Guidelines - Employee Leave

Guidelines List | Forms | Procedures

UNMC provides for various types of paid and unpaid employee leave. UNMC leave policies are based on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993, ADA, the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994, Nebraska Revised Statutes §55-160 et seq. §81-1391, Nebraska Family Military Act of 2007, University of Nebraska Central Administration and the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (3.4.2; 3.4.3; and 3.6).

It is the intent of UNMC to grant paid or unpaid leave to regular employees under appropriate circumstances. For regular part-time employees, the rate is adjusted according to the employee's FTE. All leave must be recorded in a manner prescribed by Payroll. A record-keeping system for leave usage must be maintained by departments. UNMC leave policies are based on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993, the Uniformed Service Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994, Nebraska Revised Statutes §55-160 et seq. and §81-1391, and University of Nebraska Central Administration Employee Absences and Crisis Leave Sharing policies and practices. The Employee Leave Policy includes: Administrative Leave, Bereavement/Funeral Leave, Civil Leave, Crisis Leave, Family Medical and Family Military Leave - FMLA, Holiday Leave, Inclement Weather, Injury Leave, Leave of Absence without Pay, Military Leave, Parental Leave, Sick Leave, and Vacation Leave.

Administrative Leave

Under certain conditions, administrative leave with pay may be granted in situations in which employees perform a community service such as volunteer fire fighters, volunteer rescue squad call and other specific instances. Individuals and departments should contact Human Resources – Employee Relations at 402/559-5827 for guidance in using this type of administrative leave. Documentation of the leave may be required.

Bereavement/Funeral Leave

When necessary, up to five consecutive workdays of bereavement/funeral leave may be granted in the event of a death within the employee’s immediate family. Notice of the need to use bereavement/funeral leave must be given in advance to the supervisor.

Civil Leave

All regular employees may be granted paid civil leave for the purpose of providing civil service, if the performance of such service is required during normal working hours. Paid civil leave will be granted for jury duty, election board duty, witness duty with a valid subpoena, court appearances regarding the affairs of the State of Nebraska or University, emergency civilian duty in connection with national defense or natural disaster.

Crisis Leave

Donations to Crisis Leave Bank

Employees may donate accumulated vacation leave of up to three (3) days for potential use in emergency situations by other UNMC employees, whose leave has been exhausted.

Requests for Crisis Leave

Regular employees, including-office service employees who have completed their probationary period, may be eligible to receive crisis leave when all of their available sick leave, vacation and floating/banked holiday hours, appropriate to the circumstances, have been exhausted and when they have a qualifying event for crisis leave.

Family Medical and Family Military Leave - FMLA

UNMC will grant up to twelve weeks of unpaid family/medical leave for any of the following reasons:

1. The employee’s own serious health condition that make the employee unable to perform the essential functions of the job.
2. A serious health condition of the employee’s spouse, child or parent or a person bearing the same relationship to the employee’s spouse.
3. Maternal/paternal concerns related to the birth and first year care of a child or adoption of a child, or the placement of a child with the employee for foster care.
4. A death in the immediate family.
5. Family Leave Due to a Call to Active Duty: This benefit provides 12 weeks of FMLA leave due to a spouse, son, daughter or parent being on active duty or having been notified of an impending call or order to active duty in the Armed Forces. Leave may be used for any "qualifying exigency" arising out of the service member’s current tour of active duty or because the service member is notified of an impending call to duty in support of a contingency operation.
6. Caregiver Leave for an Injured Service member: This benefit provides 26 weeks of FMLA leave during a single 12-month period for a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or nearest blood relative caring for a recovering service member. A recovering service member is defined as a member of the Armed Forces who suffered an injury or illness while on active-duty that may render the person unable to perform the duties of the member’s office, grade, rank or rating.

Holiday Leave

UNMC provides twelve paid holidays a year to all regular employees, who are in a paid status.

Banked - UNMC recognizes one (1) banked holiday, during which UNMC operations are open, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Third Monday in January. Banked holidays must be used within 12 months of being earned. Floating - UNMC recognizes four (4) floating holidays, during which UNMC operations are open; employees may use these days on or after the date on which they are observed, with supervisory approval. President’s Day - Third Monday in February, Arbor Day - Last Friday in April, Columbus Day - Second Monday in October, Veteran’s Day - November 11. Floating holidays must be used within 12 months of being earned.

Traditional - UNMC recognizes seven (7) traditional holidays where non-essential business operations are closed. New Year’s Day - January 1, Memorial Day - Last Monday in May, Independence Day - July 4, Labor Day - First Monday in September, Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November, Day After Thanksgiving - Friday following the Fourth Thursday in November, Christmas Day - December 25. Holidays falling on the first day of the weekend will be observed on the day before; holidays falling on the last day of the weekend will be observed the following day.

Inclement Weather

See Work Schedules (Policy 1005) At UNMC, in times of extreme/severe weather, natural or other disasters, essential employees may be required to remain on campus for an extended period of time or to report to campus.

Injury Leave

If the work-related injury or illness causes an employee to remain off work, up to 40 hours will be paid as injury leave during the seven (7) calendar day waiting period, pro-rated based on the FTE. Injury leave will not be charged to sick leave or vacation; the time reporting should be coded in a manner prescribed by Payroll.

The Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Act is found in Neb. Rev. Stat. §§48-101 to 48-1,118. Portions of the act which are specific to state workers’ compensation claims are found in Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 48-192 to 48-1,109.

Workers Compensation

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is self-insured through the State of Nebraska. For employees injured on the job, if the work-related injury or illness causes an employee to remain off work, up to 40 hours will be paid as injury leave during the seven (7) calendar day waiting period, pro-rated based on the FTE. Loss wage benefits are paid at 66 2/3% of the employee’s weekly wage, subject to the minimum and maximum per week allowed by Nebraska Worker’s Compensation laws, as long as the employee is unable to work. All reasonable medical and/or hospital expenses, related to the injury, are paid. If the employee is unable to return to his/her position, the individual employee is entitled to vocational rehabilitation services.

Leave of Absence without Pay

Regular employees may be granted a leave of absence without pay for maximum of one year, only when it is in the best interest of UNMC.

Military Leave

UNMC complies with the [Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)] and Neb. Rev. Stat. §55-l60 et seq. concerning the treatment of University employees with military obligations. In general USSERA requires employers to grant leave to employees serving in the United States armed forces and the various reserve units; protects applicants and employees against discrimination on the basis of military service in the areas of hiring, job retention and advancement; provides certain rights to re-employment upon return from leave; and extends health care and retirement plan coverage during military leave.

Nebraska Family Military Leave

The Nebraska Family Military Leave Act requires employers to provide up to 30 working days of unpaid leave to qualifying employees whose spouse or parent has been called to military service under federal or state deployment orders. Qualifying employees include any employee who has been employed by UNMC for at least 12 months, has provided at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12 month period immediately preceding the commencement of leave and is the spouse or parent of a person called to military service lasting over 179 days or longer with the state or United States pursuant to the orders of the Governor or the President of the United States. Employees requesting 5 or more consecutive days of leave shall provide at least 14 calendar day's prior notice.

Nebraska Family Military Leave Act

The Nebraska Unicameral enacted the Nebraska Family Military Leave Act effective April 4, 2007. Effective immediately, UNMC will implement the Nebraska Family Military Leave Act by providing unpaid leave to qualifying University employees who are spouses or parents of military service members under federal or state deployment orders.

Qualifying employees shall include any employee who:

• has been employed by the University of Nebraska for at least twelve months
• has provided at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours of service during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave
• is the spouse or parent of a person called to military service lasting over one hundred seventy-nine days or longer with the state or United States pursuant to the orders of the Governor or the President of the United States

Requests for Family Military Leave may be made to the employees immediate supervisor any time the deployment orders are in effect. Employees requesting five (5) or more consecutive days of Family Military Leave shall provide at least fourteen calendar days prior notice, and where able, will consult with the supervisor to schedule leave to avoid work disruptions. For leave of less than five (5) consecutive days, employees shall give advance notice as practical. Certification/proof of the call to service, from the proper military authority, may be required.

Maximum leave allowable under the Family Military Leave Policy shall be thirty (30) working days of unpaid leave. The employee may elect to apply accrued vacation leave, compensatory time off, or floating or banked holiday during the leave period.

Employees involved in any of the University of Nebraska insured benefit programs may continue to participate in said programs and will receive continued employer contributions for the period of the leave. They are, however, responsible for their employee contributions required to maintain those benefits when on an unpaid status.

Upon expiration of the leave, the employee is entitled to be restored to the position held prior to commencement of leave or to an equivalent position.

If you have any question regarding the Family Military Leave please contact Brittany Barta at 402-559-5827.

Parental Leave

UNMC employees may be eligible for parental leave (unpaid or paid). Employees may be eligible for paid leave if employee has accrued sick leave and/or vacation leave. An eight-week total maternity leave period for pre-partum and post-partum care and recovery, during which time the employee will be excused from all duties, will be considered normal; however, more or less leave time may be taken based on individual health circumstances. Please refer to Policy #1001, Employee Leave Policy. Employees may be eligible for 5 days Paternity Leave under Policy #1001, Employee Leave Policy.

Sick Leave

Sick leave means the period of time during which the employee is incapacitated or unable, due to illness or injury, to perform the regularly assigned duties of his or her position. Paid sick leave means a period of time that the employee is paid his or her regular salary during a period of illness or injury. The period of time shall begin and end when medically indicated to the satisfaction of the appropriate administrative officer.

1. Managerial Professional Staff: Members of the Managerial-Professional staff shall accumulate one day of sick leave per month for the first two years of employment. After two years of service, sick leave balances will be restored annually on a calendar year basis for managerial/professional employees. In no event shall payment be made to managerial/professional employees with over two years service) or to academic/administrative employees for any one disability which exceeds six months (1040 hours) although such disability exist partially in one calendar year and partially in the next calendar year (i.e., overlaps from one calendar year to the next).
2. Office Service Employees: Office and Service personnel shall accrue sick leave according to the following schedule

Years of Employment	Hours per Months	Hours per Year	Days per Year	Hours per Day
1st through 5th year	8.00	96.00	12.00	0.26301
Beginning of 6th yr.	11.33	136.00	17.00	0.37260
Beginning of 7th yr.	12.00	144.00	18.00	0.39452
Beginning of 8th yr.	12.67	152.00	19.00	0.41644
Beginning of 9th yr.	13.33	160.00	20.00	0.43836
Beginning of 10th yr.	14.00	168.00	21.00	0.46027
Beginning of 11th yr.	14.67	176.00	22.00	0.48219
Beginning of 12th yr.	15.33	184.00	23.00	0.50411
Beginning of 13th yr.	16.00	192.00	24.00	0.52603
Beginning of 14th yr.	16.67	200.00	25.00	0.54795
Beginning of 15th yr.	17.33	208.00	26.00	0.56986
Beginning of 16th yr.	18.00	216.00	27.00	0.59178
Beginning of 17th yr.	18.67	224.00	28.00	0.61370
Beginning of 18th yr.	19.33	232.00	29.00	0.63562
Beginning of 19th year	20.00	240.00	30.00	0.65753
Maximum Accrual		1,440.00	180.00

Vacation Leave

Regular employees of UNMC shall be granted vacation leave according to the schedule of vacation leave accrual displayed on the leave procedure page.

Academic/Administrative Employees

Years of Continuous Employment	Number of Hours Accrued per Month	Number of Hours Accrued per Year	Number of Days Accrued per Year
1 & Thereafter	16	192	24

Managerial/Professional Employees

Years of Continuous Employment	Number of Hours Accrued per Month	Number of Hours Accrued per Year	Number of Days Accrued per Year
1-2	8.00	96.00	12
3-5	12.00	144.00	18
6 & over	16.00	192.00	24

Office/Service Employees

Years of Continuous Employment	Number of Hours Accrued per Month	Number of Hours Accrued per Year	Number of Days Accrued per Year
1-5	8.00	96.00	12
6	10.00	120.00	15
7	10.67	128.00	16
8	11.33	136.00	17
9	12.00	144.00	18
10	12.67	152.00	19
11	13.33	160.00	20
12	14.00	168.00	21
13	14.67	176.00	22
14	15.33	184.00	23
15	16.00	192.00	24
16 & over	16.67	200.00	25