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Major Disaster Donated Sick Pay Policy

 The Major Disaster Donated Sick Pay policy will be activated if there is a disaster declared by the President of the United States under §401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) or as a major disaster or emergency declared by the President pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §6391 for federal government agencies. Employees are eligible to apply for leave under this program if the employee can demonstrate that the disaster has caused severe hardship to the employee or to a family member of the employee that requires the employee to be absent from work and they have exhausted their own sick leave. Below are the program details:

Donation and Use of Sick Leave

  • Donation of sick leave is voluntary.
  • Donated sick time will go into a leave bank for use by eligible recipients. The donor is not permitted to specify a particular leave recipient.
  • Recipient identity will not be disclosed to donating employees.
  • The donation of sick leave is on an hourly basis, without regard to the dollar value of the donated leave.
  • Sick leave donations must be made in increments of 8 hours. The maximum donation is 40 hours from any individual employee. The donating employee must retain a personal balance of at least 80 hours after donation.
  • Recipients of donated sick leave may receive a maximum of 160 hours for any major disaster declared as described above.
  • Employees will be given the opportunity to donate sick time at the time a major disaster is declared. Leave donors will have a 3-month period following the major disaster declaration to deposit leave into the bank. A leave recipient must use any leave received from the leave bank within 3 months of receiving the donated leave. Human Resources may adjust the leave donation and use period, at its sole discretion, based upon the severity of the disaster.
  • Any leave deposited that is not used by leave recipients by the end of the period specified in the above paragraph, will be returned within a reasonable period of time to leave donors (who are employed by the University on the date donations are returned) so that the donor will be able to use the leave. The amount of leave returned to each leave donor will be in the same proportion as the amount of leave donated by each leave donor for the declared major disaster.
  • Those wishing to donate time should complete a Major Disaster Leave Donation Form and submit it to Human Resources.

Requesting Donated Sick Leave

Employees who would like to request donated sick leave are required to complete a Major Disaster Leave Donation Request Form and submit it to Human Resources. Recipients may only use this leave for purposes related to the declared major disaster. Requests for donations of sick time must be approved by Human Resources. Human Resources, at its sole discretion, will make a reasonable determination, based upon need, as to how much leave each approved leave recipient may receive under the program.

Approved by the EOC on March 27, 2020