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Sick Leave and Short Term Disability (STD)

Benefits-eligible employees of the institution may be paid for intermittent or longer-term absences from work which are a result of illness or personal injury, childbirth, or complications of pregnancy. The institution has two types of paid leave—sick leave and short-term disability. All extended illnesses beyond 2 weeks will run concurrent with family medical leave (see FMLA policy). However, the institution reserves the right to qualify illnesses of shorter than 2-week duration under FMLA. Leave is prorated based off of annual work schedule. Annual work schedule is defined by those total annual hours worked as part of a 9-, 10-, or 12- month appointment.

Part-time employees are ineligible for sick leave and short-term disability benefits. 

Entitlement to any employer sponsored benefits for all employees coincides with the ability to receive compensation through accrued sick leave and short-term disability as well as applicable COBRA or FMLA law.

Accumulation of Sick Leave and Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits for FMPC and Campus Police Support Staff

FMPC and Campus Police support may accumulate up to 1,040 hours of leave. After the accumulation of 520 sick leave hours, a support staff employee will have also accumulated 520 short-term disability days. When a reserve account reaches 1,040 hours, no further accumulation occurs unless the total number of days in the reserve account drops below 1,040 hours.

For FMPC support staff only, one (1) sick day per year can be used in two (2) hour increments for emergent or non-emergent medical appointments for self or family members approved by your supervisor and Human Resources. Non-emergent, in this instance, includes dental, vision or physician appointments. Substantiation of the appointment may be required by your supervisor. In cases of suspected abuse, the institution reserves the right to request a physician’s certificate as evidence of an illness or disability for every absence. 

Campus Police Officer/Security have different accrual rules that apply to sick and short-term disability leave. All other rules pertaining to accrued sick and short-term disability leave are applicable to Campus Police and FMPC staff.

Accumulation of Sick Leave and Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits for Administration, Administrative Support Staff, and Faculty

The institution provides benefits-eligible administrative staff and faculty members with sick leave and a self-funded short-term disability program. Sick leave commences the first day of an absence and continues through the first ten working days. After five occurrences of absence and/or one occurrence of five or more work days, a physician’s certificate is required to be submitted to the Office of Human Resources, which verifies the inability to perform duties during the absence. Subsequent absences within the calendar year that are less than ten working days are treated as sick leave but will also  require physician certification as suggested above. 

In cases of suspected abuse, the institution reserves the right to request a physician’s certificate as evidence of an illness or disability for every absence. The institution will also take other disciplinary actions if the abusive pattern continues. In instances where excessive time off has occurred and corrective action is in process, paid time off will be limited to that which is accrued.

Administrative Staff may use up to three (3) days of sick leave to care for children or other family members. An original physician’s or pediatrician’s certificate will be required for documentation purposes.  This note should include the patient's name and the time frame and exact dates the patient was under the doctor’s care. If further care is required, the use of vacation days is permitted with the approval of supervisory personnel.

Benefits from short-term disability commence on the eleventh consecutive working day of the absence. Benefits from short-term disability include salary continuation in accordance with the following schedule and other institutional benefits for the duration of the short-term absence. Disability is described is the inability to perform one’s job and receipt of these benefits is contingent upon adequate medical documentation. The duration of benefits is as follows:

Once the administrative staff member returns from any period of short-term disability, STD leave is reinstated after twelve (12) months on a rolling basis following the employee’s return to work in accordance with the administrative STD accrual schedule.