The University Health Services (UHS) measles website has the latest information. Public Health Madison & Dane County is the local authority and works closely with campus in these scenarios. Statewide measles information, vaccination recommendations, and current state notices are also available from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).
• Leave and time off – Leave options are available to allow time away from work to care for yourself or others. The resources on this page can assist you in understanding leave options that may be available when you are planning to take a family, medical, or non-medical leave.
• The Employee Assistance Office (EAO) offers counseling and consultation at no cost to UW–Madison faculty, staff, graduate student employees, significant others, and family members.
• LifeMattersprovides UW–Madison employees with free, confidential telephone access to professional counselors in support of personal and work-related concerns. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide statewide coverage for UW.
• The UW–Madison Family Caregiving web page offers guidance and resources for both employees who are facing family caregiving challenges and their supervisors.

Please reach out to me if you have questions regarding this message. 

Thank you,
Veronica

Veronica Law | CALS Human Resources Director
608-890-3685 | veronica.law@wisc.edu