Sick Time

Effective July 1, 2019 (updated effective Sept. 1, 2022)

BENEFIT

The University provides eligible employees with up to 12 days per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) of paid sick time off if you are unable to work for any of the following reasons:

  • For your own physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition (inclusive of FMLA qualifying conditions);
  • To obtain diagnosis, care, or preventative care, including dental care; or
  • To care for a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner (as defined under the Family and Medical Leave Act) who has an illness, injury, medical condition, or needs to obtain diagnosis, care or preventive care.

ELIGIBILITY

Regular full-time and part-time staff employees are eligible to accrue sick time beginning at date of hire or rehire and are eligible to use sick time after it has been accrued. This policy does not apply to Postdoctoral appointees who are covered under a separate policy.

ACCRUAL DESCRIPTION

Sick time is accrued per hour paid (.046154 for every hour paid) and is available for use as of the end date of the pay period. The maximum annual accrual for a fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) is 12 days and the overall maximum is 50 days (e.g. 40 hours per week equals an annual maximum accrual of 96 hours and an overall maximum accrual of 400 hours).

Employees paid on a monthly basis accrue the same amount of sick time each month (unless on unpaid leave, see below). Two examples:

  1. An employee who is regularly scheduled to work 40 hours per week will accrue 8 hours of sick time per month ((2,080 X 0.046154) ÷ 12)).
  2. An employee who is regularly scheduled to work 37.5 hours per week will accrue 7.5 hours of sick time per month ((1,950 X 0.046154) ÷ 12)).

Employees paid on a bi-weekly basis accrue sick time based on actual hours paid during a month.

Hours paid on which sick time accruals are calculated include regular, sick, paid leaves including Short-Term Medical Disability (STMD) and Caregiver/Parental leave, vacation, holiday, funeral leave, and jury duty, but do not include overtime. Non-exempt employees do not accrue sick time on more than 80 hours of pay in a pay period. Sick time does not accrue during unpaid time off.

Sick time will not accrue in excess of the 50-day maximum (prorated as stated below for part-time status). As sick time is used and the accrual reduces to below 50 days, time begins to accrue again at the normal rate up to the maximum.

Part-time benefits-eligible employees (employees regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week, but less than 37.5 hours per week) are eligible to accrue prorated sick time. This prorated benefit is a percentage of the full-time benefit, and is based upon the number of hours paid per pay period, including any paid vacation and/or sick/STMD time, but excluding any overtime. The maximum balance is based on the employee’s standard hours in effect each pay period. For example, if the employee’s FTE percent is 50% then they are eligible for up to 50% of the full time accrual maximums (e.g., 20 hours per week equals a maximum annual accrual of 48 hours and a maximum overall accrual of 200 hours).

EMPLOYEES HIRED BEFORE JULY 1, 2019

As of June 30, 2019, sick time balances above 50 days were frozen and remain available for use. Sick time will not accrue until the balance falls below 50 days. Thereafter, sick time will not accrue in excess of the 50-day maximum (prorated as stated below for part-time status). Under the Short-Term Medical Disability plan (STMD), the employees with accrued sick time balances greater than 50 days are required to use frozen accrued sick time down to 50 days or less prior to income replacement provided under the STMD plan. See the STMD plan for more information about those benefits.

CHANGE IN EMPLOYMENT STATUS

If a full-time employee changes to part-time benefits-eligible status, the accrued sick time balance remains intact and is available while in a part-time benefits-eligible status. However, additional sick time will not accrue until the balance falls below the part-time annual and/or overall accrual maximum.

Accruals for each fiscal year going forward are limited to the part-time annual and overall accrual maximum balances which are calculated on the employee’s standard hours. Once an employee reaches the new overall accrual maximum balance, no additional time will accrue until the available time is taken.

If an eligible employee changes to a non-benefits-eligible status, they are not compensated for unused sick time and no longer eligible for sick time in the future.

LIMITATIONS ON SICK LEAVE

Sick leave may not be used for bonding time with a newborn or newly adopted child even if the employee is eligible for FMLA.

A non-exempt employee cannot receive sick pay or any benefit pay, other than holiday pay, for a week in excess of their normal standard hours. For example, a non-exempt employee regularly scheduled to work 40 hours per week cannot work overtime Monday through Thursday to reach 40 hours and then receive sick pay for Friday. However, if the employee only had one hour of overtime for the week and had 33 hours worked through Thursday, they could receive 7 hours of sick pay for Friday.

EMPLOYEE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

If an employee is absent from work due to illness or injury, the employee must notify the manager prior to the start of their regular scheduled workday and be in compliance with applicable departmental attendance policies. Not meeting required standards may result in the denial of sick pay for the absence and/or disciplinary action.

Generally, exempt employees are not required to report sick time if their time away from work due to illness or injury is less than 4 hours. Non-exempt employees must record any time absent from work due to illness or injury as sick time except as described in the next paragraph.

If the employee becomes ill or incapacitated during a scheduled vacation, the time is reported as vacation time.

Paid sick time is a privilege extended by the University. Employees who abuse this privilege may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

If the employee is out or expects to be out for more than 3 calendar days due to a medical or caregiving reason, the employee should call Unum to initiate a claim. FMLA, STMD or Caregiver/Parental leave may apply.

Employees are expected to return to work as soon as medically possible.

Terminating employees are not compensated for unused sick time.

The University reserves the right to request a medical provider’s verification of treatment. An employee may be required to provide a return to work statement from a medical provider.

The University reserves the right to modify this policy in whole or part at any time.