VCOM Faculty Handbook

approval for medical leave beyond three consecutive days. If the employee knows that time away from work will be three consecutive days or longer, medical verification should be obtained prior to the leave. Medical leave may not be carried over into a different fiscal year. Employees are not compensated for unused sick leave when they leave VCOM. Using Medical Leave (Sick Leave) for Grief Employees may also use up to 80 hours (10 working days) of their medical leave for the death of a child, spouse, or parent, if not already using Family Medical Leave. Paid leave for the purpose of loss of a child, spouse or parent may not exceed 80 hours in a calendar year. Paid leave for the purpose of loss of a relative who is not a child, spouse, parent, who is living with the employee in their home and for whom the employee is the primary person responsible for the relative’s care may be considered by the Division Officer. Using Medical Leave (Sick Leave) for Disability Medical Leave may be used for absences related to a disability that prevents the employee from performing their duties. A disability may result from illness, injury, or health problems including those related to pregnancy or childbirth. Employees must furnish the Division Officer with a physician’s statement that outlines the extent of the disability and expected date the employee will be able to resume their normal duties. When these circumstances are known in advance, such as in cases of scheduled surgery or childbirth, an employee should give the supervisor advance notice of the event. The medical leave days can be combined with additional days for short-term disability (see the short-term disability section for details). Using Medical Leave Adjacent to FMLA Medical Leave may be used for the portion of time before and after childbirth if the need for such leave is certified as medically necessary by a doctor. Employees must furnish the Division Officer with a physician’s statement that outlines the medical necessity of the leave. Employees must submit an update every two weeks (or shorter if the leave is for shorter periods) if the total time exceeds the six weeks of leave normally provided for childbirth. Additional time off may be allowed under the Family Medical Leave Act (see the family medical leave section for details). 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

126