Policy Name: Crisis Leave Policy |
Date Approved: Approved by the Board of Governors on December 12, 2003 |
Policy Category: Board of Governors - Employment Terms, Classifications, and Benefits |
Date Effective: |
Policy Number: 2.1.080 |
Date Last Revised: |
Approval Authority: Board of Governors |
Review Cycle: |
Responsible Department: |
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The University of Central Missouri recognizes that employees may have the desire to aid other employees who may not have the available paid leave to use for a personal catastrophic illness or the illness of a family member. This policy creates a mechanism for full-time employees to aid each other in times of need.
A. Procedures to implement this policy will be developed and maintained by the Office of Human Resources.
B. A committee consisting of the administrative liaison (appointed by the president), the president of the Support Staff Council, the president of the Professional Staff Council and the president of the Faculty Senate will be available for appeals.
A. For the purposes of this policy, the definition of "member of the immediate family" shall be the same definition used in the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
B. A rolling year begins on the date that the first crisis leave withdrawal is made.
Procedure Name: Crisis Leave Procedures | Date Aproved: Approved by the President on January 8, 2004. |
Procedure Category: Personnel | Date Effective: |
Policy Number: 2.1.080 | Date Last Revised: |
Approval Authority: University President | Review Cycle: |
Responsibility: Department of Human Resources |
Donations will only be allowed once a quarter. Deadlines to donate are:
All donations of leave time must be received by the deadline to be accurately reflected in accrual balances. Once donations are submitted they cannot be rescinded.
The maximum number of hours maintained in the Pool Bank will be 660 hours. Should the number drop below 100 hours then the Department of Human Resources will announce a donation period to replenish the pool.
For making a donation: A signed statement indicating the number of earned vacation hours the employee wishes to donate to the bank is to be submitted to the Department of Human Resources with the supervisor's signature. Donation forms are available from the HR website or by contacting the Department of Human Resources. The donations must be in either four- or eight-hour increments.
Employees may not solicit or petition donations on their personal behalf or the behalf of other employees for the Crisis Leave Pool.
An employee may request leave from the Crisis Leave Pool by completing a "Crisis Leave Request Form." The request must be accompanied by the employee's "Family Medical Leave Act" form (if not already on file) and any accompanying documentation to the Department of Human Resources. The Department of Human Resources will review the request to make sure that the employee is eligible to receive crisis leave. The employee requesting crisis leave must provide all requested information necessary to make a final determination of eligibility.
Each request will be time-and-day stamped upon receipt by the Department of Human Resources. When possible, a request is to be submitted at least 10 days before the crisis leave is needed. The Department of Human Resources is allowed 10 working days from the date a request is received (with the required documentation) to approve all or part of the request, or deny the request, and communicate such approval or denial to the employee.
If the request is approved, the Department of Human Resources will credit the approved time to the employee's leave record. Crisis leave will be paid at the receiving employee's rate of pay. An employee in crisis leave status will be considered in paid leave status and will continue to receive benefits as appropriate. Employees on crisis leave will not accrue paid leave.
Any approved crisis leave is used and documented in accordance with the same procedures as regular paid leave taken by the employee. Hours granted from the Crisis Leave Pool may be used only for reasons stipulated in the approved request. The use of leave from the Crisis Leave Pool that is not in accordance with procedures and requirements outlined in the policy may constitute payroll fraud and will be dealt with accordingly. Any unused hours will be returned to the Crisis Leave Pool.
The granting of crisis leave is meant to cover only the circumstances for which it was requested. If any change occurs in the nature or severity of an illness or injury, or of any other factor on which the approval was based, the employee must provide documentation describing the change to the Department of Human Resources. The employee can request more crisis leave subject to the limits outlined in the policy; however, extensions of crisis leave are not automatic.
Departmental budgets will continue to be charged for an employee's salary while they are using hours from the crisis leave pool.
NOTE: To be classified as "catastrophic" for the purposes of this policy, an employee or a member of the immediate family must experience a serious, extreme or life-threatening illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition which has caused, or is likely to cause, the employee to take leave without pay and keeps the employee from performing regular work duties.