Sick Leave
Purpose
To provide eligible employees paid leave benefits when sickness, injury or pregnancy and confinement prevent the employee's performance of duty or when the employee is needed to care and assist a member of his or her immediate family who is ill.
Policy
This policy provides for administration of sick leave for employees at The University of Texas at El Paso, Handbook of Operating Procedures, Section V, Chapter 15. According to the Leave Accountability Policy, the supervisor or his/her designee is responsible for maintaining accurate records of employee sick leave usage and ensuring that the administrative system accurately reflects the employee’s use of leave before approving that record each week.
Procedures
- An eligible employee requesting sick leave must report promptly by telephone or email to his/her supervisor the reason for the absence, and keep the supervisor informed of his/her condition.
- In some cases, where an employee knows the medical reason for the absence, they can schedule the leave and complete it beforehand. Otherwise, a leave request form must be completed reasonably after the event took place, within two business days.
- Employees are responsible for timely and accurately completing the required application for sick leave. The employee must submit a leave request indicating the period of sick leave.
- If the absence is for more than three (3) consecutive workdays, the employee must provide the supervisor a doctor’s certificate showing the cause or nature of the illness, or some other written statement that is acceptable to the supervisor and the Office of Human Resources.
Applicability
An employee appointed twenty (20) hours per week or more and has worked 4 ½ months or more and is not in a position that requires student status as a condition for employment is eligible to earn and use sick leave beginning on the first day of eligible employment. Eligible employees paid on an hourly basis are also entitled to sick leave and accrue sick leave at the same rate as employees paid on a monthly basis.
Definitions
Eligible employees – will earn sick leave beginning on the first day of state employment and on the first calendar day of each succeeding month of state employment. Eligible full-time employees, i.e., those who work 40 hours per week, accrue sick leave at the rate of eight hours for each month or fraction of a month of service. Eligible part-time employees, i.e., those who work 20 to 39 hours per week, accrue sick leave on a proportionate basis.
Responsible Party
Associate Vice President, Office of Human Resources
Last Updated: March 11, 2020