2.1.7 Sick Time

a. Eligibility
University employees delineated in Applicability section above accrue and use sick time as described below.

b. Accrual of Sick Time

• Eligible employees accrue sick time as follows:
  • Exempt employees accrue sick time at the rate of 8 hours per month of full-time pay.
  • Non-exempt employees accrue sick time at the rate of .046154 hours per hour of straight time. This equates to 96 hours or 12 days a year in an average year of 2,080 straight time hours.
  • For part-time and part-month employment, sick time is credited on a prorated basis for any month an eligible employee receives any straight-time pay. Straight-time pay for this purpose includes both straight-time pay for work performed and pay for holidays, vacation and sick. Accrual for exempt employees is based on the proportion of the employee's FTE.
• Unused sick time accumulates from year-to-year, with no maximum limit.
• When Changing Positions: When an employee leaves one position and accepts another one within the University, the employee's sick time balance is transferred to the new department.
• No Advance: Sick time must be credited to an employee before it can be used.
• During temporary layoff (see Section 2 of Guide Memo 2.1.17: Layoffs), sick time accrues as if the employee continued to work regular time.

c. No Sick Time Accrues

• During periods of leave with or without pay beginning 8/1/05 or later, including short-term disability, long-term disability, Worker's Compensation and Family Temporary Disability wage replacement (FTD).
• During any period of vacation taken by a terminating employee after the employee's last day of actual work.

a. When an employee's illness or injury prevents the employee from working.

b. Medical and Dental Appointments
Time off for all medical and dental appointments, including those associated with a work injury (e.g., physical therapy), is charged to sick time, vacation or PTO. Supervisors are encouraged to explore flexible work schedules to accommodate medical appointments outside regular working hours when possible. However, employees may be asked to schedule appointments at a time convenient for the department.

c. University Holidays and Sick Time
For holidays that occur on days when an employee's absence due to illness/injury is fully charged to sick time, and the employee is not on other leave status, the time off is charged as a paid holiday.

d. During Vacation
When an employee is hospitalized or confined to bed by medical direction while on vacation, the time of hospitalization/confinement should be charged to accumulated sick time. If appropriate, a claim should be filed for disability plan benefits. See Guide Memo 2.3.5: Disability and Family Leaves.

e. During Winter Closure
Accrued sick leave may be used during Winter Closure only in limited circumstances and with the approval of Liberty Mutual, the University's leave administrator. All requirements for using sick leave remain the same.
(1) If the employee had been on an approved medical leave due to his/her own disability immediately prior to Winter Closure.
(2) If the employee becomes disabled or ill during Winter Closure and receives approval for the disability through Liberty Mutual (see Guide Memo 2.3.5: Disability and Family Leaves, for instructions on filing a disability claim).
(3) If the employee receives approval through Liberty Mutual to care for a sick or disabled family member during Winter Closure.

f. Family and Medical Leave
(1) Family Sick Leave
Employees may use maximum of 15 sick days during a calendar year of service (January 1 to December 31) when illness or injury in the employee's close family requires the employee's absence from work. For the purpose of this policy, close family includes only the employee's:

• spouse or same-sex domestic partner
• children, and children of the spouse or same-sex domestic partner
• parents and parents-in-law
• brothers and sisters
• grandparents or grandchildren, or
• other family member dependent on the employee and living in the employee's household.

(2) Employees may also file for Family Medical Leave (FML). For more information, see Guide Memo 2.3.5: Disability and Family Leaves.

g. Use of Sick Time to Maintain Pay during Disability
Unless the employee applies to his/her department for an exception, which is approved, the University uses an employee's accrued sick time to maintain the employee's base pay during times when the employee is receiving disability benefits payments. See Guide Memo 2.3.5: Disability and Family Leaves.

Unacceptable Use of Sick Time:
Use of Sick Time during Terminal Vacation: Employees may not use sick time while on termination vacation.

a. Notification of Absence
The employee reports the absence (or planned absence) to the supervisor. The department is responsible for establishing and communicating rules on how employees notify the department of absences.

b. Recording and Reporting Sick Time Accumulation and Use
The University uses the human resources management system (Axess/PeopleSoft HRMS) to record sick time credited, used and accumulated for all regular employees. Records must be updated each pay period for all employees who used sick time. See Guide Memo 2.1.5: Compensation of Staff Employees, for more information. For information about Axess see this Time & Leave System overview.

c. Sick Time Credit Date
Sick time is credited at the beginning of each month of service. An adjustment is made at the beginning of the following month when the actual accrual is different than anticipated.

d. Tax Status
Sick time is taxable income. Federal, state, and FICA taxes are deducted.

e. Medical Confirmation
Acceptable medical evidence may be required for the use of sick time. The supervisor who approves the use of sick time is responsible for confirming that the conditions for use of sick time are met. Acceptable evidence includes, but is not limited to, personal contact with the employee and a doctor's statement that certifies a medical need for sick time, the expected duration of absence, and any limitations (and duration) when the employee is released to return to work.

f. Applying for Disability
An employee must apply for disability benefits if using sick time for more than 5 consecutive working or 7 consecutive calendar days for the same illness or injury.