Revised:
06/29/2012
University Leave Policy UPPS
No. 04.04.30
Issue No. 13
Effective Date: 06/30/2010
Review: December 1 E2Y
01. POLICY STATEMENT
01.01 The purpose of this UPPS is to establish policies and procedures pertaining to university leaves.
02. DEFINITIONS
*02.01 Regular employee: One who is employed to work at least
twenty hours per week for a definite period of at least four and one-half
months, excluding students employed in positions which require student status
as a condition of employment. Only regular employees are eligible for paid
holidays and leave as provided herein, subject to the specific eligibility
requirements listed.
02.02 Immediate
supervisor or approver: The individual who is assigned approval responsibility
for an employee’s work schedule and time off.
Individuals
should submit all leave requests to their immediate supervisor for approval (or
vice president as required for certain leaves).
02.03 Department
head: The individual who is assigned administrative responsibility for
employees grouped in a departmental unit. This person also maintains all
departmental budgets.
02.04 Departmental
time administrator: The individual assigned responsibility for helping
supervisors and the department head monitor leave activity for employees in his
or her departmental unit.
03. VACATION LEAVE PROCEDURES
03.01 The
following regular employees earn vacation leave:
a. All
staff employees; and
b. Twelve-month
faculty members such as deans and chairs or directors of academic departments.
03.02 Split Appointments
a. Employees
with a split appointment (part faculty and part staff) are eligible for
vacation based on their staff appointment only, unless the faculty appointment
is for twelve months. If the faculty appointment is for twelve months,
calculate vacation on each appointment separately.
b. Employees
with split appointments must work the staff schedule for the percent time of
staff appointment.
03.03 Eligible state service is the basis for determining the vacation-earning rate. The employee must notify Human Resources of all previous state service (including all dates and specific job titles) so it can make a determination of eligible state service. Human Resources will apply regular or temporary service retroactively and credit student employment in the first month following notification by the employee. Full-time employees entitled to earn vacation, will earn it according to the following schedule:
Years of Eligible Employment Vacation Leave
(State of Texas) (Earned Monthly)
Less than 2 years 8 hours
2 years but less than 5 years 9 hours
5 years but less than 10 years 10 hours
10 years but less than 15 years 11 hours
15 years but less than 20 years 13 hours
20 years but less than 25 years 15 hours
25 years but less than 30 years 17 hours
30 years but less than 35 years 19 hours
35 years and over 21 hours
03.04 Eligible
employees on less than twelve-month appointments will earn vacation leave only
for the months or fraction of a month actually worked.
03.05 Part-time
employees entitled to vacation leave earn such leave in proportion to the
amount of time employed with the maximum carry-over also proportionate.
(Example: 50% employment [twenty hours per week] entitles the employee to
one-half of the full-time vacation rate.)
03.06 Vacation leave begins accruing on the
first day of employment and terminates on the last day of duty (i. e., last day of actual work). Employees receive one
month's earnings of vacation leave for each month or fraction of a month of
employment based on the percent of appointment on the first workday of the
month. (Example: The university would base accrual for
a 50% appointment on 1/1/04 that increased to 100% on 1/16/04 on 50% for the month
of January).
An
employee must work six continuous months with the state before using
vacation leave, although vacation leave credit accrues during that period. The
six-month eligibility requirement means that once an employee completes six
months or more of continuous state employment and leaves state employment, that
person may use vacation leave as it accrues upon re-employment, or receive
payment for it upon termination following re-employment. An eligible employee
will earn vacation leave while on vacation leave provided the employee returns
to work.
03.07Before using any vacation leave, an
employee must request supervisor approval. An Application for Leave Approval
form is available for use at the supervisor’s discretion.
03.08 The
employee will receive credit for the next higher accrual rate as shown in
Section 03.03 if the employee's employment anniversary date falls on the first
calendar day of the month; otherwise, the increase will occur on the first
calendar day of the following month. If an employee begins working in a
position that accrues vacation leave on the first workday of the month, the
university deems the employee accrues vacation from the first calendar day of
the month for the purpose of this sub-section.
03.09 An
employee may carry forward vacation leave earned during one fiscal year to the
next fiscal year subject to the maximum limits shown below:
Years of Eligible Employment Maximum Vacation
(State of Texas) Carry-over
Less than 2 years 180
hours
2 years but less than 5 years 244 hours
5 years but less than 10 years 268 hours
10 years but less than 15 years 292 hours
15 years but less than 20 years 340 hours
20 years but less than 25 years 388 hours
25 years but less than 30 years 436 hours
30 years but less than 35 years 484 hours
35 years and over 532
hours
The
university will credit all hours of unused accumulated vacation leave hours
that lapsed at the end of a fiscal year to the employee's sick leave balance as
of the first day of the next fiscal year.
Example:
An employee with five years but less than ten years of employment with the
State of Texas carries forward 240 hours of vacation leave and during that year
uses eighty hours of vacation leave and earns 120 hours of vacation leave.
Vacation leave carried forward 240 hours
Vacation leave earned +120 hours
Total vacation available 360 hours
Total vacation used - 80 hours
Total unused vacation 280 hours
Maximum carry-over 268 hours
An employee may only carry 268 hours forward from one fiscal year to the next. The employee converts twelve hours of vacation leave to twelve hours of sick leave.
03.10 When
an employee transfers from a vacation-earning position to a non-vacation
earning position, the employee will receive a lump sum for the accrued vacation
hours at the rate of pay in effect at the time the transfer took place.
03.11 Employees
must take vacation leave at a time that is mutually agreeable to both employee
and supervisor.
a. Supervisors
will encourage employees to take vacation leave each year, since such
"breaks" have a positive, long-term effect on morale and
productivity. Supervisors will insure that employees are allowed each fiscal
year to take at least the amount of vacation leave that they accrue during that
fiscal year.
b. All employees are strongly encouraged
to take their vacation leave. Employees must make requests in advance. They
will not receive pay for unexcused absences and must enter leave without pay as
an exception to their normal work schedule. If leave without pay will exceed
thirty calendar days, the department head must submit a Personnel Change
Request (PCR) instead of time entry.
c. Employees
may not take vacation leave while receiving workers compensation wages.
d. Employees
paid from grants – Since vacation hours earned by an employee while appointed
on a grant are the responsibility of the grant, grant account managers shall
ensure there is no outstanding vacation liability on the last day of the grant
for the hours accrued on the grant. As an employment condition, grant account
managers may require that employees only take vacation leave at the grant
account manager’s discretion. However, the grant account managers are
encouraged to reasonably accommodate employees’ preferences for vacation time off.
03.12 The university does not charge official university holidays against unused vacation time.
a. As
provided by the legislature, regular staff may observe Rosh Hashanah, Yom
Kippur, Good Friday and Cesar Chavez Day in lieu of any holiday or holidays
appearing on the staff holiday schedule. In such instances, the university
charges regular employee accrued vacation or compensatory balances an
equivalent amount of time on a holiday or holidays appearing on the staff
holiday schedule. For efficiency of operations, the university will not remain
open on any of the officially designated staff holidays.
b. Non-regular
staff employees are not eligible to observe paid holidays and must take leave without
pay if they wish to observe the holidays listed in sub-section a. above.
c. Faculty
members wishing to observe the holidays listed in sub-section a. above must
give proper notice in writing to their department chair. The faculty member and
department chair should arrange the most appropriate way to cover affected
classes.
03.13 The following applies to a university employee who resigns, is dismissed or otherwise separated from university employment:
a. If
the individual is transferring to another state agency and state service is
uninterrupted, accumulated vacation leave (if any) transfers with the
individual and the gaining agency will honor the accumulated vacation leave.
Human Resources, at the request of the individual, will provide appropriate
documentation to the gaining agency.
b. In
all other cases, the employee is entitled to payment for accumulated vacation
leave, provided the employee has at least six months of continuous employment
with the university or the State of Texas. The employee (or the employee's
estate in the event of the employee’s death) will receive this lump sum payment
according to the accrued balance on the last day of actual work duty. The
terminating employee’s department should submit a Request for Payment of Leave form
to Human Resources immediately after the employee's last work day. Human
Resources will process the payment on the next possible payroll.
c. The
terminating employee cannot elect to remain on the payroll to exhaust all
accrued leave and will accrue no further leave after the last day actually
worked. The director of Human Resources must approve exceptions to this
provision and will, in no case, grant an exception beyond the end of the month
that the last workday occurred. See UPPS No. 04.04.16, Overtime and Compensatory Time
Policy, Section 02.03 b. concerning extended appointments to expend state
compensatory time, which requires the appropriate divisional vice president’s
approval.
Example:
John Doe resigns and his last day of actual work is May 25th. He has a vacation
leave balance of eighty hours (ten work days). He cannot remain on the payroll
to exhaust all leave. Therefore, May 25 is his actual termination date for all
necessary paperwork. He would receive a lump sum payment for his eighty hours
of accrued vacation leave. He does not earn the vacation accrual for the month
of June since it is after his last day of duty.
04. SICK LEAVE PROCEDURES
04.01 All
regular employees earn sick leave.
04.02 Approval of leave applications depends upon the physician's recommendation, along with those of the employee's supervisor, director of Human Resources, and the president as appropriate. Department heads and supervisors, regardless of the need of their office or department, will not deny a sick leave request based on a physician's recommendation without first consulting with Human Resources.
04.03 Sick
leave entitlement for full-time employees accrues at the rate of eight hours
for each month or fraction of a month's employment. Accruals are earned on the
first day of the month that the employee is on duty. There is no limit on the
amount that can be accumulated or carried forward to the next fiscal year. Sick
leave accrual shall terminate on the last day of duty (i.
e., last day of actual work).
04.04 Eligible
regular employees on less than twelve-month appointments will earn sick leave
only for the months or fraction of a month actually worked.
04.05 Part-time
regular employees earn sick leave in proportion to the amount of time
appointed. Example: 50% time appointment (twenty hours per week) entitles the
employee to one-half of the full-time sick leave rate (four hours per month).
04.06 Employees may take sick leave with pay when sickness, injury, or pregnancy and confinement prevent the employee's performance of duty or when the employee needs to care for an immediate family member with an actual illness; or to obtain medical or dental examinations as part of an employee's or immediate family member’s personal health maintenance program. For purposes relating to regular sick leave, immediate family is defined as those individuals who reside in the same household and are related by kinship, adoption, or marriage, as well as foster children certified by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. For the purpose of regular sick leave, the university considers the employee’s minor children as immediate family, whether or not they are living in the same household.
An employee's use of sick leave for family members not residing in that employee's household is strictly limited to the time necessary to provide care and assistance to a spouse, child or parent of the employee who needs such care and assistance as a direct result of a documented medical condition. Stepparents and stepchildren are not included.
04.07 Parent
Teacher Conference – Employees are allowed to use up to eight hours of sick
leave each fiscal year to attend parent-teacher conferences regarding their
children in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th.
04.08 An employee, absent from duty because of illness, shall notify his or her supervisor at the earliest practicable time. An Application for Leave Approval form is available for use at the supervisor’s discretion.
Except
as provided in Section 04.11, an employee will not receive sick leave in excess
of the accrued balance. Employees must use other available accrued leave or
enter leave without pay as an exception to their normal work schedule. If leave
without pay will exceed thirty calendar days, the department head must submit a
Personnel Change Request (PCR) instead of time entry.
If
an employee wishes to use accumulated sick leave with pay during a continuous
absence due to illness of more than three working days, he or she must provide
the supervisor with a doctor's certificate or written statement of the facts
pertaining to the absence and the nature of the illness that is acceptable to
the supervisor.
A
supervisor may require a doctor's certificate or other written statement of the
facts concerning the illness that he or she finds acceptable if the sick leave
usage is questionable, even if the absence is less than three continuous
working days. When a doctor’s certificate is provided, supervisors must rely on
it in determining eligibility for sick leave usage.
An
absence is considered “unexcused” if the employee does not secure appropriate
approval in advance or does not provide acceptable documentation upon request.
In this case, the employee is not eligible to use paid leave.
Although collecting information concerning an employee’s medical condition and treatment for employment purposes is not considered “protected health information” (PHI) under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) any requests outside of a doctor’s certificate or some other written statement of the facts concerning the illness is prohibited. Supervisors may not require employees to provide health care providers with authorization to release detailed information. Supervisors may not determine whether or not an employee’s condition or treatment warrants use of sick leave when a doctor’s certificate justifying the sick leave is provided.
04.09 Staff
– When an employee is absent due to illness or injury, the number of hours
charged as sick leave equals the number of hours the employee was scheduled to
work.
An employee may use sick leave when becoming ill while on vacation.
Faculty – The Texas Legislature states in the
Appropriations Act that faculty earn sick leave and must use sick leave.
Recognizing that faculty do not necessarily have the
workday schedule normally followed by staff, the university adopted the
following procedures to account for sick leave usage by faculty.
For
sick leave purposes, the faculty workday is divided into both time periods and
scheduled events for the workday. There are two time periods in each day –
morning (midnight to noon) and afternoon or evening (noon to midnight). Each
time period is considered four hours in length. Events include classes, office
hours, meetings, and other assigned activities.
Time
periods – If a faculty member misses all scheduled events in both the morning
and afternoon or evening time periods due to illness, the university will
charge the faculty member for eight hours of sick leave.
If
a faculty member has scheduled events in both the morning and afternoon or
evening time periods and misses all the scheduled events due to illness in just
one of the time periods, the faculty member will use four hours of sick leave.
If
a faculty member has scheduled events in both the morning and afternoon or
evening time periods and misses one, but not all, of the events in one of the
time periods due to illness, the university will charge the faculty member with
sick leave as a percentage of the time period missed. Dividing the number of
events missed by the number of events scheduled and multiplying the result by
four hours will determine the percentage of time missed.
If a faculty member misses all scheduled events for the workweek (Sunday through Saturday), the faculty member will use forty hours of sick leave.
If
a faculty member misses a full semester, the university will calculate sick
leave as the number of work hours for the entire length of the semester
appointment (i. e., 9/1 through 1/15 or 1/16 through
5/31), eight hours per day or forty hours per calendar week as appropriate.
Examples:
Professor Jones teaches an MWF class 9:00-10:00 and has scheduled office hours
on Monday 2:00-3:00. Professor Jones also teaches an evening class MW
6:30-9:00.
(1) Professor Jones is ill on a Monday and
misses all events (MWF class, office hours, and MW class). Professor Jones uses
eight hours of sick leave.
(2) Professor Jones is ill on a Monday
morning and misses the MWF morning class but does maintain scheduled office
hours and teaches the MW evening class. Professor Jones uses four hours of sick
leave.
(3) Professor Jones on a Monday teaches
the MWF morning class and holds regularly scheduled office hours, but illness
forces Professor Jones to miss the MW evening class. Professor Jones uses two
hours of sick leave.
(4) Professor Jones misses the MWF class
meetings, the Monday office hours, and the MW evening class meetings during a workweek
due to illness. These are the only scheduled events for Professor Jones during
this particular workweek. Professor Jones uses forty hours of sick leave.
(5) Professor Jones misses the entire fall
semester (9/1-1/15 appointment). Professor Jones uses 776 hours of sick leave
(Aug = 0, Sept = 168, Oct = 176, Nov = 160, Dec = 104, Jan = 80). Note: the
actual number of hours per month may vary as the calendar changes from year to
year.
NOTE: These examples are based on a 100% full-time appointment. The university will charge less than full-time appointments proportionately.
04.10 Use
of any type of paid leave or leave without pay which qualifies under the
federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will automatically run concurrently
with the FMLA leave period. Therefore, "stacking" of leaves to extend
the employer insurance contribution or approved leave period is not permitted.
See Section 07. for FMLA details.
04.11 Extended
Sick Leave: Employees must first qualify for and exhaust their sick leave
pool entitlements before receiving extended sick leave. The president has
delegated the employee’s divisional vice president authority to approve
extended sick leave, normally not to exceed thirty work days, on the merits of
a particular case.
The
employee must initiate an extended sick leave request on an Application for
Leave Approval form with a doctor's statement attached. The department head
must recommend approval or disapproval on the form, attach a statement of
justification for the recommendation, and forward both to Human Resources for
eligibility verification. If eligible, Human Resources will forward the forms
through supervisory channels to the divisional vice president for
consideration. The divisional vice president will return the forms to Human
Resources for notification of the decision to the department head and employee.
If
the request is approved, the department must maintain the approved leave form
and supporting documentation in its file.
If
the request is disapproved, the department will place the employee on leave
without pay.
The
director of Human Resources will ensure, as provided by the Appropriations Act,
that a copy of the university's policies and procedures for granting extended
sick leave is on file with the state auditor.
04.12 The following applies to a university employee who resigns, is dismissed or otherwise separated from university employment:
a. If
the individual transfers directly to another state agency and
state employment is uninterrupted, accumulated sick leave will transfer
with the individual and the gaining agency will honor it. Human Resources, at
the request of the individual, will provide appropriate documentation to the
gaining agency;
b. A
terminating employee will not receive pay for accumulated sick leave;
c. If
an employee dies while employed by the state, the employee's estate will
receive payment of one-half of accumulated sick leave or 336 hours, whichever
is less, provided the employee had continuous state employment for at least six
months at the time of death. The estate will receive a lump sum as of the date
of death; or
d. Employees who separate from state employment will have sick leave balances restored if re-employed by the state within twelve months after the end of the month in which the separation occurred.
However,
employees re-employed by the same agency or institution must first have a break
in service of at least thirty calendar days to have sick leave restored. This
30-day requirement is waived if the separation was due to a reduction-in-force.
05. SICK LEAVE POOL PROCEDURES
05.01 In accordance with the provisions of SB 357, 71st Legislature, the university has created a sick leave pool and appointed the director of Human Resources as the pool administrator. The sick leave pool is created to benefit certain employees who suffer a catastrophic injury or illness.
A catastrophic illness, as defined for eligibility to use sick leave pool leave, is any injury or illness, excluding routine pregnancy, which has caused an absence of thirty working days within the immediate preceding six calendar months.
a. Employees
of the university who are eligible to accrue and use sick leave may participate
in the sick leave pool. The president is excluded from participating in the sick
leave pool by Senate Bill 357.
b. Employees
may use pool leave for their own catastrophic illness or injury or for one in
their immediate family as defined in Section 04.06. The university will
consider pregnancy catastrophic if the employee presents a physician's
certification stating that the pregnancy is not routine and the reasons why.
c. Employees
must exhaust all earned leave with pay entitlements, and have missed at least
thirty working days in the immediate preceding six months as a result of a
catastrophic injury or illness before they are eligible to use leave from the
pool. Thirty working days is based on the individual's normal work schedule (i. e., percent time of appointment) and includes paid
holidays.
d. Employees
on pool leave for a full calendar month accrue paid leave for that month but
may not use this time until they physically return to work following the pool
leave.
e. Employees
with catastrophic illnesses or injuries are not required to contribute to the
pool before they can use pool leave.
f. Employees
who use pool leave are not required to pay back pool leave.
g. Employees on leave due to a work-related illness or injury are not eligible to use pool leave for that illness or injury.
05.02 To
contribute time to the pool, an employee must submit a written application to
the pool administrator on the Sick Leave Pool Request/ Donation form.
a. The
pool administrator must approve all donations to the pool, which are strictly
voluntary.
b. Active
employees may contribute, in eight-hour increments, an unlimited number of
hours of sick leave to the pool each fiscal year.
c. Employees
may not stipulate who is to receive their contributions.
d. Employees
who contribute leave to the pool cannot get it back.
05.03 Employees
must use the Sick Leave Pool Request/Donation form, accompanied by a
Certification of Health Care Provider Form, to request pool leave, and must
forward it to the pool administrator through appropriate supervisory channels.
Requests will normally be considered and approved by the pool administrator on
a first-come, first-served basis.
a. The pool administrator will have ten working days from the date he or she receives a request in which to approve all or part of the request or deny the request.
b. The pool administrator will determine the amount of pool leave granted for each catastrophic illness or injury. Pool leave begins on the thirty-first work day after satisfying the thirty working day waiting period described in Section 05.01 c., or after the employee has exhausted all available paid leave, whichever occurs later. The total amount granted cannot exceed one-third of the balance of hours in the pool, or ninety working days, whichever is less.
*c. An
employee may qualify for multiple awards for different illnesses. However, the total number of days awarded
will not exceed 180 days per lifetime.
d. Any
unused balance of pool leave granted to an employee returns to the pool. The
estate of a deceased employee is not entitled to payment for the unused pool
leave.
06. PARENTAL LEAVE PROCEDURES
06.01 Parents
may take parental leave for the birth of a child or the adoption or foster care
placement with the employee of a child under three years of age. The leave
period begins with the date of birth or the adoption or foster care placement.
Employees with less than a total of twelve months of state service or who have
worked less than 1,250 hours in the twelve months immediately preceding the
start of leave are entitled to a parental leave of absence, not to exceed
twelve weeks, if the employee uses all available paid vacation and sick leave
while taking the parental leave. However, the employee may use sick leave only
for the period of time a health care provider certifies the employee is unable
to work (see Section 04.06). The use of compensatory time and FLSA overtime is
permitted but not required.
Males
and females may use up to six weeks of sick leave for adoption regardless of
whether the child is actually sick at the time of adoption.
Example:
A female employee may take twelve weeks of parental leave for the birth of a
child. Her physician releases her to return to work six weeks after delivery
thus allowing her to use six weeks of accrued sick leave. Accrued vacation or
leave without pay must cover the second six weeks.
Males may use sick leave in conjunction with the birth of a child only if the child is actually ill or to care for his spouse while she is recovering from labor and delivery.
06.02 The
employee’s department head must receive the written request for parental leave
along with a corroborating statement from a doctor (if applicable) on an
Application for Leave Approval form. The department head will forward the
request for approval to Human Resources for processing.
06.03 A
state employee, who is a foster parent to a child under the conservatorship of
the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, is entitled to a leave of
absence with full pay for the purpose of attending meetings held by the
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services regarding the child under the
foster care of the employee, or to attend an Admission, Review and Dismissal
(ARD) meeting held by a school district regarding the child under the foster
care of the employee.
07. FEDERAL FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
PROCEDURES
07.01 Eligibility
An employee is entitled to leave pursuant to the federal FMLA if:
a. the employee has worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the time leave would begin; and
b. the employee has worked for the State of Texas for at least twelve months. These twelve months do not have to be consecutive. However, employment prior to a break in service of more than seven years does not count, unless the break is a result of fulfilling military obligations.
07.02 Definitions
a. Family
member – includes the employee's spouse, son, daughter or parent (but not a
parent-in-law). A son or daughter is any child under eighteen who is the
biological child of the employee, who is adopted by the employee, or whom the
employee supervises on a day-to-day basis and for whom the employee is
financially responsible; or a child over eighteen who is incapable of self-care
because of a mental or physical disability. A parent is any individual who
assumed day-to-day and financial responsibility for the employee when the
employee was a child.
b. Serious
health condition – any injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that
involves either:
1) Inpatient
care in a hospital, hospice, or residential care facility; or
2) Continuing
treatment by a health care provider. Continuing treatment includes:
(a) A
period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days involving
treatment two or more times by a health care provider within a 30-day period from
the initial onset of incapacity, or treatment on at least one occasion that
results in a regimen of treatment under the health care provider's supervision;
(b) Pregnancy
or prenatal care;
(c) A
chronic serious health condition that requires periodic visits for treatment
(at least twice per year), continues over an extended period of time, and may
cause episodic rather than continuing incapacity (i.
e., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy);
(d) A
permanent or long-term condition for which treatment may not be effective (i. e., Alzheimer's, severe stroke); or
(e) A condition that would likely result in an incapacity of three or more days in the absence of medical treatment (i. e., cancer, severe arthritis).
07.03 Covered
Reasons for Leave
All
eligible employees are entitled to a total of twelve weeks of unpaid leave
during any twelve-month period for one or more of the following reasons. FMLA
guidelines allow the university to require employees to use up paid leave
first, so that paid leave and FMLA leave run concurrently.
a. The
birth of a child, or placement of a child for adoption or foster care;
b. To
care for a "family member" (see Section 07.02 a.) of the employee if
that individual has a serious health condition (see Section 07.02 b.);
c. Because of a serious health condition of the employee that renders the employee unable to perform his or her job functions; or
d. A
qualifying exigency arising when the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent
is a covered military member on active duty with the regular Armed Forces
deployed to a foreign country, or with the National Guard or Reserves (or has
received notification of an impending call or order to active duty) in support
of a contingency operation. Examples of a qualifying exigency include:
1) Short-term notice deployment – a
covered member is notified of an impending call to duty seven or fewer calendar
days prior to date of deployment;
2) Military events and related activities
– including official ceremonies, programs or events sponsored by the military,
military service organizations, or the American Red Cross;
3) Child care duties and school
activities – including the arrangement of alternative childcare and attendance
at school meetings;
4) Financial and legal arrangements – to
make or update legal arrangements for the covered member or act as his or her
representative before a government agency;
5) Counseling – for oneself, the covered
member, or child of the covered member;
6) Rest and recuperation – to spend time
with a covered member who is on short-term leave during the period of
deployment (up to five days for each leave);
7) Post-deployment activities – including
arrival ceremonies and funeral arrangements; or
8)
Additional
activities – provided that the employee and his or her department head agree
that such activities qualify as an exigency.
07.04 Duration
of Leave
a. The
maximum amount of leave available under FMLA provisions is twelve weeks in a
"rolling" 12-month period. The rolling 12-month period is measured
backward from the date an employee uses any FMLA leave.
b. If
the leave is for birth, adoption, or foster care placement, the employee must
complete the leave within twelve months of the date of birth or placement.
c. If
a husband and wife both work for the State of Texas and are eligible for leave,
they are only entitled to a combined twelve workweeks of leave taken for birth,
adoption, foster care, and to care for a parent.
d. An employee taking leave for personal illness or to care for a sick family member may take the leave on an intermittent basis, or by reducing scheduled work hours, if the health care provider caring for the employee or family member certifies that this is necessary.
e. The
university considers and approves requests for intermittent or reduced schedule
(part-time) leave after the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child
on a case-by-case basis, subject to:
1) the ability of the employee's supervisor to ensure that work
is completed through scheduling changes or job-sharing; and
2) the employee's consent to alter schedules or work longer
hours on an emergency basis, such as when other employees are out sick.
With
respect to intermittent or reduced schedule leave after the birth, adoption or
foster care placement of a child, Texas State reserves the right to refuse
leave, or to cancel any such arrangement on fifteen calendar days' notice, if
the supervisor concludes that the needs of the work unit require the employee's
presence on a full-time basis.
In all cases of intermittent and reduced schedule leaves, Texas State reserves the right to require the employee to transfer to another position that better accommodates the employee's need for leave or the employer's operations. Supervisors should consult with Human Resources and their division vice president before taking any action to transfer an employee to another position.
07.05 Military Caregiver Leave
An
eligible employee who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent or next-of- kin of a
current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or
Reserves, who is recovering from a serious injury or illness sustained while on
active duty, or a veteran undergoing treatment, recuperation or therapy for an
injury as long as the veteran was a member of the Armed Forces, National Guard
or Reserves within five years of requiring care, is entitled to up to
twenty-six weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to care for the
service member.
This
military caregiver leave is available during a single 12-month period during
which an eligible employee is entitled to a combined total of twenty-six weeks
of all types of FMLA leave. An employee may utilize this 26-week entitlement
for each service member and for each illness or injury incurred.
07.06 Procedures
for Requesting Leave
The
employee shall initiate a leave request by contacting his or her immediate
supervisor and completing a Request for Family and Medical Leave Form and
Certification of Health Care Provider Form. The supervisor will forward the
request to Human Resources for approval.
a. If
the need for leave is known in advance, the employee must provide notice of not
less than thirty days. Human Resources will deny leave unless there is a
reasonable excuse for the delay. If leave is denied for lack of notice, the
employee may designate leave to start thirty days after notice is given.
b. If
the leave is for the planned medical treatment of the employee or a family
member, or requires intermittent or reduced schedule leave, the supervisor may
require the employee to arrange a particular work schedule or to reschedule
medical appointments or treatments, subject to the health care provider’s
consent.
c. If
the need for leave is not known in advance, the employee must give notice as
soon as possible, with a written request submitted within three work days of a
verbal request. Except in the case of extreme medical emergencies, employees
are expected to call to advise their supervisor as soon as they know of the
need for and expected duration of leave.
d. The
employee must provide medical certification from a health care provider within
fifteen days of the date requested by the university.
e. Human Resources has the option of requiring the employee to get a second opinion from an independent medical provider selected by Human Resources. If the two opinions conflict, a third provider, agreed to by Human Resources and the employee, may resolve the conflict with an opinion considered final and binding. The university will pay for both the second and third opinions.
All employee requests for FMLA leave are contingent upon a determination by Human Resources that the employee is eligible for FMLA leave including medical certification. Because these procedures take time (especially if second or third opinions are required), it is possible Human Resources will make the final decision after the employee is on leave or has returned to work.
07.07 Substitution
of Paid Leave Entitlements
Employees
must utilize all paid leave entitlements including vacation, sick leave, state
compensatory time, and FLSA overtime while taking FMLA leave. However, an
employee may only use sick leave for the period a health care provider
certifies the employee is unable to work (see Section 04.06).
Males
and females may use up to six weeks of sick leave for adoption of a child under
the age of three regardless of whether the child is actually ill at the time of
adoption.
Example:
A female employee may take twelve weeks of FMLA leave for the birth of a child.
Her physician releases her to return to work six weeks after delivery thus
allowing her to use six weeks of accrued sick leave. Accrued vacation, FLSA
overtime, state comp time or leave without pay must cover the second six weeks.
Males
may use sick leave in conjunction with the birth of a child only if the child
is actually ill or to care for his spouse while she is recovering from labor
and delivery.
Holidays that occur while on FMLA leave are not counted towards the twelve-week entitlement if the university is closed for at least a week.
Employees
who are receiving workers compensation benefits or temporary disability benefit
payments are not required to use paid vacation while on FMLA leave.
Use
of any type of paid leave or leave without pay that qualifies under FMLA will
automatically run concurrently with the FMLA leave period. Therefore
"stacking" leaves to extend the employer insurance contribution or
approved leave period is not permitted.
07.08 Status
of Benefits
a. During FMLA leave, the employee will continue to receive the employer contribution towards health coverage. The employee is required to continue to pay the employee's portion of any premiums normally deducted from their paycheck. If premiums are not deducted from the employee's paycheck, the Employees Retirement System of Texas will bill the employee for any premiums due.
If
the employee fails to make the required payments when due, the university will
cancel all coverage except employee-only health and basic life insurance.
b. An
employee on FMLA leave is not entitled to accrue state service credit for any
full calendar months of leave without pay (LWOP) taken while on FMLA leave and
shall not accrue vacation or sick leave for such months. Employees on an
intermittent or reduced-schedule leave will earn vacation or other leave on a
proportional basis.
c. Texas
State has the right, upon the employee's return from leave, to refuse to
reinstate any discontinued benefit or condition of employment for Texas State employees.
07.09 Reinstatement
Upon Returning From FMLA Leave
a. An
employee taking FMLA leave will return to the same position or to an equivalent
position, at the university’s election, unless the university would have
terminated the employee in the absence of FMLA leave (e. g., layoff,
downsizing, or termination of a temporary job). Taking of leave will not result
in any loss of benefits or conditions of employment accrued prior to the
beginning of the leave period.
b. The
supervisor may require a release to return to work from the employee’s health
care provider prior to restoration if there is any question regarding the
employee's ability to safely perform the job.
c. When
an employee notifies the university that he or she will not return from leave,
the university shall terminate the employee's insurance coverage at the end of
the current month (provided all required premiums are paid), and he or she
shall not have a right to restoration to the same or equivalent position. The
employee may continue insurance coverage with COBRA and the provisions of the
plan.
d. Upon receiving notice that the employee is not returning to employment, or should the employee simply fail to return or return for less than thirty days after leave has ended, the employee shall owe the entire employer contribution for health insurance provided during any months of leave without pay. The employee will not owe that amount if there is a recurrence or onset of a serious health condition (see Section 07.02 b.) or, in the university’s opinion, there is a change of circumstances beyond the employee's control.
If
an employee does not return to work and owes the employer contribution as
described above, payment is due within sixty days after receiving notice from
Texas State of the amount owed. After that time, the university attorney will
handle the debt collection.
e. Employees who fail to return to work after FMLA leave shall be treated as having voluntarily terminated their employment.
08. MILITARY
LEAVE PROCEDURES
08.01 A
university employee called to active duty for a state emergency with the
state’s National Guard by the governor of Texas shall receive a leave of
absence with full pay. Leave earned while in a state-paid status is credited to
the employee’s balance when the employee returns to active state employment.
08.02 An
employee who is a member of the state military forces who is ordered to active
state duty by the governor or by other proper authority under the law of this state
is entitled to the same benefits and protections provided:
a. to
persons performing service in the uniformed services by 38 U.S.C. Sections
4301-4313 and 4316-4319, as that law existed on April 1, 2003; and
b. to persons in the military service of the United States by 50 App. U.S.C. Sections 501-536, 560 and 580-594, as that law existed on April 1, 2003.
This applies only to persons serving on active state duty on or after the effective date of this statute without regard to the date on which the person was initially ordered to active state duty.
08.03 An employee who is a member of the National Guard or any reserve branch of the U.S. Armed Forces that is called to federal active duty during a national emergency is entitled to an unpaid leave of absence after exhausting fifteen days of paid military leave. The employee retains any accrued sick and vacation leave and will continue to accrue state service credit, sick and vacation leave while on leave of absence. The employee may use any accrued annual leave, state compensatory time, or FLSA overtime leave to maintain benefits for the employee or the employee’s dependents while on military duty. Before the employee departs for military service, Human Resources shall review with the employee any issues relating to maintaining health insurance coverage.
08.04 An
employee absent from the university while attending normal training periods as
a member of a Reserve or National Guard or State Military unit or duty
authorized by proper authority will receive a leave of absence with full pay.
a. If
such paid leaves of absence do not exceed fifteen working days per federal
fiscal year, the university shall not charge the employee vacation or sick
leave. If a military training leave of absence requires more than fifteen days,
the university will pay the employee for the first fifteen working days and
will charge the excess to leave without pay, vacation, or compensatory time.
b. Employees
on less than twelve-month appointments will attempt to schedule absences for
military service during periods when they are not required to be giving
university service.
08.05 The absence of any employee restored to a position upon returning from federal or state military service is classified as a leave of absence. The employee must have received an honorable discharge no later than the fifth anniversary of the date of induction, enlistment, or call to active military service in order to be restored to his or her previous employment and remain physically and mentally qualified to perform that position’s duties. The employee may participate in retirement and all other entitled benefits.
08.06 The university shall grant a pay differential if the employee’s military gross pay is less than the employee’s university gross pay. The combination of gross military pay and the differential pay may not exceed the employee’s actual university gross pay.
08.07 Under this section, the employee must submit a written Application for Leave Approval form in advance to the department head. The department head will forward the request to the director of Human Resources for approval. A copy of the military orders must accompany all such requests.
09. EMERGENCY
LEAVE PROCEDURES – FUNERAL, JURY DUTY, COURT SUBPOENA, OTHER
The
Texas Legislature has provided the university with authority to grant emergency
leave under certain conditions. There are four types of emergency leave:
funeral, jury duty, court subpoenas, and other emergency leave.
09.01 Funeral
Leave – Supervisors shall grant leave with pay for a death in the employee’s
family. Family is defined as the employee’s spouse, or the employee’s or
spouse’s parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren and children.
An employee’s stepparent and stepchild are included in the definition for
purposes of this leave. A general guideline for the amount of leave is three
days for an in-state service and five days for out-of-state service. Requests
for more than five days require approval by the divisional vice president.
09.02 Jury
Duty – Employees are entitled to serve on a jury without any deduction in pay.
Employees shall receive paid leave for the time period they cannot work in
order to fulfill their jury duty obligation. Unless excused by their
supervisor, employees are expected to report to work as soon as they are
excused from jury duty to complete the time remaining on their shift. Employees
may keep any fee or compensation received for jury duty without any offset to
their university earnings and are not required to
account to the state for any such fee or compensation received. An official
statement by the judge, county clerk, or other official is required for
documentation.
A
supervisor may modify an employee’s schedule when performing jury service to
allow an equivalent amount of paid leave as if the employee’s normal workday
was 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. For example, an employee normally works 11 p.m. – 7 a.m.
and reports to jury service 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The employee may receive six hours of paid jury duty leave. The employee
must work or charge the remaining two hours to other available leave such as
vacation or comp time.
09.03 Court
Subpoena – Supervisors shall grant paid leave when an employee is subpoenaed to
appear in a court of law in an official capacity for the university or as an
expert witness. A copy of the subpoena is required for documentation.
An
employee must use vacation, state comp, FLSA overtime, or leave without pay to
appear in court for personal reasons.
09.04 Other
Emergency Leave – Vice presidents may grant up to five days of paid leave per
fiscal year for reasons not related to illness or injury. Illness-related
absences are addressed in the sick leave, sick leave pool, and extended sick
leave policies. To qualify for emergency leave, an employee must exhaust all
other paid leave entitlements.
Routing
– The employee must submit a written request on an Application for Leave
Approval form and include all information relevant to the justification for the
request. The employee’s department head must recommend approval or disapproval
on the form, attach a statement of justification and forward both to Human
Resources for eligibility verification. If eligible, Human Resources will
forward the request to the divisional vice president for consideration. The
vice president will return the forms to Human Resources who will notify the
employee and department head of the decision.
10. MISCELLANEOUS PAID LEAVE PROCEDURES
10.01 In
addition to sick and vacation entitlements, employees may receive other paid
leave for specific situations.
a.
Foster
Parent – provided for employees who are a foster parent to a child under the
protection of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (DPRS) to
attend staff meetings held by DPRS and admission, review, and dismissal
meetings held by a school district regarding the foster child.
b.
CASA
Volunteer – provided to participate in mandatory training or perform volunteer services
for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Maximum leave up to five hours per month.
c.
Donor
– provided to allow paid time off to serve as a donor:
1)
Blood
– maximum leave up to four times per fiscal year. Prior supervisor approval and
proof of donation are required;
2)
Bone
Marrow – maximum leave up to five days per fiscal year; or
3)
Organ
– maximum leave up to thirty days per fiscal year.
d.
Assistance
Dog Training – provided for employees with a disability as defined by the Human
Resources Code Section 121.002 to attend training necessary to provide the
employee with an assistance dog for his or her personal use. Maximum leave up
to ten days per fiscal year.
e.
Volunteer
Firefighter and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) – provided to employees who are
volunteer firefighters or EMS volunteers.
1)
Training
– to attend training services conducted by a state agency or institution of
higher education. Maximum leave up to five days per fiscal year.
2)
Respond
to emergencies – to respond to emergency fire or medical situations. Maximum
leave up to forty hours per fiscal year.
f.
Certified
American Red Cross Activities – provided to employees who are certified
disaster service volunteers of the American Red Cross or are in training to
become a volunteer to participate in specialized disaster relief services for
the American Red Cross. Employees must have approval of their supervisor and
the Office of the Governor and a formal request from the American Red Cross.
Maximum leave up to ten days per fiscal year.
g.
Amateur
Radio Operator – provided to employees with an amateur radio station license
issued by the FCC to participate in specialized disaster relief services.
Employees must have approval of their supervisor and the Office of the
Governor. Maximum leave up to ten days per fiscal year.
h.
Time
Off to Vote – employees are encouraged to vote before
or after working hours. However, if an employee has difficulty getting to the
polls before or after working hours, the university will allow the employee
sufficient time off, with pay, to vote in each national, state, or local
election. Supervisors shall reasonably accommodate the employee’s request;
however, the determination of “sufficient” is the supervisor’s decision.
10.02 Employees
must submit leave requests under this section in advance on an Application for
Leave Approval form. Supporting documentation is required.
11. PERFORMANCE LEAVE PROCEDURES
11.01 Outstanding
Performance Award – A department head may grant leave with pay up to thirty-two
hours per fiscal year as a reward for outstanding performance. Departments must
establish criteria for the award in advance and outline the criteria in
departmental policy. In addition, department heads must clearly document actual
performance for employees receiving the performance leave.
11.02 Team
Award – Employees may receive leave with pay as part of a formal team award
program. A formal team award program is generally established at the university
or division level and must be defined in advance of an award being granted.
12. ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE PROCEDURES
12.01 University administration, at
its discretion, may place an employee on leave with pay. Examples may include
time pending results of an investigation or an agreement as part of a
separation of employment. Approval by
the divisional vice president and Human Resources is required.
13. STAFF LEAVE WITHOUT PAY PROCEDURES
13.01 Employees
may request a leave of absence without pay for a fixed period of time (not to
exceed twelve months) by submitting an Application for Leave Approval form to
the employee's department head. The department may grant this leave for good
cause without loss of prior service credit. The divisional vice president must
approve requests of more than thirty calendar days. The department head shall
send the Application for Leave Approval form of any approved leaves of absence
to Human Resources immediately upon approval. The department head should
process a Personnel Change Request (PCR) immediately to place the employee on
leave without pay.
13.02 The
president must approve exceptions.
13.03 Subject
to fiscal constraints, the university will reinstate an employee on an approved
leave of absence without pay to his or her original job, or to a position of
similar status and pay, without loss of prior service credit. The university
will consider an employee who fails to report for duty on the first regular
work day after the leave without pay as having voluntarily terminated. The
department head shall immediately send a registered letter notifying the
employee of his or her termination effective the last day of the approved leave
of absence period.
13.04 Except
for disciplinary suspensions, military leave, workers compensation situations,
or an unexcused absence, employees must exhaust all accumulated paid leave
entitlements (including sick leave) before receiving permission to go on leave without
pay.
13.05 Use
of any type of paid leave or leave without pay which qualifies under the
federal FMLA will automatically run concurrently with the FMLA leave period.
Therefore, "stacking" of leaves to extend the employer insurance
contribution or approved leave period is not permitted. See Section 07. for FMLA details.
13.06 Employees
will not accrue sick leave, vacation leave, or state service credit while on a
leave of absence without pay for a full calendar month nor will they receive
pay for holidays that occur during the leave of absence except in the case of a
state employee returning from a military leave of absence without pay.
Employees on unpaid leave for the entire workday immediately before a holiday will not receive pay for that holiday.
13.07 Employees on a leave of absence without pay must make prior arrangements with Human Resources to pay their insurance premiums to keep their insurance in effect.
14. FACULTY
DEVELOPMENT LEAVE AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE PROCEDURES
14.01 The Office of the Provost will provide detailed information pertaining to faculty development leave. Rules with respect to faculty leaves of absence are set forth in the Faculty Handbook. The president must approve exceptions to both the university's faculty development leave and leave of absence without pay policies.
14.02 Faculty
members on development leave are still on the university payroll and continue
to receive benefits for which they are eligible.
14.03 Faculty
members will apply for a leave of absence by memorandum through regular
administrative channels and attach the Application for Leave Approval form. If
approved, the department must maintain the memorandum and this form in its
leave records.
14.04 Faculty
members on leaves of absence are not in a pay status and must make prior
arrangements with Human Resources to pay their insurance premiums to keep their
insurance in effect.
15. RECORD KEEPING POLICY
15.01 State
and federal regulations require the university to keep a record of the vacation
and sick leave accrual and absences of each employee, and the reasons for the
employee absences – whether from sickness, vacation, holiday, other paid leave,
or leave without pay. In keeping with the provisions of the Texas Public
Information Act, the university makes these records available for public
inspection.
15.02 Each department head is responsible for knowing and monitoring the vacation, sick leave, FLSA overtime, and state compensatory time balances of each employee assigned to his or her departmental unit. A department head violates university policy if, without authorization, he or she permits an employee to take leave with pay entitlements that the employee has not accrued or to which the employee is not entitled.
15.03 By
law, each department must maintain accurate and up-to-date overtime and
compensatory time records and strictly adhere to the specific detailed rules
and regulations outlined in UPPS No. 04.04.16, Overtime and Compensatory Time
Policy. Classified employees, as listed in the University Pay Plan, are subject to the FLSA overtime regulations. Faculty,
administrative, and unclassified employees are not subject to the FLSA overtime
regulations.
a. Classified
employees (non-exempt) are required to record all additional hours worked as an
exception to their normal work schedule. The automated timekeeping system will
calculate and track FLSA overtime separately from state compensatory time.
b. Administrative and unclassified staff, chairs and faculty eligible for vacation (exempt) are required to document state compensatory time earned and taken by recording additional hours worked and time taken off as exceptions to their normal work schedule. These individuals must document as previously earned, any hours taken off, including hours taken for energy conservation days.
16. RECORD KEEPING PROCEDURES
16.01 Department
heads will insure that all faculty and staff are trained how to comply with one
of the following processes for recording exceptions to their normal work
schedule.
a.
Individuals
may enter time on the SAP Employee Self Service (ESS). Employees then “save and
release” the entries to their supervisors for approval at the end of each work
week. Supervisors are responsible for approving time entries as soon as
possible but no later than one week after receipt of notification.
b.
Individuals
may record time on a Monthly Time Report, signed by the employee and immediate
supervisor, with exceptions to the normal work schedule entered in SAP by the
departmental time administrator. The
departmental time administrator must complete entry by the fifth
business day after the end of the month.
16.02 Departmental
files must maintain Monthly Time Reports and Applications for Leave Approval
forms with supporting documentation in accordance with the record retention
schedule.
16.03 All
current leave forms are available on the Human Resources website at http://www.hr.txstate.edu/Forms/leaveandtimeforms.html.
17. DISSEMINATION PROCEDURES
17.01 The
provost will insure the Faculty
Handbook contains all operative portions of the leave policy.
17.02 The
director of Human Resources will insure the Staff Handbook contains all
operative portions of the leave policy.
17.03 As
a part of the initial orientation, supervisors will insure that all new
employees understand the terms of this UPPS.
18. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS
18.01 Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:
Position Date
Director, Human Resources December 1 E2Y
Chief Diversity Officer and Director December 1 E2Y
of Equity & Access
Chair, Faculty Senate December 1 E2Y
Chair, Staff Council December 1
E2Y
19. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
This
UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official
capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of
this document until superseded.
Director
of Human Resources; senior reviewer of this UPPS
Vice
President for Finance and Support Services
President