Academic Affairs Manual (ACD)

Effective: 7/1/1978

Revised: 7/1/2011

ACD 702–02: Health-Related Leave

Purpose

To provide salary continuance during periods of absence from work for personal illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or illness or communicable disease within the family or absence due to the death of certain family members

Sources

National Defense Authorization Act 2008

Arizona Revised Statutes § 35–615

Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual - 6–804

Applicability

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

Policy

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Sick Leave

Sick leave may be used only when an employee:

1. is unable to perform assigned duties because of illness, injury, pregnancy, or childbirth or related medical conditions
2. must be absent from work to obtain health-related services that are not reasonably available before or after the employee’s regular work hours
3. is absent due to illness or communicable disease within the employee’s immediate family or established household or in situations that place primary responsibility for care on the employee.

   or

4. is absent due to the death of family members not covered under ACD 702–04, “Bereavement Leave.”

5. Note:

   An employee may use up to three days of accrued sick leave and two additional days to attend funeral services out of state for this purpose.

Sick leave is available for use by all eligible faculty and academic professionals immediately upon accrual.

All requests for use of sick leave must be approved by the person’s supervisor. Supervisors should be notified on the first day of an absence and periodically thereafter in the event of an illness of more than five working days. Eligible faculty and academic professionals will have sick leave use recorded in one-hour increments.

Upon use of all sick leave, the person may, if desired, request to use accrued vacation leave (if eligible to do so) and/or request a leave without pay.

In extraordinary cases, the president may approve sick leave in addition to that allowed by this policy.

Note:

The Family Medical Leave Act (ACD 702–03, “Family Leave”) is not an additional leave; rather, it is to be used concurrently with this policy.

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Family Medical Leave

Eligible faculty and academic professionals who desire leave for child care purposes within the first year after the birth, adoption, or placement of a child in the household; or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent; or to receive care for their own serious health condition, or due to “any qualifying exigency” (as defined under federal regulations) arising out of the fact that the spouse, son, daughter, or parent of the employee is on active duty or have been notified of an impending call to active duty status, in support of a contingency operation; or to care for a covered service member who is recovering from a serious illness or injury sustained in the line of duty on active duty where the covered service is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the eligible employee must consult ACD 702–03, “Family Leave,” for entitlements and requirements under that policy.

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Accrual and Accumulation

Eligible faculty and academic professionals will accrue sick leave credit at the following rates:D

Percentage of Time Employed	Accrual Per Pay Period	Accrual Per Year
100% (40 hours/week)	3.69 hours	9 days (AY) 12 days (FY)
50% (20 hours/week)	1.84 hours	4.5 days (AY) 6 days (FY)

endtable

The computation of accumulated sick leave is based on a full-time, eight-hour day. Persons 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.

Initiation of Sick Leave Accrual

New and rehired faculty and academic professionals on fiscal appointment begin accruing sick leave on their first day of employment.

Rehired Faculty and Academic Professionals

Persons who are rehired by the university within 12 months after termination will be credited with all unused sick leave accumulated at the time of termination provided the person was not paid for accumulated sick leave per the provisions of Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) § 38–615. If they return after one year, they come to the university as new employees for all benefits purposes.

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.

Employees on Paid Leave

Sick leave continues to accrue for eligible employees while on paid leave, such as:

1. sick leave
2. vacation leave
3. leave with pay
4. bereavement leave
5. holidays

   and

6. workers’ compensation while receiving partial salary through the university.

Employees on Unpaid Leave

Sick leave will not accrue for eligible employees while on unpaid leave, such as:

1. leave without pay

   and

2. extended military leave.

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Cash Payment for Accrued Sick Leave at Retirement

A cash payment for accrued sick leave will be made at retirement to an employee who meets the eligibility criteria of the Retirement Accumulated Sick Leave program and who applies for this benefit in a timely manner. An employee who retires will receive a payment equal to the following: 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:

1. The employee must establish a retirement date within 14 days of leaving the university and must apply for the benefit within 180 days of retirement.
2. Payments or coverage is in installments over a three-year period.
3. A retiree who dies before all payments or coverage is received shall have the remainder go to his or her beneficiary.
4. The beneficiary of an employee who has not retired but who is eligible for normal retirement at time of death shall receive payments.
5. The Arizona Department of Administration is responsible for administering payments.

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Cross-References

For information about family medical leave, see ACD 702–03, “Family Leave.”

For related information, see ACD 601–06, “Workers’ Compensation.”

For information on leave without pay, see ACD 707, “Leave of Absence without Pay.”

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