PROCEDURES Policy 5004.7 CATASTROPHIC LEAVE Approved: April 2015 Revised: Next Scheduled Review: April 2017 1. Catastrophic Leave Bank Program (CLBP) a. The college encourages employees to donate to the catastrophic leave program; however, no College employee will be coerced into participating. An employee may not directly or indirectly intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten or coerce another employee for the purpose of influencing another employee with respect to donating, receiving, or using vacation or sick leave. b. At the end of the calendar year, employees who have accumulated in excess of the maximum sick and vacation carry over days are notified of their option to donate to the Leave Bank each year. Employees may donate sick leave to the leave bank at any time throughout the calendar year, however, in no circumstance may the donation result in the employee’s accumulated sick leave below 80 hours. c. Employees who separate their employment with the College may donate their accumulated sick and/or vacation leave to the Catastrophic Leave Bank. 2. Catastrophic Leave Committee a. The CLBP will include a Catastrophic Leave Committee made up of not less than five College employees who are appointed by the Director of Human Resources and the College Cabinet. b. Every effort will be made to ensure that committee members represent a cross section of classified and non-classified employees. A human resource designee will serve as a standing member of the committee. c. The committee is responsible for performing the following: i. Reviewing Catastrophic Leave Requests; ii. Determining employee eligibility; 1. Employees must exhaust all accrued vacation, sick, holiday, and compensatory leave. 2. Employee must be continuously employed by the college for at least two years prior to the onset of the catastrophic leave. For the most current version of these procedures, please visit www.nwacc.edu/policy, or contact the responsible department. 1 3. Employee must have accumulated at least 80 hours of combined sick/annual leave time earned prior to the catastrophic event. (Exceptions may be recommended by the committee and approved by the College Cabinet.)closed parenthesis 4. Employee must provide an acceptable medical certificate from a physician that supports the employee’s continued absence and certifies that the employee will be incapacitated from performing the employee’s duties due to a catastrophic illness. Information relative to the employee’s assigned duties will be made available to the physician. 5. Employee has not been disciplined for any leave abuse during the past two (2) years. d. The committee will utilize the following guidelines when reviewing catastrophic leave requests: i. If the employee’s illness or injury is covered by workers' compensation, any catastrophic leave granted when combined with the weekly workers' compensation benefit received by the employee will not exceed the compensation being received by the employee at the onset of the illness or injury. ii. No employee will be approved for catastrophic leave unless the employee has provided an acceptable medical certificate completed by a physician supporting the continued absence certifying that the employee will continue to be incapacitated from performing the employee’s duties due to a catastrophic illness. Information relative to the employee’s assigned duties will be made available to the physician. iii. Catastrophic leave will not be granted beyond the date the physician certifies that the employee is able to return to work. iv. Catastrophic leave cannot exceed six months. v. The Catastrophic leave committee may not grant leave in excess of the amount available in the CLB. vi. The Catastrophic Leave Committee recommendations will be reviewed and approved by the CLB committee. vii. The decision of the CLB committee is final and binding. The CLB committee may take into account the impact on the College’s operation in granting or denying catastrophic leave or in modifying previously approved leave, if in their judgments such approved leave would seriously impact the college’s operation. viii. Applications for catastrophic leave will be reviewed on a first-filed, first-considered basis. 3. General Catastrophic Leave a. Employees on catastrophic leave will not accrue leave while on catastrophic leave b. Employees on this leave program will continue to draw their normal rate of pay. For the most current version of these procedures, please visit www.nwacc.edu/policy, or contact the responsible department. 2 c. d. e. f. g. Employees may not receive an increase in pay while on catastrophic leave. Employees will continue to receive insurance and fringe benefits while on catastrophic leave. Accrued leave may only be donated to the CLB in one (1) hour increments. Catastrophic leave donations are granted hour-for-hour and not dollar-for-dollar. No College employee may donate sick leave to the CLB if such donation will reduce that employee’s accrued sick leave balance to less than eighty hours. This restriction does not apply to employees who are separating their employment. h. Donated vacation and/or sick leave may not be restored to the leave donor. i. Approved donations of leave will be transferred to the CLB by submitting an approved donor form. j. If an employee separates his/her employment while on catastrophic leave, any unused catastrophic leave will be returned to the CLB. k. An employee may be dismissed if he/she fails to report to work at the expiration of the approved leave period. The College may, at its discretion, grant leave without pay to an employee prior to or after the expiration of catastrophic leave. l. No employee will be approved for catastrophic leave unless the employee is or is reasonably expected to be on leave without pay status. m. Employees on workers compensation may be eligible for catastrophic leave. However, the catastrophic leave when combined with the weekly workers' compensation benefit received by the employee cannot exceed the compensation received by the employee at the onset of the illness or injury. n. Catastrophic leave will not be awarded retroactively. o. Catastrophic leave will run concurrently with any leave used under the Family and Medical Leave Act. p. The CLBP does not create any expectations or promise of continued employment for any employee receiving benefits from this program. 4. Record Keeping Requirements a. The CLBP will include a record keeping system, that tracks the following: i. The amount of donated leave by each employee; and ii. The amount of leave awarded, including the name of the recipient. b. The Human Resources Office is responsible for issuing catastrophic leave forms and applications. For the most current version of these procedures, please visit www.nwacc.edu/policy, or contact the responsible department. 3
© Copyright 2024