FILE:  GBRIBB

Cf:  GBRIB

 

MEDICAL LEAVE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

(SICK LEAVE BANK)

 

 

The Richland Parish School Board recognizes that major illnesses and catastrophic injuries may warrant the need for additional sick leave days.  The sick leave donation option provides a means for School Board employees to donate additional sick leave days to a colleague's sick leave account as a result of a serious illness or injury to the employee or employee's immediate family (spouse, children, father, mother, or legal dependent under employee's roof).

 

The term "day" is defined as a full contractual workday.

 

A serious illness or injury is defined as a "non-work related" illness that is anticipated to last for a continuous period of time of two (2) or more weeks as verified by a licensed medical physician.  Ordinarily, childbirth is not considered a serious illness.

 

DONOR ELIGIBILITY OF SICK/EMERGENCY LEAVE DAYS

 

  1. Only employees with thirty (30) days or more of accrued leave from previous years may donate from that account.  An employee with less than thirty (30) days of accumulated sick leave cannot donate any sick leave days.

  2. Employees may donate sick leave days for the current year only.  A maximum of ten (10) days may be donated.  In the event of extenuating circumstances, more days may be donated with the approval of the Supervisor of Personnel.

  3. Sick leave, once donated and used, is permanently removed from the donor's account.

  4. Employees wishing to donate sick leave shall complete the appropriate Act of Donation Form.  Said form shall be verified by the Personnel Department as to the donor's eligibility per items 1 and 2 listed above.

  5. Employees wishing to donate sick leave shall agree to irrevocably relinquish all future claims and rights to such donated sick leave, and hold the Richland Parish School Board harmless for such donation.  The days donated shall be permanently deducted from the total number of accumulated sick leave days the employee has on the date the donation is approved.

  6. No transfer shall become valid until all forms, verifications and signatures have been completed and signed by the Superintendent.

  7. All donations shall be in units of whole days; no fractional days may be donated.

 

RECEIPT ELIGIBLITIY OF SICK/EMERGENCY LEAVE DAYS

 

  1. Employees may use donated sick leave only for catastrophic illness or injury as defined by La. Rev. Stat. §17:1202 E (1) (6) for an employee or an employee's immediate family (spouse, children, father, mother, or legal dependent under employee's roof--as defined in Richland Parish School Board Policy Manual, policy GBRIB, Sick Leave).

  2. Donations shall be made to a specific employee.

  3. No employee may seek donations until appropriate documentation of eligibility has been received.

  4. In order to receive donated leave, the employee must be employed as a full-time employee in Richland Parish.  In addition, the employee must have exhausted all current and accrued sick leave and extended sick leave earned since employed in the Richland Parish School System.

  5. Those employees who receive annual leave must also exhaust all annual leave before becoming eligible for donated leave.

  6. Individuals are not eligible for the program once they qualify for Worker's Compensation and/or disability retirement.

  7. The maximum number of sick leave days that can be granted in any one fiscal year shall be the remaining number of workdays an employee is scheduled to work.  If more days are donated than are approved on the request form, the personnel supervisor shall hold the donation until it becomes known that the employee does not need more days to cover this illness/injury.

 

ADMINISTRATION OF SICK LEAVE

 

Recipients shall be required to complete and submit the appropriate forms to the Director of Human Resources (or designee).  The Human Resources Office shall process all requests with the attached documentation:

 

  1. The Richland Parish School Board Sick Leave Form completed and signed by the employee, administrator, and physician

  2. The completed Richland Parish School Board Act of Donation Form

 

The Director of Human Resources (or designee) shall review the recipient's application and verify that the recipient has used all sick leave, accrued sick leave, extended sick leave and/or annual leave.  The recipient's request for participation in the Medical Leave Assistance program would then be posted by the personnel office.

 

A donating employee at a higher or equal pay grade than the employee receiving the donated days (donee), may donate days at a one day donated/one day received rate.

 

In the event the donor's rate of pay is less than the donee's rate of pay, then the donee shall receive the fractional value of each day donated by comparing the salaries.

 

DONATION OF SICK/EMERGENCY LEAVE

 

Once a donor submits the Richland Parish School Board Medical Leave Assistance Program Donor Form, the Human Resources office shall verify the donor's availability of volunteered sick leave days.  (An employee must have at least thirty (30) sick leave days accrued from previous years.  A donor may donate a maximum of ten (10) days per year.)

 

Donation to recipient's account shall be made on the basis of date of donor form received.

 

New policy:  April 9, 2024

 

 

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:500.2, 17:1202, 17:1205, 17:1206.2

La. Civil Code, Art. 1541, Art. 1542, Art. 1833

Board minutes 4-9-24

 

Richland Parish School Board