Skip to main content

Sick Leave and Short Term Disability (STD)

Benefits-eligible employees of the institution may be paid for intermittent or longer-term absences from work which are a result of illness or personal injury, childbirth, or complications of pregnancy. The institution has two types of paid leave—sick leave and short-term disability. All extended illnesses beyond 2 weeks will run concurrent with family medical leave (see FMLA policy). However, the institution reserves the right to qualify illnesses of shorter than 2-week duration under FMLA. Leave is prorated based off of annual work schedule. Annual work schedule is defined by those total annual hours worked as part of a 9-, 10-, or 12- month appointment.

Part-time employees are ineligible for sick leave and short-term disability benefits.

Entitlement to any employer sponsored benefits for all employees coincides with the ability to receive compensation through accrued sick leave and short-term disability as well as applicable COBRA or FMLA law.

 

Accumulation of Sick Leave and Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits for Support Staff

Upon employment in a benefits-eligible position, support staff employees begin accruing the hourly equivalent of one day of sick leave and one day of STD for each full month of employment. Therefore, after a full year of service these employees will earn twelve days of each type of leave. Days that are not used by calendar year-end are placed on reserve for future absences.

 

Support staff may accumulate up to 1,007.5 hours of leave. After the accumulation of 487.5 sick leave hours, a support staff employee will have also accumulated 487.5 short-term disability days. When a reserve account reaches 1,007.5 hours, no further accumulation occurs unless the total number of days in the reserve account drops below 1,007.5 hours.

 

Sick leave may only be taken in increments of half days or whole days. The institution will typically approve payment for sick leave or STD only when the employee is ill or injured and unable to work. Support staff may use up to three (3) days of sick leave to care for children or other family members, if needed provided they have already used any available personal time. An original physician’s or pediatrician’s certificate will be required for documentation purposes.  This note should include the patient's name and the time frame and exact dates the patient was under the doctor’s care.  The use of vacation days is permitted if further care is required with the approval of supervisory personnel.

 

An absence from work due to the employee’s illness or injury lasting three (3) or more consecutive working days requires the submission of a physician’s certificate to the Office of Human Resources, which verifies the inability to perform duties during that time. After five (5) or more occurrences of illness or injury in any calendar year, a physician's certificate will be required for each subsequent occurrence for the remainder of that year.

 

In instances where a physician’s certificate is necessary, the following procedures apply:

  • The employee must deliver to his/her supervisor the appropriate doctor’s note before the start of their shift.
  • The doctor’s note must be the original document from their office. Copies of the original will not be accepted.  A faxed copy directly from the doctor’s office to our office would be an exception to this requirement. We will provide you with a copy of the excuse for your records at your request.
  • The doctor’s note must specify the exact dates that the individual was under the doctor’s care.

Failure to follow the guidelines listed above will result in the employee being sent home without pay until such time that they are able to produce a valid excuse.

 

In cases of suspected abuse, the institution reserves the right to request a physician’s certificate as evidence of an illness or disability for every absence. The institution will also take other disciplinary actions if the abusive pattern continues.

 

Sick leave days at a rate of 100% of pay will be compensated for any absence from work up to the maximum number of days accumulated in an employee account. STD days are also paid at 100% of pay and may be used following an absence of five (5) consecutive working days. STD pay may not be used if sick leave time is available. Every effort will be made to keep an affected position open during an STD absence so that it is available when the employee returns to work. Employees unable to return to work may be eligible for long-term disability benefits (see Long-Term Disability Insurance).

 

In instances where excessive time off has occurred and corrective action is in process, paid time off will be limited to that which is accrued.

 

Employees who leave employment and have taken sick days prior to their accrual will have their final pay adjusted accordingly.

 

FMPC and Campus Police Support Staff Sick and Short-term Disability Leave

FMPC and Campus Police support may accumulate up to 1,040 hours of leave. After the accumulation of 520 sick leave hours, a support staff employee will have also accumulated 520 short-term disability days. When a reserve account reaches 1,040 hours, no further accumulation occurs unless the total number of days in the reserve account drops below 1,040 hours.

 

For FMPC support staff only, one (1) sick day per year can be used in two (2) hour increments for emergent or non-routine medical appointments approved by your supervisor and Human Resources. Non-routine, in this instance, includes dental, vision or physician appointments that could be made outside of work hours. Campus Police Officer/Security have different accrual rules that apply to sick and short-term disability leaveAll other rules pertaining to accrued sick and short-term disability leave are applicable to Campus Police and FMPC staff.

 

Accumulation of Sick Leave and Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits for Administration and Faculty

The institution provides benefits-eligible administrative staff and faculty members with sick leave and a self-funded short-term disability program. Sick leave commences the first day of an absence and continues through the first ten working days. After five occurrences of absence and/or one occurrence of five or more work days, a physician’s certificate is required to be submitted to the Office of Human Resources, which verifies the inability to perform duties during the absence. Subsequent absences within the calendar year that are less than ten working days are treated as sick leave but will also  require physician certification as suggested above.

 

Administrators may use up to three (3) days of sick leave to care for children or other family members. An original physician’s or pediatrician’s certificate will be required for documentation purposes.  This note should include the patient's name and the time frame and exact dates the patient was under the doctor’s care. If further care is required, the use of vacation days is permitted with the approval of supervisory personnel.

 

Benefits from short-term disability commence on the eleventh consecutive working day of the absence. Benefits from short-term disability include salary continuation in accordance with the following schedule and other institutional benefits for the duration of the short-term absence. Disability is described is the inability to perform one’s job and receipt of these benefits is contingent upon adequate medical documentation. The duration of benefits is as follows:

 

            Service Requirement

            Amount of Coverage

From employment through year one

1 month full salary and 1 month half salary.

Year Two

2 months full salary and 2 months half salary.

Year Three

3 months full salary and 3 months half salary.

Year Four

4 months full salary and 2 months half salary.

Year Five

5 months full salary and 1 month half salary.

Year Six and beyond

6 full months of salary.

 

Once the administrative staff member returns from any period of short-term disability, STD leave is reinstated after twelve (12) months on a rolling basis following the employee’s return to work in accordance with the administrative STD accrual schedule.