New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 4 - DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE
Chapter II - Attendance Rules for Employees in New York State Departments and Institutions
Article 1 - Attendance for Nonmanagerial/confidential Employees in New York State Departments and Institutions
Part 21 - ABSENCE WITH PAY
Section 21.3 - Sick leave

(a) Sick leave is absence with pay necessitated by the illness or disability of the employee including illness or disability caused by pregnancy or childbirth.

(b) Employees shall earn sick leave credits at the rate of one-half day per biweekly pay period and may accumulate such credits up to a total of 150 days; provided, however, that an employee shall not earn sick leave credit for any biweekly pay period unless he is in full pay status for at least seven work days during such biweekly pay period. A part-time employee who is required to work a fixed number of hours, five days per week, shall also earn sick leave credit as provided herein, but his total pay when absent on such leave shall be the amount which would have been due him had he been working regularly at his usual hours for such period.

(c) An employee absent on sick leave shall notify his supervisor of such absence and the reason therefor on the first day of such absence and within two hours after the beginning of his work day; provided, however, that where the work is such that a substitute may be required, the appointing authority may require earlier notification, but not more than two hours prior to the beginning of the employee's work day. Sick leave credits may be used in such units as the appointing authority may approve, but shall not be used in units of less than one-half hour.

(d) Before absence for personal illness may be charged against accumulated sick leave credits, the appointing authority may require such proof of illness as may be satisfactory to it, or may require the employee to be examined, at the expense of the department or agency, by a physician designated by the appointing authority. In the event of failure to submit proof of illness upon request, or in the event that, upon such proof as is submitted or upon the report of medical examination, the appointing authority finds that there is not satisfactory evidence of illness sufficient to justify the employee's absence from the performance of his duties, such absence may be considered as unauthorized leave and shall not be charged against accumulated sick leave credits. Abuse of sick leave privileges shall be cause for disciplinary action.

(e) The appointing authority may require an employee who has been absent because of personal illness, prior to and as a condition of his return to duty, to be examined, at the expense of the department or agency, by a physician designated by the appointing authority, to establish that he is not disabled from the performance of his normal duties and that his return to duty will not jeopardize the health of other employees.

(f) In addition to personal illness of the employee, the following types of absence, when approved by the appointing authority, may be charged against accumulated sick leave credits: illness or death in the employee's family, provided, however, that charge for such absence shall not exceed a maximum of 15 days in any one year; absence of an employee certified by an examining physician as benefiting from the use of a service animal in performing major life activities, or who is registered with the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped as legally blind, or certified by an examining physician or licensed optometrist as legally blind, as manifested by visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with best correction or a visual field of 20 degrees or less, or who has a hearing impairment manifested by a speech discrimination score of 40 percent or less in the better ear with appropriate correction as certified by an examining physician or by a licensed audiologist or otorhinolaryngologist, for the purpose of obtaining a guide dog or service animal and required training related thereto, provided, however, that charge for such absence shall not exceed a maximum of 26 days in any one calendar year; and personal visits to doctor or dentist. Proof of the need for such absence, satisfactory to the appointing authority, may be required.

(g) When an employee is transferred, his accumulated sick leave credits shall be transferred with him. When an employee is separated from service for other than disciplinary reasons and is subsequently reinstated or reemployed within one year after such separation, or is reinstated by action of the State Civil Service Commission, or is reinstated or reemployed while eligible for reinstatement from a preferred list, his sick leave credits accumulated and unused at the time of his separation shall be restored; provided, however, that such sick leave credits shall not be restored except where leave records satisfactory to the appointing authority and the Department of Civil Service are available.

(h) Every per diem and hourly paid employee shall, on the date on which he becomes subject to this Chapter, be credited with the number of days of sick leave which he would have earned during the preceding nine months if he had been subject to this Chapter during such period, less the number of days of sick leave with pay which were granted to him during such nine-month period, except that no deduction shall be made for sick leave drawn during such nine-month period which was earned prior thereto in accordance with an established departmental policy.

(i) This section shall not be construed to require extension of any employment beyond the time at which it would otherwise terminate by operation of law, rule or regulation.