A. Authorized
Reasons for Absence
The University provides for
continued earnings with designated holidays and in connection
with approved vacation leave time. Other authorized leaves with
continued full or partial earnings are under designated circumstances
authorized by the University.
1. Holiday Leave
The University provided for
eleven (11) holidays with continued earnings during a calendar
year period. Nine (9) holidays are scheduled as noted below while
the two (2) remaining days are designated unscheduled (personal)
holidays. Unscheduled (personal) holidays are accrued on a monthly
basis and are added to the staff member's vacation account. (See
Vacation Leave Entitlement.)
Scheduled Holidays
|
New Years Day |
January 1 |
|
Martin Luther King's Birthday |
The Third Monday in January |
|
Memorial Day |
The Last Monday in May |
|
Independence Day |
July 4 |
|
Labor Day |
The First Monday in September |
|
Thanksgiving Day |
The Fourth Thursday in November |
|
Friday after Thanksgiving |
|
|
Christmas Day |
December 25 |
One (1) other holiday is designated
annually by the University.
When a holiday is observed
during the Monday through Friday work week and a staff member
is excused from work on the holiday, earnings are continued provided
compensation for the scheduled work days immediately preceding
and following the holiday period is qualified. For staff members
on a Monday through Friday work week, Monday is observed as the
holiday when a schedule holiday occurs on Sunday while Friday
is recognized as the holiday when the scheduled holiday falls
on Saturday. For all other staff members, the holiday shall be
deemed to fall on the day on which the holiday occurs.
2. Sick Leave
Professional-scientific personnel
accrue sick leave at the rate of twelve (12) hours per month
of service. The professional-scientific staff member serving
with a term, contract, provisional, probationary or continuing
service appointment of half-time or more for no less than an
academic year will accrue that fractional portion of the full-time
entitlement. Sick leave is cumulative and accrues to an unlimited
maximum. While sick leave entitlement accrues during vacation,
emergency leave and sick leave periods, such leave does not accrue
during approved leaves of absence without pay.
Sick leave may be paid during
the academic year or the summer session to a professional-scientific
staff member as a result of a medically related disability which
occurs before a semester or a summer session commences to the
extent that such leave credits are available, and provided a
definite commitment of employment during that period has been
consummated before the onset of the disability.
Sick leave benefits do not
apply with periods of illnesses or injuries during vacations
and paid holiday periods. However, if a staff member is hospitalized
while on his/her vacation, the staff member may use sick leave
for those days actually confined to a hospital.
If a staff member becomes entitled
to income benefits under Worker's Compensation while still eligible
for sick leave payments, the staff member may elect to have his/her
regular salary reduced by the amount of Worker's Compensation
benefits. Credit for Worker's Compensation benefits will then
be used to purchase additional days of sick leave for the staff
member and the total amount of sick leave credit so realized
will be exhausted as required.
In the event the University
administration has reason to believe that a staff member is abusing
the sick leave privilege or may not be physically fit to return
to work, the administration may require a medical certificate
or other appropriate certification. Sick leave claims shall be
reported with the Administrative Staff Absence Request Form.
B. Sick Leave
Vacation Conversion Benefit
While there is no maximum limit
on the amount of unused sick leave that may be accumulated, professional-scientific
staff members may elect, once thirty (30) days (240 hours) have
accumulated to have with conversion one-half day (4 hours) added
to their accrued vacation leave account in lieu of adding one
and one half (12 hours) to their accrued sick leave. [Conversion
rights are prorated at the rate of three to one (one hour of
vacation for every three hours of earned sick leave) in the case
of eligible part-time professional-scientific personnel.]
All leave time chargeable to
sick leave benefit causes the otherwise qualified professional-scientific
staff member to be ineligible to participate in the conversion
option for the month in which such claim occurs.
Added vacation leave days accumulated
by a staff member with application of conversion option are not
accounted for in a manner separate from regular vacation leave
time. Professional-scientific personnel who have reached the
maximum vacation leave entitlement [twice the annual vacation
leave (44 days) and unscheduled personal holidays (4 days) entitlement]
are permitted to accumulate an additional four (4) hours per
month, up to a maximum of twelve (12) days beyond their annual
vacation leave and unscheduled (personal) holiday entitlement.
C. Accumulated
Unused Sick Leave Retirement Benefit
The sick leave retirement benefit
provides that the eligible staff member shall receive a cash
payment for his/her accumulated unused sick leave by the staff
member's hourly rate of pay at the time of retirement. The total
cash payment for accumulated, unused sick leave cannot exceed
two thousand ($2,000) and is payable upon retirement. This provision
is applicable for all professional-scientific staff members who
retired on or after July 1, 1977. In order to be eligible for
the sick leave retirement benefit, the staff member must be fifty-five
(55) years of age and have applied for retirement benefits.
Payments to those who are eligible
are subject to Federal and State withholding, TIAA-CREF (or like
approved retirement programs), and IPERS. The payout is not subject
to FICA nor will it affect earnings for Social Security purposes.
D. Court and Jury
Service Leave
When in obedience to a subpoena
or direction by proper authority, a staff member is required
to appear as a witness or serve as a member of a jury in connection
with public or private litigation, he/she will be entitled to
regular compensation provided pay received for such service (other
than travel or personal expense reimbursement) is surrendered
to the University cashier. Such leave is to be noted with an
Administrative Staff Absence Request Form.
E. Administrative
Leave
Professional-scientific personnel
may, upon application, be granted short term leaves of absence
with continued earnings to participate in meetings, conferences,
programs or to otherwise engage in activities relating to University
duty assignments. Such short term leaves are normally for periods
of a week or less yet may, at the discretion of the University
administration, be granted for a period of up to twenty-two (22)
consecutive days. Absences for purposes of consulting (see
Consulting Services Policy) or for other professional activities
for which earnings are continued may be granted with this leave
provision.
F. Personal Emergency
Leave (Funeral, Pallbearer, etc.)
A department head may grant
a professional-scientific staff member time off with pay:
- In the case of death in the
staff member's immediate family, not to exceed three (3) days
for each occurrence;
- for an individual engaged
on an unpaid basis in the functions of a funeral, not to exceed
one (1) day for each occurrence, and not to exceed two (2) days
a year;
- in the event of an emergency
for the temporary care of ill or injured members of the staff
member's immediate family not to exceed an accumulation of five
(5) days a year.
All such time off is charged
to the staff member's accumulative sick leave. Such time will
not be granted in excess of accrued leave. For the purposes of
this policy, immediate family is defined as and limited to wife,
husband, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, foster
children, brothers (and their spouses), sisters (and
their spouses) of the staff member or spouse; aunts and uncles
of the staff member; or other relatives residing in the staff
member's immediate household. Conditions/circumstances applicable
with Personal Leave are to be identified on the Administrative
Staff Absence Report Form.
G. Request Form
H. Vacation Leave
Entitlement
Professional-Scientific personnel
serving with other than a temporary appointment on a full-time
basis accrue vacation leave at the rate of 1.8333 days per month
or twenty-two (22) working days per anniversary year. [Two personal
Holidays per calendar year together with twenty-two (22) vacation
leave days per anniversary year causes the accrual to total two
(2) days per month.] A staff member's anniversary year extends
from his/her employment date (month and day) and ends
the day before the same date the following year. Vacation leave
may be cumulative to twice the annual entitlement and is granted,
upon the staff member's request, at the discretion and convenience
of the employing department. The University reserves the right
to require a professional-scientific staff member to take vacation
leave whenever in his/her judgement such action would be deemed
by the administration to be in the best interests of the institution
and the staff member. No staff member is required to reduce his/her
accrued vacation leave to less than one week by such action.
Vacation leave periods are to be identified and arranged with
the Administrative Staff Absence Request Form.
Accrued unused annual (vacation)
leave may remain unclaimed during an approved absence from active
University service for a period of up to two years.
I. Leaves of Absence
An extended leave of absence
from active University service without continued earnings may
be granted to professional-scientific staff members with continuing
service status for a variety of personal and other compelling
reasons. Such leave is granted with the understanding that the
staff member plans to return to active service at the conclusion
of the leave period specified. Failure to return to active service
or to make arrangements for an extension of a leave normally
will be considered as a voluntary resignation. For the purpose
of this provision, an extended leave shall be for a period in
excess of twenty-two (22) scheduled working days. All leaves
of absence without compensation are to be identified and arranged
with the Administrative Staff Absence Request Form.
J. Disability
Leave
The professional-scientific
staff member found to be qualified for income benefit allowances
under the University Long Term Disability Insurance Plan will
be granted a disability leave. Such leave ceases on the earliest
of the following dates: the date the staff member is no longer
disabled; the date he/she fails to submit to any required medical
examination, or the date the staff member fails to provide required
proof that a disabling condition has continued without interruption;
or the June 30 coinciding with or next following the date the
staff member attains sixty-five (65) years of age, if disability
commenced prior to age sixty-three (63); on the date the staff
member receives sixty (60) months of benefits (but not beyond
the June 30th coinciding with or next following attainment of
seventy (70) years of age); if the total disability commenced
on or after age sixty-three (63); or if prior thereto, the date
of retirement.
The professional-scientific
staff member meeting all requirements for the University Long-Term
Disability Insurance Plan at the time of the onset of a disability
and who continues to be disable through the greater or ninety
(90) calendar working days or the expiration of accumulated sick
leave is eligible to receive monthly benefit allowances. The
Long-Term Disability Insurance Plan carrier determines whether
benefit allowances are to be provided and establishes the beginning
date of the total disability for such purpose.
K. Maternity Leave
The time during which a professional-scientific
staff member is medically unable to work because of pregnancy,
miscarriage, abortion, childbirth, and recovering therefrom will
be granted a maternity leave and afforded benefit accrued sick-leave
time. If the staff member's accumulated sick leave is insufficient
to cover the absence period prior to the time Long-Term Disability
(LTD) benefits are qualified, annual (vacation) leave and/or
leave of absence without pay will upon request be granted for
the duration of such period. An approved request supported by
a physician's statement for an absence beyond the period of disability
will be considered as leave of absence without pay.
L. Medical Leave
Upon written application a
professional-scientific staff member serving with other than
a temporary appointment may be granted a medical leave for a
period of disability occurring after expiration of both sick
leave and vacation leave benefits and prior to approval of long-term
disability income benefits.
M. Military Leave
Professional-scientific staff
members, other than those employed temporarily for six (6) months
or less, who are inducted, enlist, or with reservist or National
Guard duty, and leave active service with the University to report
immediately for military duty will be continued in the employ
of the University for such military service for as long as re-employment
rights exist under the law and provided return to active University
employment occurs within the time specified. There is no loss
of regular earnings during the first thirty (30) days of a military
leave of absence.
N. Adoption Leave
A newly adoptive parent is
entitled to five days paid leave chargeable to accrued sick leave.
(Passed by the Board of Regents, May 1992.)