Paid Sick Leave FAQs

questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Are 9-month faculty eligible for leave under Healthy Families and Workplaces Act?
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  • 9-month faculty are already eligible for sick leave under Regent Policy 11E.
  • Sick leave benefits shall be available to faculty on nine-month appointments or contracts.  Each eligible person shall be entitled to five and a half (5.5 days) (44 hours) of sick leave at full salary accrued at the beginning of each of the fall and spring semesters.  Employees who work part-time earn sick leave on a pro-rated basis. Accrual begins on the date employment begins. Provided that, not more than eleven (11) days (88 hours) of sick leave at full salary may be accumulated in any calendar year.
Are independent contractors eligible for leave?
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  • No. Independent contractors are not considered employees and are not eligible for leave.
What speedtype will sick leave pay from when used?

 

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  • The leave will come from the speedtype for the position that leave is taken in.
Are university staff employees who are .1 FTE and hourly eligible for this new sick leave?
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  • No. All university staff employees are still eligible under university staff sick leave plans.
I am already eligible for sick leave and I only have one position. What does this mean for me?
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  • If you are university or classified staff, 12-month faculty or 9-month faculty, your position is already eligible for sick leave and this new provision does not apply to you. There will be no change in procedures to use sick leave or in your sick leave accrual.
I am eligible for sick leave in one position, but I work part time in positions which are not currently eligible for sick leave. Will I accrue leave now under all my positions?
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  • Yes. If you have a part-time appointment and a secondary appointment, sick leave may accrue under the secondary appointment at the appropriate rate. The total sick leave accruals under both appointments is 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.
I am a full-time university staff member who teaches a course as a lecturer. Will my lecturer position accrue sick leave?
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  • No. If an employee has a full-time appointment and a secondary appointment, no additional sick leave will accrue under the secondary appointment as the employee is already accruing the maximum amount of sick leave.
How is sick leave accrual calculated for hourly employees?
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  • Each employee will earn one hour of sick leave per 30 hours worked. This breaks down to approximately .034 hours per hour worked for hourly employees. Leave accrued will show in My Leave after each pay period.
How is sick leave calculated for employees paid on a contract on a semester-by-semester basis?
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  • For academic employees paid via a contract, sick leave is accrued based on the number of credit hours or the standard hours for the position. The maximum accrual amount for a contract position is 3 days, 24 hours per semester for a full-time employee.
  • Sick leave amounts will be granted after census date each semester and will be available for immediate use.
Can I take more sick leave than the hours I am usually scheduled to be at work?
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  • No. You may only use sick leave to cover hours you would normally be scheduled to work.
Do employees have to utilize the sick leave in one-hour increments or can they take leave in less than one-hour increments?
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  • Sick leave can be used in 15-minute increments, similar to how other leave is used today and to match My Leave functionality.
Does sick leave pay out when I leave the university?
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  • No, except in limited circumstances for retirement eligible employees, sick leave does not pay out upon your separation from the university.
Does sick leave earned as a student employee transfer with me if I am hired into a university staff or other leave eligible position?
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  • Yes. Sick leave accrued as a student employee or other temporary employee will transfer into your balance for any university staff, classified staff or 12-month faculty position.
Does sick leave earned as university or classified staff or 12-month faculty transfer to a temporary or student position?
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  • Yes, in limited amounts. Sick leave from university staff, classified staff or 12-month faculty positions up to the maximum of 48 hours transfers to temporary or student positions. Any sick leave above the 48 hour maximum for temporary positions will be forfeited upon transfer to the other appointment.
I have multiple appointments and am confused about how much leave I will accrue. Who can I ask for more information?
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  • If you are a student employee or student faculty, contact Student Employment via stuemphelp@uccs.edu.
  • If you are a lecturer or other temporary staff, contact HR at hrhelp@uccs.edu.
Is this sick leave Public Health Emergencies leave?
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  • No. This sick leave is unrelated to leave due to public health emergencies and is available for use outside of any emergency declaration.
Will working retirees accrue sick leave?
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  • Yes, anyone with a bona fide employee relationship is eligible. The majority of PERA working retirees are hourly in the TMP pay group so will work the same as students. For the small group of daily-paid working retirees in pay group USN, SCA adjustments will be required following each payroll to grant leave balances. To avoid this the employees could be converted to monthly-hourly overtime exempt employees. Or, set up the same as hourly TMP working retirees.