Staff Personnel Manual (SPP)
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| Effective: 7/1/1978 |
Revised: 10/8/2009 |
![[ASU logo]](asu.gif) |
SPP 701–01: Sick Leave—General Policy |
Purpose
To provide employees with salary continuance during periods of absence from work for personal illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions; for illness or communicable disease within the immediate family; or due to the death of certain family members
Sources
Arizona Revised Statutes - §38–615
Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual - 6–804
Applicability
Regular classified, service professional, and administrative employees
Policy
Use
Sick leave may be used only when an employee:
- is unable to perform assigned duties because of illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions
- must be absent from work to obtain health-related services not reasonably available before or after the employee’s regular work hours
- is absent due to illness or communicable disease within the
employee’s immediate
family, established household, or in situations that place
primary responsibility for care on the employee
or
- is absent due to the death of family members who are not covered under SPP 704–05, “Bereavement Leave.” An employee may use up to three days of accrued sick leave for this purpose and two additional days to attend or arrange funeral services out-of-state.
| Note: | The Family Medical Leave Act (SPP 705–02, “Family Leave”) is not an additional leave; rather, it is to be used concurrently with this policy. |
Sick leave is available for use by all regular eligible employees immediately upon accrual. Sick leave is recorded in quarter-hour increments for nonexempt employees and in one-hour increments for exempt employees.
All requests for use of sick leave must be approved by the employee’s supervisor. A Request for Leave of Absence form is available. The university reserves the right to require substantiation of the illness that resulted in the absence.
| Note: | During a defined pandemic influenza event, where the instances of employee illness are anticipated to increase dramatically, the demands on medical service providers become extremely high. For this reason, ASU employees who become ill with flu-like symptoms during a defined pandemic influenza event will not be required to obtain and submit a doctor’s excuse/note or other documentation in support of the absences. For purposes of this policy, “defined pandemic influenza event” means when the university has notified employees that such an event is occurring. |
Upon use of all sick leave, the employee may, if desired, request to use accrued vacation time, compensatory time for nonexempt employees, or request a leave without pay.
Sick Leave while on Vacation
With the supervisor’s approval, an employee may charge authorized vacation time to sick leave when the employee experiences a major illness or injury while on vacation.
Sick Leave Transfers from Other State Agencies
An employee hired from another State of Arizona agency within 30 days of termination from that agency may have unused accumulated sick leave transferred to ASU. The employee is responsible for providing documentation of his/her termination date and sick leave balance and submitting it to Human Resources.
Accrual and Accumulation
Regular staff will accrue sick leave credit at the following rates:D
Accruals before July 1, 2007
| Percentage of Time Employed | Accrual per Pay Period | Accrual per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 100% FTE (40 hours/week) | 4 hours | 12 days |
| 50% FTE (20 hours/week) | 2 hours | 6 days |
Accruals as of July 1, 2007
| Percentage of Time Employed | Accrual per Pay Period | Accrual per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 100% FTE (40 hours/week) | 3.69 hours | 12 days |
| 50% FTE (20 hours/week) | 1.84 hours | 6 days |
The computation of accumulated sick leave is based on a full-time, eight-hour day. Employees working less than 100 percent FTE but at least 50 percent FTE are credited with sick leave adjusted to the percentage of time worked.
A maximum number of 12 paid sick leave days may be accrued per calendar year. Sick leave may be accumulated without limitation.
Limited employees do not accrue sick leave.
Initiation of Sick Leave Accrual
New and rehired employees begin accruing sick leave on their first day of employment.
Employees on Paid Leave
Sick leave continues to accrue for regular employees while on paid leave of not less than 50 percent time. The computation of accumulated sick leave credit is adjusted to the percentage of paid leave used.
Employees on Unpaid Leave
Sick leave does not accrue for regular employees while on unpaid leave or on paid leave of 49 percent or less.
Transferring Employees
Employees who transfer from one department to another retain the accrued sick leave balance. The new employing department assumes liability for the accrued sick leave hours of the transferred employee.
Terminating Employees
Employees who terminate are not paid for their accumulated sick leave balance.
Rehired Employees
Employees who are rehired by the university within 12 months after termination are credited with all unused sick leave accumulated at the time of termination. Employees who retire from the university and receive a payment of sick leave at retirement will not be credited with any prior sick leave balance.
Cash Payment for Accrued Sick Leave at Retirement
A cash payment for accrued sick leave will be made at retirement. Employees retiring with 500 to 749 hours of accumulated sick leave will be paid for those hours at a rate equal to 25 percent of their current hourly wage; those with 750 to 999 hours, at 33 percent; and those with 1,000 to 1,500 hours, at 50 percent. Maximum payment is $30,000 and is bound by the following:
- Payment is in installments over a three-year period.
- A retiree who dies before all payments are received shall have the remainder go to his or her beneficiary.
- The beneficiary of an employee who has not retired but who is eligible for normal retirement at time of death shall receive payments.
- The Arizona Department of Administration is responsible for administering payments.
Cross-References
For information on leave without pay after use of all sick leave, see SPP 705–01, “Extended Leave of Absence.”
For related information, see SPP 504–02, “Workers’ Compensation.”
For a reference on employees who work alternate work schedules and the proper recording of time worked and not worked, refer to SPP 306, “Work Schedules.”
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