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Staff Personnel Manual (SPP)
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| Effective: 7/1/1978 |
Revised: 8/1/2012 |
![[ASU logo]](asu.gif) |
SPP 702–01: Vacation Leave Benefits |
Purpose
To provide eligible employees with salary continuance during periods of absence from work
Sources
Fair Labor Standards Act, as revised
Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual –6-706; 6-803
Eligibility
Benefits-eligible classified, service professional, and administrative employees
Policy
Vacation leave benefits begin to accrue from the date of hire or eligibility and are available for use by all eligible employees immediately upon accrual and with approval from supervisor/manager. Employees should request vacation leave from their direct supervisor/manager with sufficient prior notification to avoid scheduling conflicts and allow for business/department coverage as needed.
Recording and Reporting of Vacation Leave
All employees are required to report vacation time. Supervisors are responsible for recording and maintaining accurate records of vacation taken by their employees, including the reporting and approving of hours used. A department time administrator (DTA) may be assigned to assist a supervisor in this task but it remains the supervisor’s responsibility.
Nonexempt staff should report vacation leave in fifteen-minute increments during the work week.
Exempt staff should report vacation leave for any hours not worked (and not reported for any other reason, i.e., sick leave or holiday) within their standard, biweekly pay period (80 hours based on 1.0 FTE).
| Note: | Departments may establish a different method to request and record paid vacation leave as long as that method includes creating and maintaining documentation that the supervisor approved the vacation leave and that the vacation leave was accurately processed by the department time administrator in the Human Resources Information System. |
Benefit Accrual and AccumulationD
| Accrual and Accumulation Schedule Classified Employees (100% FTE) As of July 1, 2007 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of Service | Maximum Accrual per Pay Period | Maximum Annual Accrual | Maximum Carryover Accumulation (1 1/2 x annual accrual) |
| 0 to 2 years | 3.38 hours | 88 hours | 132 hours |
| Over 2 to 4 years (after second anniversary date) | 4.92 hours | 128 hours | 192 hours |
| Over 4 years (after fourth anniversary date) | 6.77 hours | 176 hours | 264 hours |
| Accrual and Accumulation Schedule Service Professionals and Administrative Employees (100% FTE) As of July 1, 2007 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Accrual per Pay Period | Maximum Annual Accrual | Maximum Carryover Accumulation(1 1/2 x annual accrual) |
| 6.77 hours | 176 hours | 264 hours |
The computation of vacation accrual is based on a full-time, eight-hour day. An employee’s actual accrual is based on the number of hours worked plus any paid leave benefits hours (e.g., vacation, sick, bereavement, holiday, jury duty, or parental) in a pay period.
Vacation leave benefits do not accrue on unpaid leave of absence hours, income-replacement benefits paid by a third party (i.e., short-term disability insurance), or on hours received from Compassionate Transfer of Leave.
Any vacation leave benefits used pending workers’ compensation benefits will be credited back to vacation leave accrual balances, up to the amount of workers’ compensation.
Initiation of Vacation Accrual
Employees begin accruing on the first day of eligibility in a position that accrues vacation leave benefits.
Academic-Year Employees
An employee who works an academic year accrues vacation leave benefits during the employment period only. This period usually begins on the first day and ends on the last day of the academic year and includes semester breaks and non-class periods occurring during this employment period.
Academic-year employees are encouraged to use accumulated vacation leave during semester breaks and non-class periods. Vacation leave benefits may not be used during non-employment periods.
Rehired Employees
An employee rehired by the university within 12 months after separation accrues vacation at the rate effective as of the separation date.
If the employee rehired with 12 months was previously in a position that did not allow for vacation accrual, the employee’s previous university employment will count toward the years of service that determine the accrual rate.
Transfer within Arizona State University
An employee transferring from one department to another, and continuing in a vacation-accruing position, retains the vacation balance and accrual rate. The new employing department assumes liability for the accrued vacation hours of the transferred employee.
An employee transferring from one department to another and going to a non-accruing position must use or be paid for his or her unused accrued vacation time, up to one year’s accrual, by the original department prior to the effective date of the transfer.
Transfer within the Arizona University System
Employees who change employment between the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, or the University of Arizona within 30 calendar days shall accrue at the rate based on the combined years of service at any of the aforementioned organizations.
Transfer from Other State Agencies
An employee hired from a State of Arizona agency into ASU shall accrue vacation based only on years of service with Arizona State University according to the accrual schedule for classified, service professional, or administrative employees.
Paid Leave
Vacation leave benefits continue to accrue for an employee while receiving paid leave benefits (e.g., vacation, sick, jury, parental) adjusted to the percentage of paid leave used.
Unpaid Leave
Vacation leave benefits do not accrue for an employee while on any unpaid leave.
Accumulation
Unused vacation leave may be accumulated and carried forward from one calendar year to the next in a total amount not to exceed 1 1/2 times the maximum number of hours that can be accrued by an employee in a given year. Vacation accruals in excess of 1 1/2 times the maximum number of hours are forfeited at the end of each calendar year. Forfeited time may take up to two pay periods following the end of the year to reflect on an employee’s pay advice.
Change of Status
Employees who change to a non-benefits-eligible status or to a position that does not accrue vacation must use or be paid for accrued vacation, not to exceed one year’s accrual, prior to the effective date of transfer into their new position.
Employees who change status to a position that does not accrue vacation and later return (without separating from the university) to a position that does accrue vacation, shall resume the same rate of accrual that was in effect at the time the employee left the position that allowed for vacation accrual.
If the FTE status of an employee is reduced, and the employee remains in a position that accrues vacation leave benefits, the employee has the option of:
- using, in the same calendar year, the number of hours already accumulated in excess of the maximum carryover accrual for the new FTE status
or
- being paid out, in the pay period following the FTE change, for the number of hours already accumulated in excess of the maximum carryover accrual for the new FTE status.
Employees on Military Leave
Employees called to active duty who have accrued vacation leave may elect to:
- retain the hours until they return to actively at work status
or
- have the hours paid out each pay period at either their normal or a reduced work schedule rate.
Separation or Retirement
Upon separation of employment or retirement, an employee shall be paid for accumulated vacation leave not to exceed one year’s accrual, at the rate of pay in effect at the time of separation or retirement. That amount will include any vacation taken in the last pay period.
Classified employees who resign or who are terminated before completing an initial probationary period (six months of continuous service) must use accrued vacation prior to the date of termination.
Classified staff who are serving a new probationary period due to competitive promotion/transfer and are terminated will receive their accrued vacation, not to exceed the amount earned for one year of service, determined by length of service and FTE.
An employee may not extend the date of an involuntary termination for cause or reduction-in-force.
Vacation leave taken to extend the voluntary termination, retirement date, or contract non-renewal date may not exceed the earned amount for one year’s service and must be agreed on and approved by the department’s dean or vice president.
In the Event of Death
The employee’s estate shall be paid for all accumulated vacation leave at the rate of pay in effect at the time of the employee’s death.
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