Leave benefits are provided to UHCL employees in accordance with state and federal regulations. To ensure compliance, employees are encouraged to review all information regarding the various leave benefits.
The Office of Human Resources provides individual counseling and will assist employees and departments with processing of all required documentation.
FY13 UHCL Holiday Schedule Approved by UHS Board of Regents on 05/16/2012.
Labor Day
9/3/2012
1
Thanksgiving
11/22/2012 – 11/23/2012
2
Winter Holiday
12/24/2012 – 01/01/2013
7
Martin Luther King Day
1/21/2013
1
Memorial Day
5/27/2013
1
Independence Day
7/4/2013
1
Total:
13
Vacation Leave
Employees with Total State Employment of
Hours Accrued Per Month For Full-time Employment:
Maximum Hours Carried Forward From One Fiscal Year to the Next for a Full-time Employee:
Less than 2 years
8
180
2 years but less than 5
9
244
5 years but less than 10
10
268
10 years but less than 15
11
292
15 years but less than 20
13
340
20 years but less than 25
15
388
25 years but less than 30
17
436
30 years but less than 35
19
484
35 years or more
21
532
Employees must have six months' continuous employment with the State before they are eligible to take vacation leave. If termination occurs before six months' service is completed, this benefit is forfeited.
Regular employees earn sick leave at the rate of eight hours per month of service. Part-time , benefits eligible employees, earn sick leave in the same proportion as their work month is to full-time employment. Sick leave may be accumulated without limit and there is no waiting period before sick leave may be taken.
Sick leave may be taken when sickness, injury, or pregnancy and confinement prevent the employee's performance of duty, or when a member of the employee's immediate family is actually ill. For purposes of sick leave, immediate family is defined as "those individuals related by kinship, adoption, marriage, or foster children who are so certified by the Department of Human Services and who are living in the same household." If a family member does not reside in your household, use of your sick leave is strictly limited to the time necessary to provide care and assistance to your child or parent that needs such care and assistance as a direct result of a documented medical condition.
When an employee’s absence from work is covered by sick leave entitlement, it is the employee’s responsibility to notify their supervisor at the earliest opportunity and upon return to work, complete a Leave Request showing the sick leave time used. Absences of more than three days may require a statement from the physician before returning to work; in cases of extended illness, a physician’s statement is always required before returning to work.
Termination of employment from the University does not provide for payment of unused sick leave. If the employee is not transferring to another state agency they may elect to donate the unused hours to the sick leave pool. If they are reemployed by UHCL and there has been more than a 30-day break in service and the unemployed period has not extended more than 12 months, the sick leave hours will be reinstated provided they were not donated to the sick leave pool. If the individual is employed by another state agency and the unemployed period has not extended more than 12 months, the sick leave hours will be transferred to the new agency provided the hours were not donated to the sick leave pool.
In the event of death, the employee’s estate will be paid for one-half of accumulated sick leave or 336 hours, whichever is less provided there has been a period of six months continuous employment at the time of death. For additional information regarding the State of Texas sick leave policy, please refer to Government Code, Chapter 661 and UHCL Vacation and Sick Leave Policy.
Sick Leave Pool
Benefits eligible employees who have a catastrophic injury or illness affecting them or their immediate family and who have used all earned leave may request paid sick leave time from the sick leave pool. A catastrophic illness is defined as a severe condition or combination of conditions affecting the mental or physical health that requires the services of a licensed practitioner for a prolonged period of time and that forces the employee to exhaust all leave time earned by the employee and to lose compensation. The uncomplicated delivery of a child at the conclusion of a pregnancy is not considered a catastrophic illness or injury. A prolonged illness or injury must last in excess of 30 consecutive calendar days. Immediate family is defined as stated in the sick leave policy.
Requests for withdrawal of pool hours are voluntary and cannot be requested until all leave accruals have been exhausted and 30 consecutive calendar days has elapsed from the date of the illness. The request cannot be for less than five days and cannot exceed 30 days. The maximum number of hours that can be withdrawn is 720 hours in the lifetime of the employee’s employment with the University.
The assistant director of human resources is the sick leave pool administrator for UHCL and is responsible for communicating the regulations of the policy to both the employee and the department.
Leave with pay is granted because of the death of the employee’s spouse, or the death of the employee’s or the employee’s spouse’s parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren and children. Duration of the leave is appropriate to the circumstance and is determined on a case-by-case basis. This leave with pay must be requested and documented through normal leave reporting procedures.
Absences due to the death of an individual outside the employee’s immediate family is taken as vacation or compensatory leave or as otherwise provided by policy.
Benefits eligible employees may be allowed time off with pay (bereavement leave) to attend the funeral or off campus memorial service of another UHCL employee/retiree. Employees must receive approval of the department head, or designee, in writing prior to the absence. The department head, or designee, may approve time off with pay for any benefits eligible employee to attend the funeral or memorial service of another family member of a UHCL employee/retiree. Family member is limited to the employee's spouse, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild or child.
Regular full time employees may request paid release time (up to three hours per week) to attend class. The request must be in writing on the appropriate form and approved prior to registration. The course must be considered directly related to the current or prospective employment and judged to be of benefit to both the employee and the state.
Employees are entitled to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary for the time necessary to serve as a bone marrow or organ donor. The leave may not exceed five working days in a fiscal year to serve as a bone marrow donor and 30 working days in a fiscal year to serve as an organ donor.
For the donation of blood, employees are allowed time off without a deduction in salary or accrued leave. The time off must have the approval of the employee’s supervisor before taking the time. Upon returning to work, the employee must provide the supervisor with proof of the donation. If an employee fails to provide the proof of donation, the time used will be deducted from the employee’s salary or accrued leave, whichever the employee chooses. The time off for blood donation may not exceed four times in a fiscal year.
The time an employee must be absent from work because of jury duty is granted without a loss of salary and without affecting any other paid leave entitlement. There is no requirement to account for any fee or compensation received for jury duty service. The request for jury duty should be made on a leave request form and submitted to the employee’s supervisor prior to the time the leave is needed. A copy of the jury duty orders must be attached to the employee’s leave request and documented on the timesheet.
MILITARY LEAVE
National Guard Emergency
An employee who is called to state active duty as a member of the state military forces by the governor because of an emergency is entitled to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary in accordance with Government Code, Section 431.0825. If the call is for federal active duty as a member of the state military forces, the employee may not receive the employee’s salary except as provided by Sections 661.904 (d) and (f) of the Government Code.
Reserve Duty
An employee called to active reservist duty to serve in a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States is entitled to a paid leave of absence not to exceed fifteen days in a calendar year. If the leave of absences extends beyond the paid fifteen days, the employee will be placed on military leave of absence without pay. Employees may opt to use all accrued vacation time before being placed in an unpaid leave status. If the hours are not used, they are retained along with accrued sick leave and will be available once the employee returns to work. Employees on active duty, regardless of pay status, will continue to accrue state service credit for purposes of longevity pay.
Employees who have been employed for less than 12 months by the state or worked fewer than 1,250 hours during the 12-month period preceding the beginning of leave are eligible to take a parental leave of absence not to exceed 12 weeks for the birth of a natural child or the adoption by or foster care placement of a child younger than three years of age. All accrued sick and vacation leave will be used before the employee is placed in an unpaid leave status. Once an employee is on unpaid leave status for an entire month, insurance benefits to include the state and employee’s contributions will be paid by the employee directly to the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS).
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Under the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, employees who have a total of at least 12 months of state service and who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period preceding the beginning of the leave may be entitled to leave benefits under FMLA. The request for the leave must be in accordance with federal regulations and with required documentation. The leave granted may be up to 480 hours in a rolling calendar year. All available and applicable accrued sick and vacation leave must be used during the approved leave period. The approved leave provides for job and benefit protection.
FMLA provides leave to care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care; to care for the employee’s spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition; or for a serious health condition of the employee that prevents the individual from performing their job.
