HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT POLICY MANUAL
ANNUAL LEAVE
Policy 18
NOTE: THE LANGUAGE USED IN THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE AN
EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEE AND THE
I.
POLICY
The guidelines outlined in
this policy are designed to cover eligible classified and eligible research
grant employees.
A.
Full-time (40 hours/week) employees accrue annual leave at the rate of
10 hours per month (15 days per calendar year).
Full-time classified employees, who have more than 10 years of combined
State; Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA), a quasi-state agency; and
South Carolina school district service in a permanent position, accrue bonus
hours up to a maximum of twenty hours per month upon completion of twenty-one
(21) years of adjusted service.
B.
Part-time employees established to work at least 20 hours per week earn
annual leave on a pro rata basis. This
rate is derived by dividing the established work hours by 40 hours to determine
the percentage of the full-time rate they accrue. (Example: An employee is established to work
30 hours/week. Thirty divided by forty
equals .75 or 75%. 75% of 10 hours per
month is 7.5 hours. A 30 hours/week
employee accrues 7.5 hours of annual leave per month.). Part-time employees
accrue bonus leave on a pro rata basis.
C.
Bonus hours are credited monthly and begin the month following
each anniversary year beginning with the completion of ten years of adjusted
State, Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) and
D.
Research grant employees eligible to accrue annual leave hours are
covered by this policy with the exception of bonus leave accrual.
E.
Employees accrue annual leave on a monthly basis provided they are in a
pay status for at least one-half of the workdays of the month. Employees accrue annual leave while on annual
leave, sick leave or other authorized leave with pay. Employees do not accrue annual leave while in
a leave without pay status.
F.
Annual leave can be used once accrued and is scheduled at the
department’s convenience. Consideration shall be given, however, to the
employee’s preference.
G.
Annual leave will not be advanced.
H.
Employees are permitted to use a maximum of 240 annual leave hours (30
days) in any one calendar year.
I.
Employees who have used all available sick leave hours and 30 days of
annual leave may, with the approval of the President, use any remaining accrued
annual leave hours for absences due to Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) qualifying reasons.
J.
Annual leave will be charged to employees by proper notation on Kronos
for the actual time employees are away from the job.
K.
Annual leave may not be charged when a holiday is observed by the
University. If employees’ scheduled work
days are longer than the allotted holiday times, employees may use annual leave
or earned compensatory time for the remaining hours in the work day, with
supervisory approval.
L.
Employees are permitted to carry over a maximum of 360 annual leave hours
(45 days) from one calendar year to the next.
M.
Departments may establish more specific departmental policies and
procedures that fall within the parameters of this policy to address specific
concerns or needs. Refer to Section III of this policy for additional
information.
II. INFORMATION
AND PROCEDURES
A. Employees should complete a Request for
Leave form sufficiently in advance, except in emergency situations, to obtain
the necessary administrative approvals before the requested periods of annual
leave are to begin. The Request for
Leave form is available at http://www.musc.edu/hrm/forms/Leave_Request_Form.pdf.
B. In emergency situations, employees
should obtain verbal approvals for requested annual leave and complete a
Request for Leave form immediately upon return to work. The Request for Leave form is available at http://www.musc.edu/hrm/forms/Leave_Request_Form.pdf.
C. No “extra pay” in lieu of annual leave
will be paid.
D. Annual leave used for the serious
health condition of employees, employees’ immediate families (spouses,
children, parents), and for other Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
qualifying reasons, will run concurrently with FMLA.
E. Transferring Annual Leave
1. Reassignments, between departments, of
employees in classified positions will not change annual leave balances.
2. Classified and unclassified non-faculty
employees appointed to faculty positions
shall be paid for unused annual leave hours, not to exceed 360 hours (45
days). This payment will be made without
regard to leave taken during the calendar year.
3. Employees in faculty positions
transferring to classified and unclassified non-faculty positions have the
option of transferring all accrued annual leave hours; or, being paid for all
unused annual leave hours, not to exceed 360 hours (45 days). State service time as an FTE faculty employee
will be used to calculate bonus leave accrual.
4. Employees transferring to or from
another State agency may have accrued annual leave hours transferred, provided
there is no break in service as defined in Section II.F.
5. Employees transferring to a
6. Classified, unclassified non-faculty,
and faculty employees transferring to research grant positions and research
grant employees transferring to any FTE positions must be paid for
accrued unused annual leave hours, in accordance with Section II.H. of this
policy. Annual leave hours cannot
be transferred.
7. Employees transferring to the
University from a
8. Employees in research grant positions retain their annual leave
balances when they transfer to other research grant positions without a break
in service as defined in Section II.F.
F. Break in Service
All annual leave credits in
excess of 360 hours (45 days) are forfeited and may not be reinstated when
employees experience a break in service.
Employees experience a break in service under the following
circumstances:
1. When, transferring from one State
agency to another, employees do not report to work with the gaining agency
within 15 calendar days following the last day for which they were paid by the
losing agency;
2. By remaining in a leave without pay
status for a period of more than one year (365 days);
3. If, following a reduction in force by
the employing agency, employees are not recalled to classified positions within
12 months of the effective date of layoff;
4. By separation from State service and
subsequent reemployment, regardless of lapsed time, employees are considered to
have terminated from State service if paid for unused annual leave hours.
Exceptions:
a. Employees in a leave without pay status
for more than one calendar year (365 days) will not experience a break in
service if employees are on a military tour of duty with reemployment rights
under Federal and State laws.
b. In the event a disciplinary action,
such as suspension or dismissal, is set aside as recommended by a grievance
panel, the period in which employees are not on the payroll may not be
considered a break in service.
G. Crediting Service
1. FTE classified and unclassified
non-faculty employees, including Post-TERI/Post-Retirement rehires, are given
credit for the following for purposes of calculating bonus leave accrual:
a.
b.
MUHA service in an FTE position (effective September 2006); and,
c.
SC school district service in a permanent position.
2. Bonus annual leave accruals begin the month following an
employee’s cumulative service as indicated in II.G.1.
H. Termination Pay
1. Upon termination of employment or
transfer to faculty, temporary, research grant, student status, or to a
2. Upon retirement from State employment, employees will receive
a lump sum payment for unused accrued annual leave hours, not to exceed 360
hours (45 days). This payment will be
made without regard to leave taken during the calendar year.
3.
Effective July 1, 2005, employees who elect to participate in the Teacher
and Employee Retention Incentive (TERI) Program, receive a lump sum payment for
unused accrued annual leave hours, not to exceed 360 hours (45 days) at the end
of their TERI participation. This
payment will be made without
regard to leave taken during
the calendar year. TERI employees in FTE
positions continue to accrue State service; therefore, they continue to accrue
bonus leave.
4.
Different guidelines may apply to employees who elected to participate
in the TERI program prior to July 1, 2005.
5.
Post-TERI and post-retirement individuals rehired into FTE positions
continue to accrue State service and bonus leave. South Carolina Retirement Systems’ (SCRS and
PORS) retirees who return to State employment and accrue leave are encouraged
to use their annual leave regularly as they are not entitled to a second payout
for unused accrued annual leave.
6.
Upon the death of an employee, the designated beneficiary will receive
a lump sum payment for unused accrued annual leave hours, not to exceed 360
hours (45 days). This payment will be made without regard to leave taken during
the calendar year. This does not apply
to post-TERI and post-retirement employees who have been rehired (see Section
II.H.5.).
III. DEPARTMENTAL
POLICIES
A. Departmental policies must be approved
by the Department of Human Resources Management prior to implementation.
B. Departmental policies must be in writing, disseminated to
all employees, and posted in the work area.
If in-service training or orientation sessions are necessary to ensure
employees understand the policies, departments should keep attendance records
and signed documentation that employees received the information.
IV. FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
ACT (FMLA)
A. Employees who have been employed by the
State for at least one year, and worked 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months
are eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for the
following reasons: for birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster
care; to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child or parent) with a
serious health condition; or to take medical leave when the employee is unable
to work because of a serious health condition.
B. Refer to Human Resources Management
Policy No. 30, Family and Medical Leave Act, for additional information.
V. EXTENDED
DISABILITY LEAVE
A. An absence due to illness, injury or
maternity, which is not covered by accrued sick leave hours, may be covered by
accrued annual leave hours or leave without pay; however, the combination of
paid leave and leave without pay cannot exceed 180 calendar days.
B. A requested extended disability leave
must be approved through normal administrative channels.
C. Refer to Human Resources Management
Policy No. 20, Extended Disability Leave, and Policy No. 30, Family
and Medical Leave Act, for additional information.
VI. LEAVE
TRANSFER PROGRAM
A. Employees in classified and
unclassified non-faculty positions who work at least one-half time and have
exhausted all allowable accrued leave may be eligible to receive additional
paid leave for emergency situations through the Leave Transfer Program.
B. Employees in classified and unclassified non-faculty
positions and accrue leave may donate annual leave to the leave pool for use by
employees in need.
C. Employees in faculty positions can not
donate to nor receive annual leave from the Leave Transfer Program.
D.
Refer to Human Resources Management Policy No. 48, Leave Transfer
Program, for details and additional information.
VII. AMERICANS
WITH DISABILITIES ACT (
A. Certain illnesses/health conditions may
be protected as disabilities and, upon return from an extended absence, an
employee may require reasonable accommodation to perform the essential
functions of his/her job.
B. Refer to Human Resources Management
Policy No. 24, Reasonable Accommodation Under the Americans With
Disabilities Act (ADA), for additional information.
| Approved by: | Information Contact: | Revised: |
| Lisa P. Montgomery Vice President Finance & Administration | Department of Human Resources Management |
February 2008 |