VCOM Faculty Handbook

Short-Term Disability and Family and Medical Leave Benefits Employees may be eligible for certain amounts of paid medical leave and family leave under the Family and Medical Leave Policy, and in approved cases an employee may also be granted unpaid leave to extend leave time. All full time VCOM employees are eligible to participate in paid medical or family leave benefits. To be eligible for FMLA, an employee must have worked for VCOM at least 12 months and at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months immediately preceding the leave. Short-Term Disability All full-time employees are eligible for short-term disability in the event of a non-work-related illness or injury that exceeds 15 calendar days (10 cumulative business days). Depending on the severity of the illness or injury, short term disability may extend up to 11 weeks. If any employee is still unable to return to work following the exhaustion of the short-term disability benefit for the same illness or injury, the current short-term disability coverage may transition to become long-term disability. Employees must use their 10 sick leave days prior to receiving short-term disability benefits. Under short-term disability, once all sick days have been exhausted, the short-term disability begins. The use of the 10 sick leave days is designed to bridge the gap between the initial occurrence of the injury or illness and when the disability insurance benefit payments begin. The benefit that the employee receives is 60% of their calculated base weekly salary, not to exceed $2,500.00 per week, and less any FICA and pre-requested federal and state tax withholding. Employees will be notified in advance, by VCOM’s short-term disability insurer of determination and/or coverage period of a submitted short-term disability claim. The calculated base salary is defined as the employee’s annual salary divided by 52 weeks; excluding incentive pay, call-back pay, bonuses, or other forms of additional compensation. If a short-term disability claim exceeds 90 calendar days, the claim may transition to become a long-term disability claim. The benefit that the employee receives is 66.67% of their monthly salary, not to exceed $15,000.00 per month, and less any FICA and pre-requested federal and state tax withholding. Employees will be notified in advance, by VCOM’s short-term/long-term disability insurer of determination and/or coverage period of a submitted long-term disability transition claim. The duration of the benefit is subject to the guidelines of the long term disability coverage. The monthly salary is defined as the employee’s annual salary divided by 12 months; excluding incentive pay, call-back pay, bonuses, or other forms of additional compensation. Employees are responsible for all benefit premium costs while receiving short-term/long-term disability. Regarding health insurance, employees are required only to continue premium payments equal to those paid by the employee prior to the disability leave. All salary benefits are discontinued after the employee has utilized the 10 sick days and any additional approved annual leave days. Employees should furnish the Division Officer and the Campus Dean with a physician’s statement and signature on VCOM’s request form for short-term disability, verifying medical necessity for short-term disability leave that includes the reason and anticipated period of short-term disability leave, the exact restrictions, and the anticipated date of return. Prior to the occurrence of short-term disability leave, the form and additional documentation must be delivered to the Director for Human Resources and the employee should be prepared to discuss coverage for job duties, anticipated time of return, and other essential information. VCOM reserves the right to request a second opinion at any time should the Director for Human Resources and the Division Officer and/or the Campus Dean find the requested period exceeds that normally anticipated for the illness. The physician will be selected jointly by VCOM and the employee. In such cases, VCOM will pay the costs for the second opinion. All medical leave extending beyond 10 working days requires initial verification with repeat verification every five to 10 working days as determined by the Division Officer, Campus Dean, and the President. VCOM reserves the right to request updated medical verification at any time, as a requirement for paid leave or for unpaid extended leave. The employee is expected to communicate with the Director for Human Resources and the Division Officer on a regular basis, not to exceed two-week intervals, during this leave. Failure to provide verifications required and to check-in

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