Policy 4.09
Purpose
To provide eligible employees with additional paid leave for a specific period of time due to catastrophic illness or injury.
An employee may voluntarily transfer accrued vacation to other employees who are unable to work due to catastrophic illness or injury. Employees eligible to participate in this transfer of leave are regular, classified, professional and administrative employees who accrue vacation. These vacation leave transfers are available for the recovery of the employee or to care for the employee's immediate family, persons in their established household or in situations which place responsibility for care on the employee and are subject to the following conditions:
An illness/injury shall be considered catastrophic if it is:
a) 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), and
b) extended, (i.e., the anticipated duration of the disability is at least 45 days), and
c) confirmed in writing by a physician chosen by the employee, subject to reconfirmation by a physician chosen by the university.
A recipient must have exhausted all forms of paid leave (e.g., vacation, sick leave, and compensatory time) prior to the leave transfer.
A recipient must have passed his/her initial probationary period.
Contributions must be voluntary.
A contributor must retain a minimum balance of 80 vacation hours after the leave transfer.
A recipient who is enrolled in a short-term disability program offered by the universities must apply for and, if eligible, receive his/her short-term disability benefits before compassionate transfer of leave contributions can be used. 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 exceeding the recipient's regular rate of pay.
Contributions shall not exceed the anticipated period of disability, the six months of unpaid status, or the time needed until long-term disability benefits commence, whichever period is shorter.
Leave 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.
