(A) Policy. It shall be the policy of the
university to provide paid sick leave for its employees in accordance with the
provisions of sections
124.38 and
124.39 of the Revised
Code.
(B) Crediting and charging of
sick leave. Salaried full-time appointees earn sick leave at a rate of one and
one-quarter day for each completed month of eligible service. Part-time
appointees earn sick leave at a comparable rate proportionate to the percentage
of full-time eligible service. Sick leave credit is also earned while
appointees are in active pay status on sick leave or vacation. Service eligible
for earning and using sick leave is restricted to assignments up to but not
exceeding a full-time load under appointment for the academic or fiscal year,
or for any regular academic term, that is, spring or fall semesters or the
ten-week summer session. Additional appointments, which include those beyond a
full-time load during the regular academic terms, those which fall between
terms, and continuing educational assignments are not eligible for earning or
using sick leave. Sick leave may be accrued while an individual is on
sabbatical or paid research leave, but shall not be earned or charged during an
unpaid leave.
(C) Utilization.
(1) Sick leave is charged in minimum units of
one-half day. Employees are charged for sick leave only after days upon which
they would otherwise have been scheduled to perform service to the
university.
(2) If an employee is
ill on a day recognized as a legal holiday, salary will continue and be
considered holiday pay and no charge will be made against accumulated sick
leave.
(3) A continuous period of
sick leave commences with the first day of absence and includes all subsequent
days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, until the employee
returns to work. During any seven-day period, the maximum number of days of
sick leave charged against any employee shall be five.
(4) Sick leave will be granted to employees,
upon approval of the appointing authority, for the following reasons:
(a) Illness or injury of the employee or a
member of the employee's immediate family;
(b) Death of a member of the employee's
immediate family;
(c) Medical,
dental or optical examination or treatment of the employee or a member of the
immediate family;
(d) When, through
exposure to a contagious disease, either the health of the employee would be
jeopardized or the employee's presence on the job would jeopardize the health
of others; and
(e) Disability due
to pregnancy and/or childbirth and related conditions. Upon request, a pregnant
employee shall be permitted to use any or all of the employee's accumulated
sick leave credit only for the period of time that the employee is unable to
work as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. This
period may include reasonable pre-delivery, delivery, and recovery time as
certified by a licensed physician. An employee using sick leave credit shall
not be prevented from receiving a leave of absence without pay for the
remainder of the recovery period. (See rule 3342-6-11.3 of the Administrative
Code and this register).
(5) Definition of "immediate family": mother,
father, brother, sister, child, spouse, domestic partner, grandparent,
grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law,
brother-in-law, sister-in-law, legal guardian, or other person who stands in
place of a parent.
(6) Where sick
leave is requested to care for a member of the immediate family, the supervisor
or department chairperson may require a physician's certificate to the effect
that the presence of the employee is necessary to care for the ill
person.
(7) Sick leave granted by
reason of death in the immediate family will not exceed five working
days.
(8) Where conditions warrant,
a limit of five days may be allowed for the care of the employee's wife and
family during the post natal period.
(9) An employee who becomes eligible for
workers' compensation payment for the loss of time may choose to use sick leave
before such payments are made. Continuation in active pay status through use of
sick leave usually will provide greater advantage.
(D) Reporting and recording. Sick leave will
be authorized only upon the written request of the employee, recommendation of
the department head, dean or chairperson, and approval by the appropriate
appointing authority (vice president). University forms for requesting paid
leave will be provided to aid the employee. A formal request for utilization of
sick leave will be prepared by the employee and submitted to the departmental
chairperson or supervisor upon return to work following each period of absence.
The departmental office will review the request, recommend disposition, and
forward the request to the office of the appropriate vice president for
approval or disapproval. Following such determination, the request will be
forwarded to the supporting personnel unit where individual sick leave records
will be maintained. Totals of sick leave earned and used will be calculated and
year end balances posted. Sick leave records will be retained in the personnel
unit and will be available for review by the employee during normal working
hours.
(E) Transfer of sick leave
credits. An employee who transfers from one public agency to another, or who is
reappointed or reinstated, or who transfers from one state
department to another shall, upon reentering and submitting certified evidence
of accumulated sick leave, be credited with the unused balance of accumulated
sick leave, provided the time between separation and reappointment does not
exceed ten years. The words "public agency" as used above include the state,
counties, municipalities and all board of education within the state of Ohio.
The amount of sick leave transferred to state service shall not be greater than
the maximum accumulation which would have been allowed if all public employment
had been in the state service.
(F)
Conversion of sick leave upon retirement.
(1)
An employee may elect to be paid for one-fourth of the
accrued but unused sick leave credit upon meeting the following
requirements:
(a)
Upon retirement from university employment, whether
from the public employee or teacher retirement system of Ohio, or through an
approved university alternative retirement plan; and
(b)
If the employee
has accrued ten or more years of active service with the university, state of
Ohio and/or any of its political subdivisions.
This payment will be based upon the
employee's rate of pay at the time of retirement. Upon accepting such payment,
all sick leave credit accrued up to that date will be eliminated.
(2) Such payment will
be made only once to any employee. That is, an employee who returns to
university or other state service after retiring may accrue and use sick leave
as before, but may not convert the unused sick leave at the time of a second
separation from the university.
(3)
The maximum payment allowed will be one-fourth of one hundred twenty days. Sick
leave conversion does not apply to any termination or separation other than
retirement.
(G)
Conversion of sick leave upon death of employee.
(1) If an employee dies while actively
employed by the university, and had ten or more years of state service, payment
for one-fourth of the accrued by unused sick leave to his or her credit will be
made in accordance with paragraph (G)(3) of this rule. This payment will be
based upon the employee's rate of pay at the time of death.
(2) The maximum payment allowed will be
one-fourth of one hundred twenty days.
(3) The cash conversion of unused sick leave
credit shall be paid in accordance with section 2213.04 of the Revised Code
(release of decedents's wages without administration), or to the estate of the
decedent.
(H) Employees
failing to comply with sick leave rules and regulations will not be paid for
sick leave days requested. Application for sick leave with intent to defraud
will result in dismissal and refund to the university of salary or wage paid
during such sick leave.
