1. A. Computation

   1. 1. Employees who are in pay status for at least one-half or more of the workdays of the month shall earn sick leave for the full month. If they are in pay status for less than one-half the workdays, they shall earn no sick leave.
   2. 2. Employees shall earn sick leave while on sick leave, annual leave, or other authorized leave with pay. Employees shall not earn sick leave while on leave without pay.
   3. 3. Employees’ sick leave earnings are computed based on the number of hours in the employee’s workday.

2. B. Rate of Earnings

   1. 1. Five-Day Workweek Schedule of 37.5 or 40 Hours Per Week

      All employees in FTE positions shall earn sick leave beginning with the date of employment at the rate of 1¹⁄₄ workdays per month of service or 15 days per year. To determine the number of hours in a workday, divide the total number of hours an employee is regularly scheduled to work during a week by five (regardless of the number of days the employee actually reported to work).

   2. 2. Schedules Other Than a Five-Day Workweek of 37.5 or 40 Hours Per Week

      1. a. Law enforcement employees who are regularly scheduled to work 43 hours per week. Forty-three hours divided by five equals a workday of 8.6 hours;
      2. b. Fire protection employees who are regularly scheduled to work 53 hours per week. Fifty-three hours divided by five equals a workday of 10.6 hours;
      3. c. Part-time employees who are regularly scheduled to work 20 hours per week. Twenty hours divided by five equals a workday of four hours; or
      4. d. Full-time employees who are regularly scheduled to work 39 hours per week. Thirty-nine hours divided by five equals a workday of 7.8 hours.

      To calculate the sick leave earnings for employees working schedules other than a five-day workweek of 37.5 or 40 hours per week (including part-time, variable, and nonstandard work schedules), the agency must determine what a workday is for each such employee. To determine the number of hours in a workday, divide the total number of hours an employee is regularly scheduled to work during a week by five (regardless of the number of days the employee actually reported to work). Examples of such schedules could include:

3. C. Maximum Accrual and Carryover

   Full-time and part-time employees in FTE positions shall be permitted to earn up to 195 workdays. Full-time and part-time employees in FTE positions shall carryover from one calendar year to the next any unused earned sick leave up to a total maximum carryover of 180 workdays.

   Exception:

   An employee who changes from being full-time to part-time or from part-time to full-time, without a break in service, shall retain the sick leave hours previously earned. If this change results in the employee having a maximum accumulation in excess of 180 workdays, as of the effective date of the change, the employee shall not forfeit the excess. The employee shall retain this excess leave which shall be the maximum amount the employee may carry over into future years. If the employee subsequently reduces the amount of such leave carried over, the reduced amount, if in excess of 180 workdays, shall become the employee’s maximum carryover into future years. If the employee further reduces the amount of such leave carried over to 180 workdays or less, 180 workdays shall become the maximum amount of unused sick leave the employee may thereafter carryover. During the calendar year, an employee may earn sick leave in excess of 180 workdays; however, an employee may only carry over 180 days into the next year.

HISTORY: Added by State Register Volume 26, Issue No. 1, eff January 25, 2002. Amended by State Register Volume 34, Issue No. 5, eff May 28, 2010; State Register Volume 40, Issue No. 10, eff October 28, 2016; SCSR 48-9, eff September 27, 2024.