Voluntary Shared Leave

The voluntary shared leave policy allows an employee to assist another state employee affected by a personal or immediate family member’s medical condition that requires absence from work for a prolonged period of time resulting in a possible loss of income due to a lack of accumulated leave.

Twelve-month EPS and permanent or probationary SHRA (Staff) employees:

• Has serious and prolonged medical conditions requiring absence from work for at least 20 consecutive days may apply to receive shared leave.
• If the employee has had random absences for the same condition or has had a previous, but different prolonged medial condition within the last 12 months, an exception to the 20-day period may be made.
• The applicant’s sick and vacation leave balances combined must be 160 hours or less.
• An employee who has received formal disciplinary action for abuse of leave within the previous 12 months is not eligible.
• Must exhaust all 2018 Special Bonus Leave prior to receiving shared leave.

Prolonged medical condition Prolonged period of time: 20 consecutive workdays

Recipient: Employee or employee’s family member who receives leave

Donor: Employee who donates leave

Immediate family member: Spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, dependent

In order to receive voluntary shared leave, an employee must:

• Have a prolonged medical condition (or a member of the employee’s immediate family has a medical condition), that requires the employee to be absence from work for at least 20 consecutive days.
• Apply or be nominated to the shared leave program.
• Submit the Certification of Healthcare Provider for Employee’s Serious Heath Condition or Family member form.
• Have not been subject to any written disciplinary actions for abuse of leave in the twelve (12) months prior to the request for shared leave.
• All leave (comp/sick/vacation/bonus) balances must be 160 hours or less.

A prospective recipient shall apply or be nominated by a fellow employee to participate in the program.

• Applicants Should:
  • Discuss the situation with their supervisor to be sure they are eligible.
  • Complete the Shared Leave Request Form.
  • Complete the Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition or Family Member Health Care Provider form.
  • Submit the forms to their Manager and Leave Coordinator for verification of current leave balances and submission to the Leave Administration Team for review and approval. Forms must be submitted to the Leave Administration Team by the end of the month in order to be advertised in the following month.

If approved for participation in the Shared Leave program, the Leave Administration Team will submit the employee’s name to be advertised to campus for a total of 15 days. Please note: your name will appear on the email advertisement that will go out to campus. If you would like to remain anonymous, please select “No” on the Voluntary Shared Leave Request Form, that you agree to not have your name listed on the advertisement. By doing so, you will be listed as “Anonymous” by your department name.

At the close of the advertisement period, the Leave Administration Team will notify the departmental contact of the total number of hours the employee has received. Employees can request voluntary shared leave as often as they need to, and UHR will approve their requests and advertise their names as long as they need the hours and meet all the program’s other requirements.

In order to donate voluntary shared leave, an employee must, at the time of donation:

• be an active employee (not separate)
• be in a position that earns leave
• have sufficient leave balances

The minimum amount of leave that can be donated is four hours.  If approved for VSL the Employees must enter leave immediately into the WolfTime Leave and Timekeeping system upon use for supervisors approval.

The maximum amount of vacation leave that may be donated:

• May not be more than the amount of the donor’s annual accrual rate.
• May not reduce the donor’s vacation leave balance below one-half of the annual vacation leave accrual rate.

Bonus leave may be donated without regard to the above limitations on vacation.

The maximum amount of sick leave that may be donated:

• May not be more than 1,040 hours
• May not reduce the sick leave account of the donor below 40 hours.

Non-family members may donate sick leave to shared leave participants under the following provisions:

• The donor can not donate more than five days (40) hours of sick leave per year to any one non-family member.
• The combined yearly total of sick leave donated to a participant from non-family member donors may not exceed 20 days (160) hours.
• Donated sick leave shall not be used for retirement purposes.
  • At retirement a member of the TSERS with an earned sick leave balance receives an additional month of service credit for each 20 days or portion thereof. The additional service credit increases the retirement benefit for the remainder of the life of the retiree.

The amount of leave a recipient may receive is 1,040 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees), either continuously or, if for the same condition, on a recurring basis. Management may grant continuation, on a month to month basis, to a maximum of 2,080 hours.