SPP 702–04: Compassionate Transfer of Leave

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

Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual - 6-809

University policy

Regular classified, service professional, and administrative employees

Employees may voluntarily transfer accrued vacation leave to another employee who is unable to work due to a catastrophic illness or injury or who is absent 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.

An illness or injury may be considered to be catastrophic if it is:

1. seriously incapacitating (in the case of the employee, the employee is unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job held at the time of the illness or injury)

   and

2. extended (i.e., the anticipated duration of the illness or injury is at least 45 days).

Compassionate transfer of leave is subject to the employing department’s availability of funds and the approval of Human Resources.

To receive donated leave hours, an employee must:

1. provide a written confirmation from a physician chosen by the employee, subject to reconfirmation by a physician chosen by the university, that the illness/injury of the employee or member of the immediate family of the employee is catastrophic
2. have passed initial probation, if applicable

   and

3. have exhausted all forms of paid leave (e.g., vacation, sick leave, compensatory time).

Upon meeting these conditions, the requesting employee or his or her supervisor must complete a Request for a Donation of Compassionate Transfer of Leave Hours form. This form allows the supervisor to solicit vacation hours from the unit, department, and/or university community. The supervisor must also complete a Compassionate Transfer Request Memo that states the employee’s diagnosis and the anticipated return date. To obtain approval for compassionate leave from Human Resources, the memo and the completed form must accompany a physician’s statement confirming the diagnosis and the inability of the employee to perform work duties. All medical information is to remain confidential.

An employee may voluntarily contribute vacation hours to a recipient of compassionate leave if a minimum balance of 80 vacation hours is available after the leave is transferred. Donations must be submitted through the Authorization to Donate Compassionate Leave Hours form to the immediate supervisor.

An employee who is a recipient of compassionate leave and enrolled in a short-term disability program offered by the universities must apply for and, if eligible, receive 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 may only be used to supplement short-term disability payments or workers’ compensation 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. Contributions shall exceed neither the anticipated period of disability nor the period until long-term disability benefits commence, whichever is shorter.

Compassionate leave runs concurrently with family medical leave and extended leave.

For further information, see:

1. SPP 504–02, “Workers’ Compensation”
2. SPP 705–01, “Extended Leave of Absence”

   and

3. SPP 705–02, “Family Leave.”

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