Shared Leave
Benefit-eligible employees who need time away from work due to their own serious medical condition or to care for an immediate family member with a serious medical condition may apply for shared leave. Shared leave is intended to bridge any gap between when an employee exhausts their sick/annual leave and when they begin receiving other benefits such as disability coverage or workers' compensation.
Jump to information for donors.
Eligibility
Employees are eligible to receive shared leave if they:
- Need time away from work for a qualified reason.
- Have used all their available sick leave, annual leave and compensatory time.
- If leave is needed for the employee’s own illness or injury, they must have applied for wage replacement benefits through short/long-term disability or workers’ compensation. Eligibility ends once benefits become available through disability coverage or workers’ compensation. If leave is needed for a family member’s medical condition, this requirement is waived.
How to Apply
Submit the Shared Leave Application Form. Benefit Services will confirm your eligibility and provide guidance on any necessary medical documentation.
Compensation
Shared leave benefits are limited to four working weeks of leave (160 hours) within a rolling 12-month period. Employees who work less than full time are eligible for a proportionate amount of shared leave. For example, a half-time employee is limited to 80 hours of shared leave.
Employees on shared leave receive the full amount of their usual salary, just as if they were on sick leave.
Recipient Frequently Asked Questions
You must submit your application prior to the timesheet submission deadline for the pay period in which you need the shared leave. Please see the current Payroll Approval Deadlines calendar for the deadlines.
If you are requesting shared leave for your own serious illness or injury, then yes. One of the requirements of the program is that you have applied for other income replacement. Shared leave is only available until another benefit begins.
If the request is for a family member's serious illness or injury, that requirement is waived.
Donating to the Shared Leave Program
Employees who have accrued an annual leave balance above 40 hours may donate to the shared leave program. Donations may either be made directly to a specific shared leave recipient or be made to the shared leave pool for the use of any eligible recipient.
To donate, please complete the Shared Leave Donation Form.
Donor Frequently Asked Questions
Log onto VandalWeb, click on the Employee tab, then click on Leave Details under the Employment Details tab.
Please refer to Faculty-Staff Handbook 3710B for maximum leave allowances.
The minimum donation is 0.5 hours.
There is no set maximum donation, but you must not let your annual leave bank fall below 40 hours, unless you are leaving employment with the university and donating leave at that time.
No, you may only donate annual leave through the shared leave program.