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Human Resources

Policies

Staff Sick Leave

 

DATE ISSUED:
02/01/94

DATE REVISED:
09/19/2006

POLICY

The primary purpose of sick leave is to protect staff members from loss of income because of the employee’s inability to work due to illness or injury.

It is the responsibility of the employee to report the circumstances of the sick leave, recovery progress, and probable duration of the sick leave. The reason for sick leave may be covered under the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act. (See FMLA Policy.)

Individuals wishing to maintain confidentiality regarding the reason for a sick leave request may consult with Human Resources for confidential handling. The individual or supervisor may also contact Human Resources to verify eligibility and amount of accrued sick leave available.

Staff members should make every effort to schedule medical appointments outside normal working hours; however, if it is impossible to do so, sick time may be used for medical appointments if approved in advance by the supervisor.

Upon separation, unused sick leave cannot be used as necessary notice for resignation. Unused sick leave is not paid upon separation but will be reinstated to a staff member’s sick leave balance if the individual returns to Saint Louis University within one year of the separation date.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all eligible staff at Saint Louis University, with the exception of those with written employment contracts or collective bargaining agreements.

ELIGIBILITY

Regular full-time and part-time staff members who are budgeted for and work a minimum of 40 hours bi-weekly or .5 FTE monthly, are eligible to accrue sick leave. Temporary employees are not eligible to accrue sick leave.

Sick leave accrues at .05 hours per hour worked for eligible non-exempt staff members, and 8.67 hours x FTE per pay period for eligible exempt staff members, up to annual equivalent of 13 days. Sick leave accrues up to a maximum of 1040 hours and only accrued time can be used.

PROCEDURES FOR SICK LEAVES OF LESS THAN 3 CONSECUTIVE WORK DAYS

  1. Staff members who are unable to report to work due to illness or injury are required to notify their supervisors at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with department policy. An employee who must leave work due to illness or sick leave condition should likewise advise his/her supervisor in accordance with department policy.
  2. Sick leaves of three work days or less normally do not require medical verification; however, verification may be required for any absence due to illness or injury if the University has a reason to question the appropriateness of the absence or its duration, even if one day or less. Failure to produce the verification within 15 calendar days of the absence, may result in the absence not being recorded as sick time.
  3. The staff member may submit a Request for FMLA/Leave of Absence form if the reason for the sick leave is covered under the FMLA Policy or if the duration of the sick leave may extend beyond 3 work days. (See FMLA Policy.)
  4. The department should retain any documents generated for sick leave requests in separate confidential files.

PROCEDURES FOR SICK LEAVES GREATER THAN 3 CONSECUTIVE WORK DAYS

  1. The employee or employee’s representative notifies the supervisor of the need for sick leave of more than 3 consecutive days
  2. The individual is required to submit a Request for Family and Medical Leave and Certification of Healthcare Provider form 30 calendar days prior to the commencement of the leave if the leave is foreseeable, or as soon as practicable if the leave is not foreseeable or sick leave pay may be canceled. "As soon as practicable" ordinarily would mean at least verbal notification within 1 or 2 work days of when the need for leave becomes known to the employee. (See FMLA Policy and forms.)
  3. As soon as sufficient information is provided by the staff member, he/she will be provided the "Response to Your Request for Leave" form which will indicate whether the reason for the leave meets the requirements for FMLA leave or Leave of Absence. (See FMLA Policy.)
  4. All documents relating to FMLA leaves must be sent to the Human Resources Office. Records and documents relating to medical certification, re-certifications, or medical conditions of employees or family members shall be maintained in separate files/records and treated as confidential, except that supervisors and managers may be informed regarding necessary restrictions on work or duties of the employee and reasonable accommodations; first aid and safety personnel may be informed if the employee’s physical or medical condition might require emergency medical treatment; and government officials shall be given relevant information concerning compliance upon receipt of an appropriate request.
  5. An EPAF (Electronic Personnel Action Form) must be submitted by the department if the individual is going to be on unpaid status for greater than 30 calendar days. The Benefits Office will contact the individual on medical leave after 30 calendar days of unpaid leave regarding continuation of employee benefits.
  6. Individuals should contact Human Resources to resolve any disputes regarding an FMLA leave request.

CAREGIVER LEAVE

To respect each staff member’s own commitment to family responsibilities, the University will allow staff members to use up to five (5) days of accrued sick leave per calendar year, for the illness of an immediate family member, (parent, spouse, son or daughter), or person living in the employee’s household when the employee’s presence and assistance is necessary.

In extenuating circumstances, the staff member may request to use an additional five days of accrued sick leave for this purpose. The need for this additional caregiver leave must be supported by medical certification and approved by the appropriate Vice President, Dean or designee.

Additional time off may be requested, consistent with the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the University policies on vacation and leaves of absence.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATION

The University’s policy regarding Medical Certification is stated in