Johnson County Community College
Series 400: Personnel
Section 419: Employee Benefits
1. Purpose
A Sick Leave Bank shall be established for eligible full-time employees.
The purpose of this Bank is to provide for sick leave assistance to those
members who experience a major prolonged illness, disability or injury, as
subject to the terms outlined in this policy. It is intended that the Sick
Leave Bank will provide an opportunity for eligible members of JCCC to
support themselves and one another in times of serious illness which
requires extended time away from work.
2. Eligibility
A full-time employee who is eligible to accrue sick leave time in
accordance with college policy 419.12d is eligible to enroll in the Sick
Leave Bank at any annual enrollment period if the employee has a minimum
balance of 80 hours of sick leave in his/her individual sick leave bank at
the time of the annual enrollment period. Participation in the Sick Leave
Bank is on a voluntary basis. The annual enrollment period for joining
this Bank will be held each September, with membership to be effective
October 1. Members may cancel their participation at any time by giving
written notice to the Sick Leave Bank Committee; however, sick leave time
contributed to the Bank will not be restored to the member upon
cancellation.
3. Enrollment Period
Each September, new members wishing to enroll in the Sick Leave Bank will
contribute eight (8) hours of their individual sick leave time to the
Bank. For continuing members, the Sick Leave Bank Committee will determine
annually the amount of sick leave contribution it projects is necessary to
maintain the Bank for the coming year, and will assess members a minimum
of four (4) hours sick leave to a maximum of sixteen (16) hours of sick
leave time. This time will be deducted from the member's individual sick
leave accrual account. If at any time the Bank balance should fall below
480 hours, each member of the Bank will be reassessed an additional four
(4) hours of sick leave time. Members will be notified if this should
occur. Once an employee has been a member of, and contributed to, the Sick
Leave Bank for (7) consecutive years, the annual assessment will be waived
for that member as long as the minimum four (4) hour assessment of the
remaining Bank members is sufficient to maintain the Sick Leave Bank
balance at a minimum of 10,800 hours that year. Should the Sick Leave
Bank balance not be maintained at a minimum of 10,800 hours through the
minimum four (4) hour contribution of contributing members, then all
members will be assessed such additional amount as determined necessary to
maintain the stability of the Sick Leave Bank. In no case, however, shall
the contributions of any member exceed twenty (20) hours total in any
given year. All time contributed to the Sick Leave Bank is non-refundable,
except as provided below if the Bank should dissolve.
Once enrolled, continuing members shall not be required to maintain a
minimum individual sick leave balance. However, should a continuing member
not have the required time to donate at each annual enrollment period
and/or not have the sick leave time required should a reassessment occur,
the member may remain a participant provided that the member donates the
required sick leave time to the Bank at the time he/she accrues his/her
monthly sick leave time as provided by college Policy 419.12d(2).
Alternately, a continuing member who does not have adequate sick leave
time available at an annual enrollment period or reassessment time may
donate personal and/or vacation time in lieu of sick leave time. Members
of the Sick Leave Bank who are on approved sick leave assistance time
during an annual enrollment period or at the time a reassessment is made
shall not be required to contribute to the Bank for that enrollment period
or reassessment time. However, the member shall be required to donate sick
leave time for all future enrollment periods or reassessment times if the
member wishes to continue as an active member of the Sick Leave Bank.
If at any time membership in the Sick Leave Bank drops below 10% of
eligible members, the Sick Leave Bank will dissolve and the remaining
hours in the Bank will be distributed equally back to the remaining
members.
4. Sick Leave Bank Committee
A Sick Leave Bank Committee, consisting of proportional representation from
the eligible employee groups (Bargaining Unit, Salaried and Hourly staff),
plus an ex officio member from Human Resources, shall be appointed by the
president of the college. This Committee will review and determine
approval or denial of requests for utilization of Sick Leave Bank days in
accordance with the provisions of this policy. The decision of the Sick
Leave Bank Committee to approve or to deny requests for sick leave
assistance will be final and binding.
A form shall be available in the Office of Human Resources for a member to
use to request withdrawal of sick leave time from the Bank. A completed
request form should be returned to the Office of Human Resources and, upon
receipt in Human Resources, it will be forwarded to the chair of the Sick
Leave Bank Committee. A decision on a member's request may be made by a
quorum of the Committee in the event that one or more of the Committee
members are not available to participate in the review. The Committee
shall notify the employee of its decision to approve or to deny the
request within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of the request.
5. Requests For Sick Leave Bank Time
A participating member may request sick leave assistance when he/she has
experienced a major prolonged illness, injury or disability, has exhausted
all personal sick leave time, and is not eligible to apply for benefits
under the college's long-term disability plan. The
member's illness, injury or disability must be supported by a physician's
statement which certifies the member's inability to work, provides a
prognosis for recovery and provides a projected time for return to work.
The member must agree to provide any relevant information in the event
verification is required by the Sick Leave Bank Committee or the Office of
Human Resources. Any employee who is not a member of the Sick Leave Bank is
not eligible to request sick leave assistance from the Bank.
A member who applies for sick leave assistance may request sick leave time
in an amount up to 360 hours maximum (45 working days based on a 40-hour
work week) in any rolling twelve (12) month period. The rolling period is
defined as the month the member requests sick leave assistance and the
eleven (11) months immediately preceding the member’s request. Subject to
the rolling year maximum, sick leave assistance time may be requested all
at one time or it may be requested intermittently, if medically necessary.
If requested intermittently, a separate request must be made each time sick
leave is withdrawn from the Bank, and each separate request must meet the
eligibility requirements specified in the paragraph immediately above.
If a member withdraws sick leave time from the Bank and is certified by
his/her physician to return to work before all the sick leave bank time is
used, the remaining balance of the sick leave bank time will be returned to
the Bank. If a member is not able to return to work following utilization
of his/her rolling year maximum sick leave assistance time, the member may
request an unpaid leave of absence in accordance with college Policy
419.12n - Extraordinary Leave. If an employee requests an unpaid leave of
absence following utilization of his/her rolling year maximum, the time on
unpaid leave of absence will not count toward the member’s new rolling year
period. That member’s new rolling year period will begin in the month that
he/she actively returns to work on a full-time regular basis.
6. Exclusions
The Sick Leave Bank is not intended to be used for short-term leaves due to
routine and non-extraordinary illnesses, nor for time off covered by or
related to Worker’s Compensation. Rather, it is intended to be used for
prolonged major illness, injury or disability such as medically necessary
surgery, illness or disability which requires hospitalization and/or
convalescence or recuperation in an extended care facility or at home
while under the care of a licensed physician.
In order to request sick leave assistance time from the Bank, the member
must have exhausted all of his/her own individual sick leave time. Sick
leave assistance may only be used for a member’s own illness, injury or
disability, and may not be requested for time off to care for any other
person.
Date of Adoption: 11/07/96
Revised: 61997, 6/18/98, 10/24/02, 12/15/05
