New Policy Date: August 1998   Revision Date: February 2005

POLICY:
Sick Leave

Regular staff members are eligible to earn one day of sick leave per month. Part-time staff members who are appointed for at least 50% time for at least nine months are granted sick leave on the same basis, prorated in proportion to their fractional assignment of full-time. Undergraduate students, temporary and hourly staff members are not granted sick leave.

Staff member’s illness, disability, or injury, or an illness or death in the immediate family that necessitates an absence, are considered as basis for sick leave, as well as time off during working hours for medical or dental appointments.

When possible, requests for sick leave shall be made in advance or the staff member shall call the work site to report that they are taking a day of sick leave.

Sick leave may be taken in 15-minute increments and only as needed. An attending physician’s statement may be required by the Chief before a staff member returns from sick leave. Any illness requiring the absence of ten (10) consecutive work days will require an attending physician’s statement before the staff member is allowed to return to work.

Effective January 1, 2005, all accruals are based on a 37.5 hour work week. Any accruals prior to January 1, 2005 are based on a 40 hour work week.

Overdraft of sick leave is to be charged first against compensatory time then against annual leave, when either is available. Any overdraft of sick leave for which annual leave is not available is to be referred to the respective Chief for settlement, or if eligible, a staff member may draw sick time from the Shared Sick Leave Bank. (See Shared Sick Leave Benefits, Policy 7A-2q.) In cases where disability continues beyond the period of available sick leave and available annual leave has been used, staff members who are participants in the State Universities Retirement System may be eligible for further disability benefits through this system or they may elect to go on leave without pay. (See Disability Leave, Policy 7A-2n)

Unused sick leave may be accumulated with no maximum on the amount of sick leave that may be accumulated. Any accumulated sick leave is held for a staff member’s return to duty following a leave of absence without pay.

Upon termination for any reason, a staff member, or the staff member’s estate, is entitled to be paid a lump sum equal to one-half (1/2) the number of unused sick days accumulated between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1997, at the salary rate in effect at the time of separation, unless the staff member takes another position in State service within thirty (30) calendar days of such terminations. Sick leave accumulated before December 31, 1983 and after January 1, 1998, and 1/2 the number of unused sick leave days between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1997 may be eligible for transfer to SURS as service credit up to the maximum of one year as allowable.

If no sick leave is used during the entire calendar year, the staff member shall be granted one additional work day of personal leave to use during the subsequent calendar year.