Human Resources

Sick Leave Policies and Procedures Faculty, Administrative and Professional Staff

Sick Leave Payable Upon Termination

In accordance with Illinois Public Act 83-976, employees who terminate and have a sick leave balance of time accrued and unused from January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1997, shall be paid for one half the balance. This is the only sick leave payable upon termination or retirement.

Other General Sick Leave Policies

• Sick leave is not earned during periods of leave when an employee is not in pay status. While an employee is in a pay status, leave continues to accrue.
• Holidays recognized by the University will not be included in sick leave.
• Weekends are not charged unless they are a part of a scheduled work assignment and sick leave is utilized.
• Sick leave will be transferred within the Southern Illinois University system only.
• Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement will need to refer to the most recent contract for more information.
• The University reserves the right to refer an employee for medical examination by a physician of the University's choice for the purpose of determining the employee's mental or physical fitness to perform the essential functions of the employee's position. The University will assume all responsibilities related to the cost of the examination.

Excessive Use and/or Abuse of Sick Leave

The University may refuse to pay sick leave pay if it is determined that the claim for sick leave is fraudulent based on authorized purposes.

Sick leave abuse occurs when an employee uses sick leave for unauthorized purposes or misrepresents the actual reason for charging an absence to sick leave. Sick leave abuse may also occur when an employee establishes a pattern of sick leave over a period of time, such as the day before or after a holiday, on a Monday and/or Friday, after a payday, any one specific day, half-day, or a continued pattern of maintaining zero or near zero sick leave balances.

The University reserves the right to require acceptable evidence of illness, injury, or disability before allowing any sick leave benefits. Employees who misuse sick leave may be subject to the University's progressive disciplinary process which could lead to suspension or discharge.

Types of Sick LeaveAccruable, Non Accruable, & Extended Sick Leave

Faculty, Administrative, and Professional Staff will be eligible for sick leave benefits in accordance with the following:

Accruable (regular) sick leave

• Faculty and Administrative staff on full-time academic or fiscal year continuing appointment earn 7.2 days per fiscal year, at the beginning of the contract appointment.
• Should a Faculty or Administrative staff with an academic appointment have a summer contract, accruable sick leave is credited July 1 or the first day of the summer contract, whichever is later.
• Professional staff on a full-time fiscal year regular and durational earn one sick day per month.
• Employees on a continuing or regular appointment of less than 100 percent will earn sick leave prorated to their appointment percentage.
• Employees who are hired mid-year will earn sick leave adjusted to their length of contract (.6 days per month will be earned for a fiscal year employee and .8 days per month will be earned for an academic year employee for the hiring year). This includes fiscal appointments that are effective after July 1 and academic appointments that are effective after August 16 of a year.
• Faculty and Administrative staff employees on term appointments are not eligible to earn accruable sick leave. However, they will not lose any previously accrued but unused accruable sick leave.
• At the end of a fiscal year, any accrued but unused accruable sick leave will carry over to the following fiscal year. There is no limit to the amount of accruable sick leave an eligible employee may earn and carry over.

One-time grants of sick leave

• Professional staff employees with a regular appointment, hired previous to July 1, 2000, earned a one-time grant of 60 sick leave days adjusted to their appointment percentage and proportionate to their annual period of service.
• Professional staff employees on durational appointments were not eligible for this one-time grant of sick leave.
• Professional staff employees hired after July 1, 2002, earn a one-time grant of 15 sick leave days adjusted to their appointment percentage but without regard to their annual period of service.
• At the end of a fiscal year any amounts of unused one-time grant sick leave will carry over to the following fiscal year. Employees will not earn additional amounts but will continue to carry over from each year any unused amount of one-time grant sick leave.

Non-accruable sick leave

• Faculty and Administrative staff on full-time academic or fiscal year continuing or term appointment earn 43 non-accruable days per fiscal year, at the beginning of the contract appointment.
• Employees on a continuing appointment of less than 100 percent will earn sick leave prorated to their appointment percentage.
• Employees who are hired mid-year will earn sick leave adjusted to their length of contract (3.5834 days per month will be earned for a fiscal year employee and 4.7778 days per month will be earned for an academic year employee for the hiring year). This includes fiscal appointments that are effective after July 1 and academic appointments that are effective after August 16 of a year.
• Non-accruable sick leave that is unused will not carry over to the following fiscal year because employees earn time each year.
  

Extended sick leave

• Professional staff earn a one-time grant of extended sick leave of 20 sick leave days. The extended sick leave is for documented major medical problems for the employee only.
• Physician's documentation and approval from the Benefits staff in the Office of Human Resources is required before an employee can use this leave.
• The extended sick leave will be available for use after all other sick leave has been exhausted. Any unused extended sick leave days carry over each fiscal year.
• When these days are used, they do not accrue again.

Temporary Days

• A temporary leave of absence with pay may be granted upon request for reasons such as emergency illness of family, funeral leaves, jury duty and military leaves.
• Temporary leave with pay shall not exceed two weeks (10 working days) during any fiscal year.
• In accordance with the definitions appearing below, employees may be granted a leave of absence for a period not exceeding two weeks. Approval must be obtained from the Office of Human Resources. Additional documentation supporting the need of leave will be required for approval. If applicable, employees may be required to take leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.
• The following definitions shall apply to requests for temporary leave with pay:
  1) Emergency Leave - hospitalized, critically ill members of the employee's immediate family: Immediate family is defined as spouse, domestic partner recognized under the State of Illinois insurance plan, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, and corresponding in-laws of an employee.
  2) Funeral Leave - funeral of immediate members of the employee's family. Immediate family is defined as the spouse, a domestic partner recognized under the State of Illinois insurance plan, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister and corresponding in-laws of the employee.
  3) Military Leave - temporary duty not to exceed two weeks.
  4) Jury Duty - a leave of absence without loss of pay will be granted for time actually spent on jury duty.

Sick Leave - Usage

Eligible use of sick leave

Sick leave days may be used for absences due to an illness, injury, or medical appointment of the employee’s child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent.  Sick time must be accrued prior to use.

Sick leave (regular sick) and order used

Through the years, the university has made changes to sick leave benefits. Because of those changes, accrued balances of sick (regular) leave are referred to by the following types:

• Sick leave earned before January 1, 1984 (pre - 1984)
• Sick leave earned from January 1, 1984 until December 31, 1997
• Sick leave earned after January 1, 1998 to present (post 1997)

Sick leave for eligible Faculty and Administrative staff employees will be used in the following order, all leaves may or may not be applicable to each employee:

1. Non-accruable sick leave for the current year
2. Sick leave earned and unused before January 1, 1984
3. Sick leave earned and unused after January 1, 1998
4. Sick leave earned and unused January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1997.

Sick leave for eligible Professional staff employees will be used in the following order, all leaves may or may not be applicable to each employee:

1. Sick leave earned and unused before January 1, 1984
2. Sick leave earned and unused after January 1, 1998 (including the 60 or 15 day one time grant of sick leave)
3. Sick leave accrued January 1, 1984 through December 31, 1997
4. Extended sick leave.

A benefits staff employee will assist the employee and the department in determining how to record the usage of sick time.

Changing Positions or Contracts

An employee who changes from a fiscal year to academic year appointment or who transfers from one position to another within the University will carry forward their unused sick balance that is considered accruable sick.  Any granted time (either one-time grant or fiscal-year granted) will be forfeited at the time of the position change date.