Hardship Leave These provisions shall apply for the purpose of allowing employees to donate accrued vacation leaves and compensatory time for use by eligible recipients as sick leave. Agencies will allow employees to make donations of accumulated compensatory time or vacation leave, not to exceed the hours necessary to cover for the qualifying absence as provided in paragraph (d), to a coworker in that Agency or different Agency. To donate to a specific employee in a different Agency, the employee (donor) must submit a written request to their appointing authority/designee. The appointing authority or designee from both the donor’s and recipient’s agencies may authorize the transfer of donated leave between agencies, subject to restrictions on the use of dedicated funding sources and/or other legitimate business reasons. Authorization for transfer of donated leave shall not be unreasonably denied. For purposes of this Agreement, hardship leave donations will be administered under the following stipulations and the terms of this Agreement shall be strictly enforced with no exceptions.
(a) The recipient and donor must be regular employees.
(b) The Employer shall not assume any tax liabilities that would otherwise accrue to the employee.
(c) Use of donated leave shall be consistent with those provisions found under Article 56, Section 2.
(d) Applications for hardship leave shall be in writing and sent to the Agency’s Personnel Section and accompanied by the treating physician/practitioner’s written statement certifying that the illness or injury will continue for at least fifteen (15) days following donee’s projected exhausting of the accumulated leave and the total leave is at least thirty (30) consecutive calendar days of absence in combination of paid and unpaid leave. Donated leave may be used intermittently for the same event after the employee has satisfied the eligibility requirements to receive donated leave.
(e) Donations shall be credited at the recipient’s current regular hourly rate of pay.
(f) Accumulated leave includes but is not limited to sick, vacation, personal, and compensatory leave accruals.
(g) Employees otherwise eligible for or receiving workers’ compensation will not be considered eligible to receive donations under this agreement.
Maternity Disability Leave Parental Leave
Personal Illness or Disability The bargaining unit member may use all or any portion of his/her leave to recover from his/her own illness or disability, or for the illness or disability of any member of his/her immediate family as defined below, which shall include all disabilities caused or contributed to by pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth and recovery.
Financial Hardship (a) A Financial Hardship distribution may only be made on account of an immediate and heavy financial need of the Participant, and where the distribution is necessary to satisfy the immediate and heavy financial need. A Financial Hardship distribution will only be considered as necessary to satisfy an immediate and heavy financial need of the Participant if the distribution is not in excess of the amount of the immediate and heavy financial need (including amounts necessary to pay any federal, state or local income taxes or penalties reasonably anticipated to result from the distribution);
(b) Financial Hardship shall be determined in accordance with Code Section 403(b), and the regulations thereunder, and the Employer’s or Custodian’s hardship policy and procedures, if applicable. The following are the only financial needs considered immediate and heavy:
(1) expenses incurred (or necessary to obtain) for medical care that would be deductible under Code Section 213(d), determined without regard to the limitations in Code Section 213(a) (relating to the applicable percentage of adjusted gross income and the recipients of the medical care) provided that, if the recipient of the medical care is not listed in Code Section 213(a), the recipient is a primary beneficiary under the Plan (as that term is defined in Treas. Reg. 1 401(k)-1(d)(3)(ii)(C);
(2) costs directly related to the purchase (excluding mortgage payments) of a principal residence for the Participant;
(3) payment of tuition and related educational fees for the next twelve (12) months of post-secondary education for the Participant, the Participant’s spouse, children or dependents, or the Participant’s primary beneficiary;
(4) payment necessary to prevent the eviction of the Participant from, or a foreclosure on the mortgage of, the Participant’s principal residence;
(5) payments for funeral or burial expenses for the Participant’s deceased parent, spouse, child or dependent, or the Participant’s primary beneficiary;
(6) expenses to repair damage to the Participant’s principal residence that would qualify for a casualty loss deduction under Code Section 165 (determined without regard to whether the loss exceeds ten percent (10%) of adjusted gross income; and
(7) expenses and losses, including loss of income, incurred by the Participant on account of a disaster declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provided that the Participant’s principal residence or principal place of employment at the time of the disaster was located in an area designated by FEMA for individual assistance with respect to the disaster.
Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness Leave a) Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness leaves granted to a permanent teacher, long-term occasional teacher or teacher hired into a term position under this Article shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, as amended.
b) The teacher will provide to the employer such evidence as necessary to prove entitlement under the Employment Standards Act.
c) A teacher contemplating taking such leave(s) shall notify the employer of the intended date the leave is to begin and the anticipated date of return to active employment.
d) Seniority and experience continue to accrue during such leave(s).
e) Where a teacher is on such leave(s), the Employer shall continue to pay its share of the benefit premiums, where applicable. To maintain participation and coverage under the Collective Agreement, the teacher must agree to provide for payment for the teacher’s share of the benefit premiums, where applicable.
f) In order to receive pay for such leaves, a teacher must access Employment Insurance and the Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) in accordance with g) to j), if allowable by legislation. An employee who is eligible for E.I. is not entitled to benefits under a school board’s sick leave and short term disability plan.
g) The Employer shall provide for permanent teachers, long-term occasional teachers and teachers hired into a term position who access such Leaves, a SEB plan to top up their E.I.
Unforeseeable Emergency In the event of a Participant’s Unforeseeable Emergency, such Participant may request an emergency withdrawal from his or her Account. Any such request shall be subject to the approval of the Administrator, which approval shall not be granted to the extent that such need may be relieved (i) through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise or (ii) by liquidation of the Participant’s assets (to the extent the liquidation of such assets would not itself cause severe financial hardship). A Participant may withdraw all or a portion of his or her Account due to an Unforeseeable Emergency; provided, however, that the withdrawal shall not exceed the amount reasonably needed to satisfy the need created by the Unforeseeable Emergency.
Pregnancy Disability Leave
A. Leave for pregnancy or childbirth related disability is in addition to any leave granted under FMLA or WFLA.
B. Pregnancy disability leave will be granted for the period of time that an employee is sick or temporarily disabled because of pregnancy and/or childbirth. An employee must submit a written request for disability leave due to pregnancy and/or childbirth in accordance with agency policy. An employee may be required to submit medical certification or verification for the period of the disability. Such leave due to pregnancy and/or childbirth may be a combination of sick leave, vacation leave, personal holiday, compensatory time, exchange time and leave without pay. The combination and use of paid and unpaid leave will be the choice of the employee.
Family Leave 1. An Appointing Authority shall grant to a full time or part time employee who has completed her/his probationary period, or if there is no such probationary period, has been employed for at least three consecutive months, an unpaid leave of absence for up to twenty-six (26) weeks in conjunction with the birth, adoption or placement of a child as long as the leave concludes within twelve (12) months following the birth or placement. The ability to take leave ceases when a xxxxxx placement ceases unless the need for additional leave is directly connected to previous placement.
2. New employees who have completed six full months of employment but remain within their probationary period may request the appointing authority to waive their remaining wait time for FMLA. Such request shall include submission of satisfactory medical evidence that demonstrates either a.) an existing catastrophic illness; or b.) a problematic pregnancy that prevents the employee from being able to perform the functions of her position. Any leave granted under this waiver will be charged against the employee’s FMLA leave as described in this section. The remaining rights and obligations under Section 8 shall apply.
3. At least thirty (30) days in advance, the employee shall submit to the Appointing Authority a written notice of his/her intent to take such leave and the dates and expected duration of such leave. If thirty (30) days notice is not possible, the employee shall give notice as soon as practicable. The employee shall provide upon request by the Appointing Authority proof of the birth or placement or adoption of a child.
4. If an employee has accrued sick leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, or vacation credits at the commencement of her/his family leave, the employee may use such leave credits for which he/she may be eligible under the sick leave, personal leave or vacation provisions of this Agreement. The Appointing Authority may, in his/her discretion, assign an employee to backfill for an employee who is on family leave. Such assignment may not be subject to the grievance procedure.
5. At the expiration of the family leave, the employee shall be returned to the same or equivalent position with the same status, pay and length of service credit as of the date of her/his leave. If during the period of the leave, employees in an equivalent position have been laid-off through no fault of their own, the employee will be extended the same rights or benefits, if any, extended to employees of equal length of service in the equivalent position in the department.
6. Employees taking an unpaid leave of absence under this provision will accrue sick and vacation leave benefits only for the first eight (8) weeks of such unpaid leave. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Agreement to the contrary, the family leave granted under this Article shall not affect the employee's right to receive any contractual benefits for which he/she was eligible at the time of his/her leave.
7. During the time an employee is on family leave, the employee shall be entitled to group health insurance coverage benefits on the same terms and conditions in effect at the time the leave began, provided the employee continues to pay the required employee share of premium while on leave. If the employee fails to return from leave, the Commonwealth may recover, as provided under FMLA, the cost it incurred in maintaining insurance coverage under its group health plan for the duration of the employee's leave.
8. During family leave taken in conjunction with the birth, adoption, or placement of a child, an employee shall receive his/her salary for ten (10) days of said leave at a time requested by the employee. The ten (10) days of paid family leave granted under this Section may be used on an intermittent basis over the twelve
Family Illness Leave An employee will be granted leave of absence for up to five (5) days per year without loss of pay or benefits for family illness. Additional family illness leave may be granted by the employer.
Disability Leave a. An employee who has suffered possible injury in the performance of assigned duties shall immediately undergo such medical examination as the appointing authority deems necessary. He or she shall not be considered absent from duty during the time required for such examination.
b. A regular employee who is unable to perform any appropriate work assignment because of disability incurred in the performance of assigned duties shall be entitled to the following disability leave benefits, in addition to those provided pursuant to the California Worker's Compensation Insurance Act.
(1) During any period of disability for which payment is not provided under Worker's Compensation Insurance, the employee shall be placed on disability leave with pay to the extent of any leave with pay which he or she has accrued. Such disability leave with pay shall be charged against the employee's accrued leave with pay.
(2) During any period of disability for which payment is provided under Worker's Compensation Insurance, the employee shall elect either:
(a) Retain any Workers' Compensation Benefits received during the pay period and receive full pay. The employee shall use their accrued sick leave, vacation CTO and HIL on an hour- for-hour basis to cover all hours the employee is absent from duty due to the work-related disability during the applicable pay period. Or,
(b) Retain any Workers' Compensation Benefits received during the pay period and receive a partial paycheck in an amount so that the partial pay and the Workers' Compensation Benefits added together are equivalent to the employee's full pay. The employee shall use their accrued sick leave, vacation, CTO, and HIL in an amount equal to one-half of the number of hours the employee was absent from work during the pay period due to the work-related disability. If, however, the amount of the Workers' Compensation Benefits is subtracted from the employee's full pay for the time off due to the disability, and the remainder is less than one-half of the amount of such full pay, then only the number of leave balance hours necessary to equal that remainder shall be charged.
(3) The choice of either (2)(a) or (2)(b) above shall be an irrevocable choice for the duration of the disability leave resulting from the work- related injury. However, if the employee returns to work for a period of at least thirty (30) calendar days, the employee may again elect to choose either option b.(2)(a) or b.(2)(b) for any subsequent disability leave taken as a result of (or relating to) the same injury.
c. All disability leave provisions of this section shall terminate when the employee uses all accrued sick leave, vacation, CTO or HIL balances, or upon the date of the employee's recovery from disability, receipt of permanent disability under Workers' Compensation Insurance, retirement, termination from County employment, or death.
