VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY AND MEDICAL CENTER

HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

SUBJECT: Paid Sick Time Policy

Policy # HR-029

EFFECTIVE DATE:     January 1, 2001

THIS POLICY HAS BEEN SUPERSEEDED AS OF JANUARY 1, 2003. FOR THE NEWEST VERSION PLEASE CLICK HERE.

POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to provide paid sick time for staff in accordance with our benefit offerings and as set forth below. This policy explains the usage of accumulated paid sick time. The sick time benefit is designed to protect staff from loss of income when illness or a medical condition prevents the staff member from working.

PROCEDURE

Sick time is available in the following circumstances:

• staff are unable to work because of illness or injury,
• staff have a scheduled medical or dental procedure or checkup, or
• under certain circumstances, to care for a family member (see "Using Sick Time for Family Members").

Regular and term staff earn one "day" of sick time during each month of paid status. Like vacation time, sick time is accrued based on the number of hours each staff member is paid (up to 80) in a two-week pay period. In general, a "day" of sick time is defined as 1/5 of the regular weekly work schedule, whether the staff member is full-time or part-time. [1]

ELIGIBILITY FOR USE OF SICK TIME

Regular and term staff begin to accrue sick time immediately upon employment. Staff are eligible to use sick time as soon as it is accrued. Departments are responsible for establishing a call-in process, communicating the procedure to all staff and monitoring sick time usage and accumulations. Paid sick time is not available for use after the maximum six-month approved leave status has been utilized within twelve-month rolling calendar. [2]   If application is made for Long-Term Disability (LTD), please contact the Benefits Office to ensure proper processing.

PROCESS

1. Requesting Sick Time: Staff should give as much notice as possible for absences to be used as sick time. When scheduling doctor's appointments, staff should schedule sick time off in advance, according to the department's procedures.

1. Calling in Sick: For unexpected medical absences (e.g. the flu), staff should follow the department's procedures for calling in. Failure to call in according to departmental procedures may result in performance improvement counseling (PIC) or discharge.

1. Using Sick Accruals: Sick time must be used to replace regularly scheduled work hours when staff miss work time due to illness or a medical appointment. However, in no case may staff sick time accruals reflect a negative balance. All accrued sick, vacation and personal leave accruals must be used before time is taken without pay (accruals to be used in this order). Staff who abuse the policy may be subject to Performance Improvement Counseling, up to and including discharge.

• Staff
• Hourly-Paid Staff: Staff would indicate hours not worked on their time record or designate the missed time to the appropriate accrual bank. If no accruals are available, staff will take leave without pay.
  
  
• Exempt Staff: The normal workday is defined by the department in terms of hours that the staff member is expected to be at work. Time away from the normal workday, as defined by the supervisor, is tracked to the appropriate accrual bank and is to be reported in no less than half-day increments. For example, when an exempt staff member misses half of the regularly scheduled workday, but less than the full regularly scheduled workday, one-half day of usage will be reported against the staff member's sick accrual bank. Time missed that equals less than one-half of the regularly scheduled workday is not reported.

NOTE: Approval to change the normal workday schedule must meet the needs of the institution and be approved in advance by the staff member's supervisor. [3]   Managers are charged to use their best judgment in monitoring sick leave reporting for exempt staff.

• Family Members: Vanderbilt recognizes that sometimes a family member's illness or injury requires the staff member's time and care. For that reason, Vanderbilt allows staff to use accrued sick time for the care of an eligible family member. If the time off is for the care of a family member with a serious health condition, such absence may be covered under provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Consistent with the "Medical and Personal Leave of Absence Policy, " eligible family members are defined as: spouse, domestic partner, parent, biological child, stepchild, adopted child, foster child and child(ren) for which the staff member has legal and/or daily responsibility. Sick time may be used for those family members in the following circumstances:

• the care of an eligible family member who is ill or injured
• accompanying an eligible family member to a scheduled medical or dental procedure or checkup
• attending to an eligible family member who is hospitalized

Staff may not use sick time for absences related to the care of other family members such as grandparents, siblings, or in-laws; however, staff may request time off as vacation or personal leave.

• Medical and Dental Appointments: Staff need to make appropriate arrangements in advance with their supervisor. Accrued sick time must be used for scheduled medical and dental appointments.
  
  
• Childbirth and Adoption: If staff have absences due to childbirth, adoption, and foster care placement, it may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as by state law. As provided in Vanderbilt's medical leave policy, a birth mother must use sick time for any period of her pregnancy or post-pregnancy recovery that is considered by her health care provider to be a period of medical disability. The father must use sick time when he is needed to care for his wife who is medically disabled due to pregnancy or post-pregnancy recovery.

For specific information regarding FMLA for pregnancy, childbirth or adoption, please refer to the "Medical and Personal Leave of Absence Policy."

1. Medical Absences When No Sick Time is Available: For staff who are unable to work due to a medical condition and have no accrued sick time, the accrual banks must be used in the following order: vacation, personal and holiday time.
   
   
2. Supplementing Reduced Work Schedules With Sick Time: If the staff member's health care provider requires him/her to reduce the regular work schedule temporarily due to medical reasons (i.e., during late-stage pregnancy), he/she will need to provide medical certification.[4]   If so, staff must supplement any missed work time with accrued sick time if appropriate. [5]
   
   
3. Payout of Sick Time: Unused sick time is not paid as a terminating benefit when staff leave Vanderbilt. The one exception is in the case of retirement. If staff retire from Vanderbilt after reaching the age of 62, they may be paid for up to 30 days of unused sick time. A "day" is considered to be 1/5 of the current regular weekly work schedule.

GUIDELINES

A companion policy is #HR012, "Medical and Personal Leave of Absence." For information about either policy, interpretation of FMLA-qualifying leave, medical leave, and other issues, please call your department Employee Relations Representative.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] In the record-keeping system, exempt staff accruals and usage occur in hours; for example, 15 days equals 120 hours for a standard 5-day/40-hour workweek. Accrual rates are prorated based on a percentage of full-time for exempt staff.

[2] Please refer to the "Medical and Personal Leave of Absence" policy, #HR012.

[3] Please refer to the "Alternative Work Arrangement" policy, #HR023.

[4] As referenced in the "Medical and Personal Leave of Absence" policy, time off under the FMLA may be taken as a continuous leave period, or for medical reasons, the leave may be taken on an intermittent basis or as a reduced work schedule, as long as the need to do so is appropriately documented. When FMLA leave is taken on an intermittent basis or reduced work schedule, both hourly paid and exempt staff may track usage by the hour. Each type of usage is counted towards the 12-week maximum available leave and is triggered at the beginning of the FMLA leave time.

[5] For missed work or reduced work schedules due to injuries which are compensable under the Tennessee Workers' Compensation Act, the supervisor must coordinate with Employee Relations to determine how to process the leave. Supplementation of workers' compensation weekly benefits with leave bank accruals (vacation, personal or holiday) is allowed; however, it is not required if the staff member is receiving weekly workers' compensation benefits.

Approved by  Darlene Lewis, Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources
Approved by Lauren Brisky, Vice Chancellor, Administration
Approved by Harry Jacobson, M.D. Vice Chancellor, Health Affairs