Academic Affairs Manual (ACD)

Effective: 2/16/1990

Revised: 7/1/1998

ACD 704–03: Compassionate Transfer of Leave

Purpose

To allow voluntary transfer of accrued vacation to other employees who are unable to work because of a catastrophic illness or injury

Sources

Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual - 6–809

University policy

Applicability

Faculty and academic professionals with fiscal-year appointments who are employed to work 20 hours per week (50 percent FTE) or more for a continuous period of six or more months

Policy

Faculty and academic professionals may voluntarily transfer accrued vacation leave to other employees who are eligible to accrue vacation leave and who are unable to work due to a catastrophic illness or injury within the employee’s immediate family, established household, or in situations that place primary responsibility for care on the employee. A Request for Compassionate Transfer of Leave form is available. These transfers are subject to the following conditions:

1. An illness/injury shall be considered catastrophic if it is:
   
   
   1. seriously incapacitating, (in the case of the employee, the employee is unable to perform all the duties of the job held at the time of disability or is unable to perform available light duty work)
   2. extended, i.e., the anticipated duration of the disability is at least 45 days

      and

   3. confirmed in writing by a physician chosen by the employee, subject to reconfirmation by a physician chosen by the university.


2. Recipients must have exhausted all forms of paid leave (e.g., vacation, sick leave, compensatory time) prior to the leave transfer.
3. Recipients must have passed their initial probation.
4. Contributions must be voluntary.

   Note:

   Human Resources (HR) cannot identify potential contributors.

5. Contributors must retain a minimum balance of 80 vacation hours after the leave transfer.
6. Recipients who are enrolled in a short-term disability program offered by the universities must apply for and, if eligible, receive their short-term disability benefits before compassionate transfer of leave contributions can be used beyond the initial short-term disability waiting period. Compassionate transfer of leave contributions (other than for the initial short-term disability waiting period) for such recipients may only be used to supplement the short-term disability payment up to but not to exceed the recipient’s regular rate of pay. In no event shall compassionate transfer of leave be used in lieu of long-term disability unless such claim has been denied by the carrier.
7. Contributions shall not exceed the anticipated period of disability or the period until long-term disability benefits commence, whichever is shorter.
8. All requests for compassionate transfer of leave are subject to the employing department’s availability of funds.
9. Transfers shall be accomplished by determining the dollar value of the hourly vacation contribution and by increasing the recipient’s sick leave balance by that value.
10. Family Medical Leave (ACD 702–03, “Family Leave”) is not an additional leave; rather, it is to be used concurrently with compassionate leave.

ProcedureD

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Responsibility	Action
Recipient’s supervisor	Obtain approval from administrative official within the recipient’s department to use compassionate transfer. Obtain approval for initial and subsequent transfers of leave from Human Resources (HR). The request must include a copy of a physician’s statement documenting the illness or injury.
Human Resources (HR) director or designee	Approve or disapprove the request to transfer leave in conformance with policy. Notify the recipient’s supervisor.
Contributing faculty member or academic professional	Complete the Request for Compassionate Transfer of Leave form (available in HR). Notify supervisor of the donation.
HR	Determine the dollar value of the vacation hours contributed. Convert that value to sick leave hours for the recipient and notify the recipient’s supervisor of the hours to be credited. Increase the recipient’s sick leave balance. Decrease the contributor’s vacation balance. Retain a copy of the Transfer of Leave form for the Absence Report file. Place copies in the contributor’s and recipient’s personnel files.
	When the employee returns to work or receives long-term disability benefits:
Recipient’s supervisor	Notify HR.
HR	Remove any remaining hours from the recipient’s accrued sick leave balance and credit them to the contributor.

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