Policies & Procedures

Supplemental Benefits

Employee Accrued Paid Leave Donation Policy - 2E3

Policy Statement

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (the University) recognized that employees may have a family medical emergency or be affected by a major disaster resulting in a need in excess of their available paid leave time. To address this need, all eligible employees will be allowed to donate accrued paid leave time (sick or vacation time only) hours from their unused balance to a leave bank for use by eligible co-workers needing additional paid leave time off pursuant to the criteria outlined below. Participation in this Leave Donation Program is strictly voluntary.

Eligibility Criteria

An employee is eligible to submit a request for donated paid leave pursuant to this Policy only if the employee meets the following criteria:

• Is a full-time employee of the University.
• Is in good standing as defined in this Policy to mean not under a current Performance Improvement Plan or suspension, nor have received written discipline or a suspension within the past year.
• Employees must be employed with the University for a minimum of one year or at least 1,250 hours. Employment for one year does not have to run consecutively to be eligible to donate and/or receive donated paid leave time off.
• Employees seeking to utilize paid leave days pursuant to this Policy must currently be on an approved leave or have an upcoming approved leave for which the donated leave is being requested.

Employees who would like to request to receive donated paid leave time from the bank must have a situation that meets one of the following criteria, as supported by adequate documentation:

1. Medical emergency, defined as a medical condition of the employee or an immediate family member that will require the prolonged/extended absence of the employee from duty and will result in a substantial loss of income to the employee due to the exhaustion of all paid leave available. An immediate family member is defined as a spouse, same sex domestic partner as recognized by the State of Illinois, civil union partner, children, parents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, and corresponding in-laws.
2. Major disaster, defined as a disaster declared by the President under §401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) or as a major disaster or emergency declared by the President pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §6391 for federal government agencies; a disaster as declared by the Governors of the States of Illinois or Missouri as applicable pursuant to 20 ILCS 3305/7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act; or pursuant to 44.100 RSMo. of the Missouri Emergency Agency Act. An employee is considered to be adversely affected by a major disaster if the disaster has caused severe hardship to the employee or to an immediate family member of the employee that requires the employee to be absent from work.

Donating Paid Leave Time

• The donation of paid leave time is strictly voluntary.
• Once paid leave time is donated, the time cannot be returned to the donating employee.
• Donated paid leave tie will go into a leave bank for use by eligible recipients.
• The identity of any recipient of donated paid leave time will not be disclosed to donating employees.
• The donation of paid leave time is hourly, regardless of the dollar value of the donated or used leave.
• The minimum number of paid leave hours an eligible employee may donate is 4 hours per calendar year; the maximum is 40 hours or no more than 50 percent of the donating employee's current balance.
• Employees cannot borrow against future paid leave time to donate.
• Employees can donate paid leave time annually during benefits open enrollment (May 1 - 31 and September 1 - 30). The donated time will be transferred from the donor to the leave bank annually on July 1 and November 1.
• Employees currently on an approved leave of absence may not donate paid leave time.

Request for Paid Leave Donation Time

Employees requesting donated paid leave time must complete a Donation of Paid Leave Time Request Form and submit it to the Office of Human Resources.

Requests to utilize paid leave donations will be reviewed in the order received. All qualifying leave requests will be reviewed and approval determined by the Director of Human Resources or designee, including the amount of donated paid leave approved for each request; however, no grant of donated paid leave may exceed one-third of the available leave balance in the bank or 20 days, whichever is less. No donated paid leave will be granted if the leave-bank balance is zero. If a request is denied, a rationale for the denial will be provided.

No combination of an employee's own paid leave time and donated leave time may exceed 12 weeks of paid leave within a rolling 12-month period.

If the recipient employee has available paid leave time in their leave balance, the employee's own paid leave time must be utilized before the employee is eligible to utilize any donated leave under this Policy.

Donated paid leave may only be used for time off related to the approved request.

Nothing in this Policy will be construed to limit or extend the maximum allowable absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Appeals

Employees may appeal a decision to deny the grant of paid leave under this Policy, to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Administration. Appeals must be submitted no latter than five (5) business days following the denial of a request for donated leave, and must succinctly state the basis for such appeal.

Approved by Chancellor effective 5/16/25
This policy was issued on May 23, 2025.
Document Reference: 2E3
Origin: OC 5/16/25