Regulation 542.02-1 HUMAN RESOURCES July 1, 2013 HUMAN RESOURCES Sick Leave I. Crediting and Accumulation of Sick Leave A. All employees other than substitutes and temporaries are entitled to earn and accumulate sick leave. B. Sick leave shall be accrued and credited a per pay period. (See Attachment A for accruals). C. Employees may transfer up to a maximum of sixty (60) sick leave days accumulated from an accredited private, parochial, or public school division as certified by that school division's administration. Sick leave accumulated by Prince William County municipalities, up to the maximum amount allowed, will be accepted, as certified by transferring employee s Department of Human Resources. Sick leave that has been accumulated from day care centers or other non-accredited facilities may not be transferred. D. There shall be no limit on the accumulation of sick leave. II. Donated Sick Leave A. Donated leave will not be granted until the employee who is seeking the donated leave has exhausted their own sick, personal, annual leave balances and sick leave bank (if applicable). It is a requirement that the first thirty (30) work days of any illness be covered by the employee s own leave balances including if necessary the use of leave without pay. B. On a case-by-case basis, the Director of Benefits & Retirement Services may authorize the voluntary transfer of sick leave days to an employee who has exhausted all available leave including Sick Leave Bank benefits and still has a legitimate and continuing need for sick leave. A written request for approval to allow employees to voluntarily transfer sick leave days to another employee must be submitted in writing to the Director of Benefits & Retirement Services. C. An employee whose request for donated leave is denied may request an appeal of the decision to the Superintendent s staff. The written appeal request should be sent to the Director of Benefits & Retirement Services. D. Approved donated leave transfers shall not exceed the number of days required to provide sick leave coverage through the end of the fiscal year (Attachment B).
Donated leave may not be carried over to the next fiscal year. III. Use of Sick Leave A. All eligible employees may use sick leave for themselves, for family members or for a permanent resident of the employee s household. The definition of an immediate family member is husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, foster child, stepparent, stepchild, legal guardian, child for who employee is legal guardian, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or member of one s own household regardless of relationship. B. Sick leave may be used for the following: 1. Medical: a. illness, injury, quarantine, or temporary physical or mental incapacity; b. any maternity related incapacity (pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, adoption etc.) as certified by a physician (for delivery of a new born child, an employee may take up to six (6) weeks for natural birth and up to eight (8) weeks for a caesarian). If additional sick leave is needed for this purpose, the employee must provide additional physician certification. 2. Family/Parental a. An male employee who did not give birth to the newborn or adopts a child one year old or less that is subject of the leave request, may take up to two (2) weeks of sick leave, without physician s certification, for bonding with the employee s newborn infant. If additional sick leave is necessary care and assistance, the employee must provide physician certification. 3. Bereavement: Up to five (5) work days may be used for the death of an immediate family member, as defined in Section III. A, or a permanent resident of an employee's household. Extensions may be approved at the discretion of the employee s supervisor in consultation with their Associate Superintendent. C. The following additional guidelines shall govern the use of sick leave: 1. Employees absent from work requiring the use of sick leave per the provisions of this regulation must notify their manager at the beginning of each work day or as soon as possible thereafter and advise of their expected return-to-work date. 2. In accordance with the Code of Virginia, Section 22.1-301, the manager or Director of Benefits & Retirement Services has a right to require a physician's
certification at any time. In addition, the employee may be required to submit to their manager a physician's certification for sick leave or anticipated sick leave in excess of three (3) days. The physician's certification must identify the nature of the illness or disability, the date the illness or disability began, and the projected return-to-work date. 3. Sick leave must be taken for the purpose for which it was granted per the provisions of this regulation. It cannot be interchanged or substituted for another type of leave. 4. Per Regulation 544-2, Family Medical Leave (FMLA) will run concurrently with any days of paid sick leave taken beginning on the first day of absence. IV. Compensation For Sick Leave A. Each sick leave day used in accordance with the provisions of this regulation will be compensated at the employee's per diem rate. Ten-month hourly employees will be compensated at their hourly rate. Under no circumstances will sick leave compensation be greater than the number of contract hours or average number of hours worked per day. B. When all accumulated leave, including leave from the Sick Leave Bank, has been exhausted and continued illness or injury is certified by a physician, the Director of Benefits & Retirement Services (or designee) may grant, upon request, an extended medical leave of absence without pay in accordance with the provisions in Regulation 544-1, Leave Without Pay ; or the employee may pursue disability retirement. V. Reporting Sick Leave A. It is the manager's responsibility to monitor and report sick leave absences. B. Each department shall input sick leave in no less than fifteen (15) minute increments. All sick leave is to be entered into the computer by the close of business on the last input day in the current pay cycle. C. In reporting sick leave, the sick leave event code corresponding with the reason sick leave was taken must be entered into the computer (e.g., personal illness/sicku, illness of an immediate family member/sfamu, etc.). D. Official sick leave records shall be maintained by the Office of Benefits & Retirement. E. After five (5) consecutive work days of absence, an employee using sick leave shall be reported to the Time and Leave Specialist in the Office of Benefits & Retirement Services.
VI. Unused Sick Leave Compensation A. Upon separation of employment, an employee must choose one of the following options within sixty (60) calendar days or relinquish all rights to accrued, unused sick leave: 1. If an employee met the eligibility requirements for separation leave on June 30, 1991, convert unused sick leave accrued as of June 30, 1991, to separation leave and convert unused sick leave accrued on or after July 1, 1991, to separation pay as specified in Regulation 545-1, Separation Benefits. 2. If an employee did not meet the eligibility requirements for separation leave on June 30, 1991, convert all unused sick leave to separation pay as specified in Regulation 545-1, Separation Benefits. 3. If a retiring employee is eligible and elects to participate in the Retiree Health Insurance Premium Contribution Plan, convert accumulated sick leave per the conversion table in Regulation 545-1, Separation Benefits, in exchange for an established employer health insurance premium contribution. Unused sick leave days in excess of the number required to convert to an employer health insurance premium contribution percentage shall be compensated as specified in item number A2 above. 4. Transfer all such accumulated sick leave to another school division. (If no actual transfer has occurred within one (1) year from the date of separation, this option will be forfeited). 5. Transfer part and be paid at ten (10) percent per diem for the balance of accumulated, unused sick leave. B. Payment for unused sick leave shall be made for only those days earned. Should an employee terminate employment having used more sick leave days than were earned, such unearned days will be deducted from the employee's last paycheck, or by other methods used by the Office of Payroll, at the regular per diem rate. C. For purposes of separation pay for unused sick leave, only the sick leave earned with Prince William County Schools is applicable. D. Upon request, the Office of Benefits & Retirement Services will verify days of accrued sick leave for those employees who wish to transfer all or part of their accumulated sick leave to another school division/employer. The Associate Superintendent for Human Resources (or designee) is responsible for the monitoring and implementation of this regulation. The Associate Superintendent for Human Resources (or designee) is responsible for reviewing this regulation in 2014.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL
Attachment A Regulation 542.02-1 SICK LEAVE ACCRUALS HRS. PER PAY PERIOD All employees except substitutes and temporaries are entitled to sick leave per the following schedule: Administrators: 250 day: 24 pay period = 5 hrs. per pay period = 15 days 236 day: 24 pay period = 4.40 hrs./min. per pay period = 14 days 223 day: 24 pay period = 4.40 hrs./min. per pay period = 14 days (year round) Instructional Staff: 195 day: 20 pays = 4.30 hrs./min. per pay period = 12 days 214 day: 22 pays = 4.26 hrs./min. per pay period = 13 days 209 day: 22 pays = 4.26 hrs./min. per pay period = 13 days 200 day: 20 pays = 4.30 hrs./min. per pay period = 12 days Classified Staff: 250 day: 4.42 hrs./min. per pay period = 15 days 223 day: 4.23 hrs./min. per pay period = 14 days 195 day: 4.30 hrs./min. per pay period = 12 days 190+-day 4.30 hrs./min. per pay period = 12 days (cafeteria mgrs.) 188 day: 3.54 hrs./min. per pay period = 12 days Notes: Transportation Services & Food Services paylag employees would accrue on a 10 month pay period 4.21 hrs./min. (based on a 1.0 FTE) = 11 days total (1) All food service employees and bus drivers employed prior to July 1, 1984, will continue to receive 12 days of sick leave annually. Individuals employed in these categories after July 1, 1984, will receive 11 days of sick leave annually. (2) The number of days of sick leave credited will be reported in hours and minutes on an employee s earnings statement. The number of hours and minutes credited for each day of sick leave will be based on the number of hours in an employee s regular work day.
Attachment B Regulation 542.02-1 SICK LEAVE TRANSFER FORM The transfer of sick leave days from one employee to another is a voluntary action and can only be accomplished when authorized by the Director of Benefits & Retirement Services. Any sick leave transferred shall be credited to the receiving employee's account and shall be used in accordance with Regulation 542.02-1. My signature below indicates that I have read and understand the contents of the preceding paragraph and I am authorizing the transfer of sick leave hours to the account of. Further, I understand that once these sick leave days have been transferred, they will be used by the designated employee during the current school year in accordance with the aforementioned regulations. Signature Date Location Social Security No. or Badge ID No.