DONATED SICK LEAVE: 3.33

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

Title:  DONATED SICK LEAVE

Identification: 3.33

Effective Date: April 15, 2014

                                     

Authority:

SBE 6A-14.0261

FS 1001.64; 1001.65

Signature/Approval:

Dr. Ken Atwater

PURPOSE

This procedure establishes criteria and guidelines for the donation of accrued sick leave to a sick leave pool in order to cover absence of a benefits-eligible employee necessitated by illness or injury. Donated sick leave is a voluntary program. The college makes no promises nor assumes any responsibility in regard to the number of hours and/or availability of donations.

PROCEDURE

  1. ELIGIBILITY – Active full-time, benefits eligible employees may donate accrued sick leave to other full-time, benefits eligible employees on an approved medical leave of absence who have exhausted all paid leave.

  2. DURATION – The number of donated sick leave hours will not exceed the gap between hours used from the Sick Leave Pool and the remainder of the 90 day waiting period for Long-Term Disability.

  3. DONOR CRITERIA – A full-time, benefits eligible employee must have an accrued sick leave balance of at least 150 hours after donating the sick leave time. Prior to donating hours, the donor should review his/her own financial obligations to ensure that the donation of accrued sick leave is feasible.

  4. RECIPIENT CRITERIA – To be a recipient of donated sick leave hours, the employee must:

    1. have completed at least two (2) years of continuous full-time employment;

    2. have a total accrued leave balance of at least seventy-five (75) hours beginning with the onset of the medical leave of absence;

    3. be a member of the Sick Leave Pool;

    4. have exhausted all available accrued vacation, sick leave and compensatory including hours from the Sick Leave Pool;

    5. not have received in performance evaluation and/or documented disciplinary action citing excessive absenteeism in the past five years;

    6. not have within the past seven (7) years received any donated sick leave; and

    7. provide to Human Resources certification from a licensed physician of a serious medical condition. The medical leave of absence must be due to the employee’s serious medical condition and not due to the medical condition of a family member.

  5. CONDITIONS OR CIRCUMSTANCES THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR RECEIPT OF DONATED LEAVE - Employees may not receive donated leave in the following circumstances:

    1. any occupationally-related accident or illness which is compensable under Workers' Compensation benefits;

    2. disability incurred in the course of the commission of a felony (including driving while impaired) or assault; or

    3. during the period of any disciplinary suspension.

  6. APPLICATION PROCESS TO UTILIZE DONATED LEAVE - An eligible employee may request donated leave by completing the Request for Donated Sick Leave and submitting the physician’s certification to Human Resources.

    1. The minimum number of hours that a benefits-eligible employee may request is

      37.5 hours.

    2. If the employee does not use the entire 37.5 hours within twelve months, the remainder will revert back to the donor(s).

    3. No individual employee may receive donated leave in excess of 300 hours (eight weeks).

  7. ADMINISTRATION - It is the responsibility of Human Resources to send out the request for donated sick leave. Employees may not solicit other employees for donated sick leave on their own behalf. The initial request for donated sick leave will be to employees of the work location where the requestor works. If needed, the request will be expanded to other College locations.

    1. Requests to apply for donated sick leave must be submitted to Human Resources using the Donated Sick Leave Request form.

    2. To donate sick leave to an eligible employee the donor must submit a Donated Sick Leave Form to Human Resources for approval.

    3. Human Resources will review requests for donated leave and make the determination of granting the requested leave.

    4. If the request is approved, Human Resources will notify the employee’s supervisor, Payroll and the employee with the date he/she may start drawing leave from the pool.

    5. If the request is denied, Human Resources will notify the employee with the reason for denial.

    6. Donated hours used will be on the basis of first-donated, first-used. Any unused hours will remain with the donor(s).

    7. An employee receiving donated sick leave will not accrue sick and vacation hours.