Sick Leave Sick Leave Procedure - Tarleton State University
Sick Leave Sick Leave Procedure - Tarleton State University
Sick Leave Sick Leave Procedure - Tarleton State University
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Rule No.: 31.03.02.T1 (Effective 9/1/99)<br />
(Supplements System Regulation 31.03.02, <strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong>)<br />
<strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong><br />
RULE: Eligible <strong>Tarleton</strong> employees earn eight hours of paid sick leave each month. In addition,<br />
employees eligible for unpaid sick leave in certain circumstances. Most rules governing sick<br />
leave are set by state law. For further details regarding <strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong>, see System Regulation<br />
31.03.02<br />
<strong>Procedure</strong> No.: 31.03.02.T1.01 (Effective 9/1/99)<br />
<strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong> <strong>Procedure</strong><br />
1. GENERAL<br />
Regular employees are eligible to apply for sick leave with pay, without pay, sick leave pool<br />
hours, Family and Medical <strong>Leave</strong>, and Parental <strong>Leave</strong> subject to the restrictions listed here and<br />
in System Regulation 31.03.02 . Regular employee is defined as budgeted by name for 50<br />
percent or more time for at least four and one-half months, excluding students holding positions<br />
for which student status is a requirement for employment.<br />
2.GRANTING SICK LEAVE<br />
Employees should normally be granted sick leave when it is requested for a qualifying reason. If<br />
medical certification is required but not provided, the time off should be reclassified as vacation,<br />
compensatory time or leave without pay. Employees are obligated to complete a Report of <strong>Leave</strong><br />
Requested/Taken Form each month.<br />
In no case may an employee be granted paid leave time that he/she has not yet earned.<br />
Employees needing more sick leave than has been accrued, may request vacation time,<br />
compensatory time, sick leave pool, or leave without pay.<br />
3.NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCE<br />
Supervisors should set and communicate rules regarding notification of need for sick leave.<br />
Generally, employees should be encouraged to request sick leave as far in advance as possible<br />
for a planned need, such as a doctor’s appointment or scheduling surgery. For unexpected needs,<br />
employees should call (or have someone call on their behalf) before the workday begins or<br />
shortly after the beginning of the workday. Unless the employee knows and communicates in<br />
advance the numbers of days to be missed, a call should be made each day reporting their status<br />
and their expected return date.
4. USING SICK LEAVE<br />
A. Faculty Members<br />
Faculty members who work at least 50% time, are required to use their earned sick leave when<br />
they are absent for a qualifying reason during normal workday for university employees. Faculty<br />
must also use sick leave when they miss time for a qualifying reason on a day when classes are<br />
not in session or when the faculty member has no classes scheduled if the day is a regular work<br />
day for university employees and, they are under a semester contract.<br />
B. Care for a <strong>Sick</strong> Relative<br />
For relatives outside the household, except for an employee’s minor child, sick leave may only<br />
be used for "the time necessary to provide care and assistance to a child, spouse or parent of the<br />
employee who needs such care and assistance as a direct result of a documented medical<br />
condition". <strong>State</strong> law does not define "care and assistance". Generally, simply visiting a sick<br />
relative in the hospital or at home does not qualify for sick leave.<br />
C. Illness While on Vacation<br />
If an employee becomes ill while on vacation, the days the employee is ill should be reclassified<br />
as sick leave. Generally, no doctor’s statement will be required if the period reclassified is three<br />
consecutive days or less. Reclassification of more than three days requires a doctor’s statement.<br />
D. Illness on a Declared Holiday<br />
If an employee is ill on a holiday declared by the governor, that day should remain holiday pay.<br />
E. <strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong> for New Parents<br />
A new mother may use sick leave for the amount of time allotted by her physician. Six weeks is<br />
the most common period for this recovery. A new father may use sick leave only for the time his<br />
wife needs care due to recovery from childbirth. This period is commonly only one or two days.<br />
A physician’s statement will be required to grant a father more than three days to care for his<br />
wife following childbirth. Either parent may use sick leave to care for their child, including a<br />
newborn, who is ill or injured. <strong>Sick</strong> leave may be used for adoption only if the child requires care<br />
due to illness or injury. Employees may be eligible for Family and Medical <strong>Leave</strong> or Parental<br />
<strong>Leave</strong> in the event of a birth or adoption. See System Regulation 31.03.05 for more information).<br />
F. Parent/Teacher Conferences<br />
An employee may use up to eight hours of sick leave per calendar year to attend parent-teacher<br />
conferences regarding their pre-kindergarten to 12th grade children.
5. RECORD KEEPING<br />
Each regular employee must complete a Report of <strong>Leave</strong> Requested/Taken Form each month<br />
regardless of whether or not leave is taken. This form may be obtained from the Department<br />
Head office or the Department of Human Resources. The completed form should be routed<br />
through the appropriate administrative channels up to the department head for approval. If the<br />
employee is unable to submit the requested forms, the employee’s supervisor may do so on the<br />
employee’s behalf. Forms are due to the Department of Human Resources for recording by the<br />
10th calendar day of the following month.<br />
The Department of Human Resources sends each employee a monthly Employee <strong>Leave</strong><br />
Information Report which summarizes all leave taken and accrued through the previous month<br />
for the fiscal year. A summary report is also sent to department heads listing all employees<br />
within the department and their accrued/taken leave.<br />
The Department of Human Resources will keep a record of sick leave with and/or without pay<br />
for each employee. Such records will include the physician’s statement and the number of<br />
approved sick leave hours applicable to family and medical leave or parental leave. (For more<br />
information see System Regulation 31.03.05, Family and Medical <strong>Leave</strong>).<br />
<strong>Sick</strong> leave records must, by law, be maintained and available for public inspection. The<br />
Department of Human Resources ensures and certifies that an employee’s official leave records<br />
reflect sick leave accrued or sick leave taken.<br />
In the event of sick leave without pay, the Department of Human Resources will forward the<br />
request to Payroll to be processed in the monthly payroll.<br />
Employees who miss more than three consecutive days of work must provide a<br />
physician’statement indicating the general cause and duration of the condition requiring sick<br />
leave. This statement should be provided on the fourth day of absence. However reasonable time<br />
may be granted to obtain and provide the statement. Department heads may require<br />
documentation for absences of three or fewer days. If the statement does not contain adequate<br />
information to justify the absence or does not specify the duration of the need for leave,<br />
supervisors may ask employees to request an additional statement from the physician that<br />
includes the missing information. A doctor’s statement or any statement the employee provides<br />
to justify a shorter absence does not need to contain a diagnosis of the specific condition.<br />
OFFICE OF RESPONSIBILTY<br />
Department of Human Resources