Leave of Absence, with or without pay, may be granted to CA staff members. Recommendations for leaves of absences originate in the Laboratory and must be reviewed successively by the Director and the Provost, who makes the final decision which is communicated to the Board of Trustees as an information item. Such leaves usually do not extend beyond one year.
Leaves of absence, other than for sickness or for military service, are not granted automatically but are intended for the mutual benefit of the University and the CA staff member. Leaves will not be granted unless satisfactory arrangements are made in advance to:
a. carry on the Laboratory duties of the CA staff member.
b. fulfill obligations to graduate students whose programs or theses are being directed by the CA staff member, and
c. fulfill obligations to committee assignments.
Specific dates for the leave must be specified in the request and should be made as far in advance as possible.
1. Leaves of Absence Without Pay
Leaves of absence without pay may be granted on recommendation of the Department Head with the approval of the Laboratory Director. Specific dates for the leave must be specified in the request and should be made as far in advance as possible so that Laboratory program will not be interrupted. Such leaves usually do not extend beyond one year.
CA staff members should make arrangements with the Benefits Office to repay premiums for applicable benefit programs.
2. Military Service Leaves
The University cooperates fully with CA staff members taking part in the reserve program of the military forces which calls for active duty.
The University will pay the CA staff member the difference between military pay and allowances and normal take-home pay for the required days of military duty.
When a member of the CA staff enters the armed forces, it is the policy of the University to grant, on request, a leave of absence to cover the term of service.
3. Medical Leaves
Short-Term Disability
CA staff are eligible for up to six months of paid leave if health problems prevent the individual from working. It is the responsibility of the individual staff or staff member to promptly notify the Laboratory Director, or immediate supervisor, of absence due to illness or disability.
If other members of the staff assume the duties of the individual on a temporary basis without additional cost to the University, no formal report of the absence beyond the Laboratory Director is required for absences of four weeks or less.
If the absence extends or is expected to extend beyond four weeks, a leave of absence beginning with the first day of absence should be requested by the individual, or if the individual is unable to make the request, by the Director of the Laboratory to the Provost for reporting to the President and Board of Trustees.
Long-Term Disability
If disability of a CA staff member extends or is likely to extend beyond six months, the Benefits Office should be contacted for information on applying for benefits under the Long-Term Disability plan and Social Security. (For eligibility, see Appendix IV.)
Short-Term Leave of Absence--Maternity
Absence due to temporary illness or disability caused by or contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth and/or recovery is covered by the short-term medical leave of absence policy stated above. Guidelines and procedures are:
1. A pregnant CA staff member is expected to remain on active status as long as she is able to perform the duties of her position without harm to her well-being or that of the unborn and that she return as soon as her health permits after the birth of the child.
2. Upon a request by the pregnant CA staff member and presentation of a statement from her physician giving the projected delivery date, a leave of absence with pay will be granted without additional medical certification for a period up to four weeks before the projected delivery date and six weeks following the birth.
3. Leave of absence in excess of the four weeks prior to the projected delivery date or the six weeks after the birth requires a statement of medical need from the attending physician.
In all cases, the CA staff member is expected to make suitable advance arrangements, with her Department Head.
Leave for purposes relating to child rearing is not to be confused with medical leave of absence relating to pregnancy and child birth. Leave for child rearing may be either annual leave (vacation) or leave without pay. Suitable arrangements are to be made in advance with the Department Head and the Director of the Laboratory.
4. Vacation Leave
The University provides vacation leave to CA staff members whose appointments are on an annual basis under the following conditions:
Eligibility
a. CA staff members holding appointments on an annual basis, with more than six months service, are eligible for annual vacation leaves.
b. CA staff members holding appointments on an annual basis receive annual vacation leave of 22 working days each year. Proportional allowances are granted to appointees with more than six months of service but less than twelve. Vacation allowances are granted on July 1 of each year.
c. Any supplementary employment during the annual vacation leave is contrary to University policy.
Scheduling
The Laboratory is responsible for scheduling vacations in order not to interfere with its research program and to insure that each CA staff member receives the appropriate vacation allowance during the appointment period. The scheduling preferences of CA staff will be considered, but vacations must never-the-less in all cases be scheduled to be compatible with the requirements of the Laboratory's program.
Carry Forward
All unused vacation up to a cumulative maximum of 22 days will be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next. Time thus carried forward will be used before time granted in the new fiscal year. Under no conditions will vacation leave which has been carried forward be eligible for payment in lieu of vacation.
Pay in Lieu of Vacation
Payment in lieu of vacation may be approved in cases of retirement or termination for any cause (resignation, death, etc.), in accordance with University policy.
Vacation time provided in the current fiscal year which, upon request of the Laboratory, has not been used at the end of the fiscal year will be compensated for at the rate of 0.2% of the annual salary per unused day.
To be eligible for payment in lieu of vacation a staff member must maintain and periodically submit records of her/his working schedule, such records to be maintained in a format acceptable to the Laboratory Administration as an adequate record evidencing the basis of the in- lieu-of-vacation payment in a way acceptable to auditors who monitor the financial transactions of the Laboratory. Neither vacation time nor pay in lieu of vacation can be granted prior to eligibility for vacation allowance. Payments for vacation not used (at the request of the Laboratory) in any fiscal year will be made in the first month of the following fiscal year.
5. Holidays
The University observes six legal holidays by closing offices and dismissing classes. They are: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. In addition, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day and, as stipulated by the University based on the calendar, the working days preceding or following Christmas Day and New Year's Day are granted as holidays.
6. Leave for Funeral Attendance
All CA staff are eligible upon employment for leave to attend the funeral of a member of the individual's immediate family (defined as parents, siblings, spouse, and children). The staff member will be granted an excuse from work without loss of pay from the day of the death of the family member until the day after the funeral, but not generally more than a total of three days. Leave for more than a total of three days may be granted at the discretion of the Director.
7. Leave for Jury Duty
The University recognizes the civic responsibility of staff members to serve jury duty and makes provision for them to perform such duty without loss of pay or benefits.
CA staff serving on jury duty who are absent from work for 80 continuous hours or less will receive their regular pay and are not required to submit proof of jury duty payment to the University. They must, however, notify the Laboratory Administrator of the call to jury duty as soon as it is received .
CA staff members serving on jury duty who are absent from work for more than 80 continuous hours must notify the department chairperson/school director of the call to jury duty as soon as it is received and are required to submit proof of jury duty payment to the Payroll Office. The CA staff member will receive the difference between the pay received from the court and normal base pay. The CA staff members fringe benefits will continue.
In all cases, the CA staff member is expected to report for regular University duty when temporarily excused from attendance at court.
Full cooperation is expected between the CA staff member, and her/his supervisor and/or department head to injure minimal disruption in the functional responsibilities of the unit.
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