| Revision/Review Date | Board Approval Date | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Policy
PIC recognizes that occasionally employees need to take unpaid leave in addition to their paid leave. Unpaid leave may be granted by an Executive Director if such leave is in the best interest of the employee and PIC.
Practice
- An employee may be granted paid or unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks per rolling 12-month period if an Executive Director determines that such leave is in the best interests of the employee and PIC.
- Any employee who wishes to take unpaid leave should speak with their supervisor as far ahead of time as reasonably possible. The supervisor will forward the request to HR who will forward the request with a recommendation to the Executive Director. An Executive Director will make the final decision whether to approve the request.
- Employees who lose eligibility for insurance coverage because of unpaid leave may be eligible for continued coverage under COBRA. Benefit premiums will be the responsibility of the employee.
- An employee who is on unpaid leave of absence from work because of illness may be asked to provide a health care provider’s certificate confirming her or his illness. Employees on unpaid leave for three or more days because of illness of themselves or a family member should talk with their supervisor who will consult with HR to determine if the employee must provide a doctor’s certificate prior to returning to work. A supervisor may request a certificate confirming illness after any unpaid leave of absence for medical reasons, after consultation with HR, if the absence appears to be part of a pattern of absences or otherwise suspicious.
- Generally, employees absent from work for six or more days for their own illness will be asked to provide a notice from a health care provider that verifies their ability to return to work. The health care provider’s certificates will be delivered to HR and maintained in a confidential file. HR will notify the employee’s supervisor of the notice.
- Although we will attempt to return an employee to the same or an equivalent position after an unpaid leave of absence such restoration is not guaranteed. Agency hardship or economic injury is justification for not returning an employee to the same or an equivalent position.
- Before using unpaid leave, an employee must first exhaust any available applicable paid leave.
- An employee’s total leave, paid and unpaid, may not exceed 12 weeks in a rolling calendar year unless required USERRA or other laws.