Classified Staff

Sick leave is earned and accrued at 6.66 hours (prorated for permanent part-time Employees) per month up to a maximum accrual rate of 360 hours for Employees: https://spb.colorado.gov/board-rules

Sick Leave Payouts

You may only receive a payout of your unused sick leave upon retiring from the university. CU limits that payout amount to ¼ of your unused leave, up to the maximum accrual rate.

When to Use Sick Leave

Sick leave is for health reasons only, including mental or physical illness, injury, a health condition, diagnostic and preventative examinations, treatment, and recovery. Accrued sick leave may be used for the health needs of: The employee or the employee's family members (related by blood, adoption, marriage, or civil union) including a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis or a person who stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee was a minor, domestic partners, in-laws, step relatives and for a person for whom the employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care. Special consideration will also be given to any other person whose association with the employee is similar to a family member. 

When an employee or employee’s family member is a victim of domestic abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or any other crime related to domestic violence and needs to seek medical attention, mental health care or other counseling, or victim services including legal services or relocation.

More information: https://spb.colorado.gov/board-rules
 

Enforced Sick Leave

If an appointing authority determines that you're sick or injured while at work, or in a state that otherwise impacts your and your co-workers' ability to perform, he/she may send you home and charge you sick leave. If you have exhausted your sick leave, CU will charge you vacation leave, or unpaid leave if the latter also is unavailable.

Extended Sick Leave

If you take sick leave for more than three consecutive days, for any health reason, you must provide a State of Colorado Medical Leave Form (or other official document containing the same information), which must be completed by a health care provider. The completed form must be returned within 15 days of being requested. If you fail to provide this documentation, you may be denied future leave, or receive disciplinary action.

Appointing authorities may also require a Medical Leave Form for absences of fewer than three days when they have a reasonable basis for suspecting abuse.

If an employee dies while actively employed, CU will compensate the widow(er) or estate for ¼ of the employee's unused sick leave, up to their maximum accrual.

University Staff and 12-Month Faculty

Full-time University Staff and 12-Month Faculty employees accrue a maximum of 10.0 hours of sick each month, prorated based on the hours worked versus total work hours in the pay period month. More information on leave usage can be found in Policy APS 5062.

Sick Leave Payouts

There is no limit on sick leave accrual. Sick leave is not paid out upon separation of employment, except in limited circumstances. For more information see: https://www.cu.edu/regents/policy/11

9-Month Faculty

• Full-time 9-Month Faculty are provided 44 hours of sick leave at the beginning of each fall and spring semester, usable immediately.
   
• Faculty not working full-time are given a proration of sick hours, based on FTE, at the beginning of each fall and spring semester.

Temporary Classified and University Staff

Temporary classified and university staff accrue sick leave at a rate of 0.034 sick hours for each hour worked.

Accrual hours are calculated as part of the payroll process and become available once payroll has processed the pay period.

• MyLeave is currently being enhanced so that employees may record both hours worked and leave taken on their timesheets in MyLeave. Hours must be approved by the supervisor.
   
• Accruals will display in the system after each pay period (monthly or hourly).
   
• Leave will be earned across all eligible positions and may be used to take leave from any eligible position.
   
• Employees may not use more leave time than the hours they are scheduled to work.
   
• Eligible employees will be able to carry a maximum of 48 hours of sick leave from one fiscal year to the next.

Temporary Contract Employees

(Including Lecturers & Some Student Faculty)

Accrual will be based on the number of credit hours or the standard hours for the position with a maximum accrual of 3 days (24 hours) per semester based on 40 standard hours (100% FTE).

Example: Lecturer teaching 3 credit hours breaks down to an effort of 9 hours per week (22.5% FTE) which would equate to 5.4 hours of sick leave accrued in a semester.

• Sick leave accrual for contract employees will be granted after the census date each semester (summer, fall & spring) and may be used immediately.
   
• Sick leave usage for contract employees is not tracked in MyLeave at this time. For the Spring 2021 semester, contract employees may use sick leave by submitting a Sick Leave Usage Request here.
   
• Sick leave shall be used only when the University must replace the faculty member in the classroom, or when the dean or other administrative superior determines it is appropriate.
   
• Employees may not use more leave time than the hours they are scheduled to work.
   
• Eligible employees will be able to carry a maximum of 48 hours of sick leave from one fiscal year to the next.

Student Employees

For detailed information about student employee sick leave, visit the Student Employment Website.

Student employees earn one hour of sick leave per 30 hours worked. This breaks down to approximately .034 hours per hour worked for hourly employees.

• Hourly employees may record both hours worked and hourly sick leave taken on their timesheet in MyLeave. Hours must be approved by the supervisor.
• Accruals are available in the MyUCCS Portal on the Leave Balance Tile. Hourly employees should always refer to their Leave Balance Tile in their portal for the most accurate accrual information.
• Leave will be earned across all eligible positions and may be used to take leave from any eligible position.
• Employees may not use more leave time than the hours they are scheduled to work.
• Hourly employees should not request more sick leave than they have available. Any hours not worked beyond the sick leave balance they can request will be considered unpaid leave. Nothing should be submitted in MyLeave for unpaid missed shifts. This could result in the hourly employee's pay being docked.
• Eligible employees will be able to carry a maximum of 48 hours of sick leave from one fiscal year to the next.

All Other Employees

Employees not covered by any of the other above group rules accrue leave at a rate of 0.034 sick hours for each hour worked.

• Accrual hours are calculated as part of the payroll process and become available once payroll has processed the pay period.

Secondary Appointments

Secondary appointments are primarily used to compensate employees for additional duties over and above their full-time appointment.

• If an employee has a full-time appointment and a secondary appointment, no additional sick leave shall accrue under the secondary appointment.
   
• If an employee has a less than full-time appointment and a secondary appointment, sick leave may accrue under the secondary appointment but the total sick leave accruals under both appointments are limited to the maximum annual accrual for the primary appointment.
   
• No employee is eligible to accrue more than fifteen (15) working days of paid sick leave annually, earned as 10 hours per month.