Sick leave is a benefit that is available to University employees who work 1,000 hours or more per year in a regular salary classified position. Paid sick leave is not granted as vacation leave and can only be used when the employee is unable to work because of sickness or injury or for medical, dental, or optical treatment. Sick leave may also be granted to employees due to the death or serious illness of a member of the employee’s immediate family. Immediate family shall mean the father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, child, grandparents, in-laws, or any individual acting as a parent or guardian of the employee. An employee shall be required to furnish to his/her supervisor a certificate from an attending physician for five or more consecutive days of sick leave. Application to use sick leave must be filed within two days after the employee returns to work. Employees who leave University employment are not entitled to be paid for accrued sick leave.
An eligible, full-time employee accrues sick leave at the rate of eight hours for each complete month of service up to a maximum of 960 hours. Employees working less than full time but more than 1,000 hours per year in a regular salary classified position accrue sick leave in the same proportion to the time worked.
Sick leave may not be accumulated during a leave without pay when such leave totals ten or more days within a calendar month.
When an employee is laid off due to budgetary reasons or curtailment of University activities and within six months again becomes an employee of the University, accrued sick leave may be restored to his/her credit.
Sick leave is granted on a basis of workdays, not calendar days, and is deducted from the employee’s accrued sick leave. Non-workdays such as weekends and holidays falling within a period of sick leave are not charged as sick leave.
Absence due to illness or disability, except in case of maternity leave, is charged in the following order:
- Earned Sick Leave
- Earned Annual Leave
- Leave Without Pay
Employees who are absent from work due to a temporary occupational injury or illness and who are entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits may, upon proper application, utilize their accrued sick leave as a supplement to Workers’ Compensation so as to receive weekly benefits from both sources equal to but not in excess of their normal weekly pay at the time of the injury or illness. This option, when exercised, will reduce the employee’s accrued sick leave on a basis proportional to the sick leave being claimed. An employee receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits for a permanent disability is eligible for full pay from both sources.
Maternity leave will be treated as any other leave for sickness or disability, except that an employee who is unable to work because of pregnancy may elect to take leave of absence without pay without exhausting accumulated annual and sick leave. Upon return from maternity leave the employee will be given the same or comparable position to the one she occupied prior to the leave. The employee is expected to give the supervisor as much notice as possible prior to beginning maternity leave and at least two weeks’ notice prior to returning to work. Both notices must be in writing. (Board Policy 420.2, 6/9/95)
Information regarding sick leave is available in the university classified handbook (Page 33) or the faculty handbook.
