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.
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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.
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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.
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