The University of Texas at Tyler Employee Handbook

SICK LEAVE

All employees appointed for at least 20 hours per week for a period of at least four and one-half months shall be allowed sick leave with pay. Regular full-time employees will accrue sick leave at the rate of eight hours per month or a fraction of a month of service. Part-time employees, appointed at least 20 hours per week but less than 40 hours, will accrue leave based on their percent time appointment. Example: 50% appointment will accrue four (4) hours. Employees will accrue sick leave at the beginning of each month, and will receive their full sick leave entitlement for each month or partial month actually worked, regardless of the date of employment or termination. Sick leave is charged in 15-minute increments with no rounding.

Employees appointed for less than 20 hours per week for a period of less than four and one-half months are not eligible for sick leave.

Employees are eligible for sick leave during their first month of employment. Employees transferring from one state agency to another or from one unit in the University to another shall retain their unused sick leave accumulation provided there is no break in service. No employee may accrue sick leave while he/she is in an ineligible status (any leave of absence).

Sick leave may be taken when sickness, injury, or pregnancy and/or confinement prevents the employee’s performance of duty, or when the employee is needed to care or assist a member of their immediate family who is actually ill. For purposes relating to regular sick leave, immediate family is defined as those individuals related by kinship, adoption, marriage, or foster children who are so certified by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services who are living in the same household, or if not in the same household, are totally dependent upon the employee for personal care or services as a direct result of a documented medical condition. Minor children of the employee are not required to live in the same household in order to be considered a part of the immediate family. Sick leave may also be used for doctor’s appointments for the employee or a member of the immediate family. Sick leave for doctor’s appointments and scheduled medical care should be requested as far in advance as possible, usually at least two (2) weeks. Elective cosmetic surgery is not eligible for paid time off as sick leave and should be charged to vacation leave. If an employee is ill and unable to report for duty, he/she should notify the department head/designee promptly. When requesting and/or reporting an absence for sick leave, an employee must state the expected time to return to work. Failure to return at the stated time, or submit a request for an extension, may result in termination. An employee on an extended sick leave must provide a doctor’s certification establishing the medical disability and stating the expected return date. If the employee is unable to return at the designated time, another physician’s statement with expected return date is required. Before returning to work, an employee on an extended absence must furnish a physician’s statement certifying that the employee is medically capable of resuming normal working duties. The department head may at any time require the employee to submit proof that the absence was due to illness or injury and/or proof, before returning to work, that the employee is physically fit to resume full duties.

FAILURE TO PROMPTLY REPORT OR PROVIDE PHYSICIAN’S STATEMENTS AS OUTLINED ABOVE, OR FALSIFICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO SICK LEAVE ABSENCES, MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

Leave for University-sponsored employee services such as immunizations, blood drives, etc. will not be charged to sick leave. However, time for personal visits to physicians, physical therapy, etc. will be charged to sick leave. The only exception is for a Workers’ Compensation injury in which no leave would be charged for the day of the injury.

Accrued sick leave terminates the last day of employment. However, in the case of death, the estate of an employee will be paid one-half of the employee’s accumulated sick leave, or 336 hours of sick leave, whichever is less. Such payment shall be calculated at the rate of compensation being paid the employee at the time of death.

An employee laid off under a formal reduction-in-force shall have his/her sick leave balance restored if re-employed by the State within 12 months of termination. An employee separated from the state for other reasons shall also have his/her sick leave balance restored, if re-employed by the State within 12 months of termination provided there has been a break in service of at least one (1) month since termination.