The purpose of this policy is to establish criteria and standards for the donation of accrued sick leave to a sick leave pool in order to cover absence of a benefits-eligible employee necessitated by illness or injury of the benefits-eligible employee or an immediate family member (spouse, parent, or child) of a benefits-eligible employee.
This policy addresses a donation program whereby accrued sick leave may be donated to a sick leave pool for sharing with benefits-eligible employees in certain circumstances.
All faculty and staff who are eligible to accrue and use paid sick leave and who have been continuously employed as a benefits eligible employee for at least 6 months by Georgia Institute of Technology. The department of the recipient receiving donated leave is responsible for funding as the expense has been allocated in the employees’ salary. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned budget analyst.
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Family Member |
As defined by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): |
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Spouse |
The employee's legal husband or wife as defined or recognized under State Law for purposes of marriage in the State where the employee resides. |
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Parent |
A biological parent of the employee. An individual who stands or stood "in loco parentis" to an employee by providing primary day-to-day care and financial support when the employee was a child. Coverage does not include parents-in-law. |
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Child |
The employee's biological son or daughter under the age of 18. A legally adopted son or daughter under the age of 18. A foster child, stepchild or ward under the age of 18, legally placed with the employee. Any such child over the age of 18 if the child is incapable of self-care due to a mental or physical disability. |
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Incapable of self-care |
Requiring active assistance or supervision to provide daily self-care in three or more basic or instrumental "activities of daily living," such as grooming and hygiene, bathing, dressing, eating, cooking, taking public transportation, etc. |
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Physical or mental disability |
One that substantially limits one or more major life functions as defined under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). |
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Serious medical condition |
A serious medical condition is a health condition involving a serious illness, injury, impairment, or condition that is likely to require the employee's absence from work for an extended period of time longer than the amount of sick and vacation leave available to the employee, and the health condition is such that it is not medically appropriate for the employee to delay the absence in order to accrue additional sick or vacation leave prior to the absence. Some examples of such conditions include: advanced or rapidly growing cancers, acute serious illnesses, chronic life threatening conditions involving failure of bodily organs or systems (e.g., heart attack) or chronic conditions requiring extended rehabilitation such as back surgery. The absence may be continuous, as in hospitalization following surgery or an accident, or intermittent, as in period absences for chemotherapy or other procedures. |
This program shall be a donation program whereby accrued sick leave may be donated to a sick leave pool for sharing with benefits-eligible employees in certain circumstances.
| Shared Sick Leave Program | |
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| Becoming a member of the Shared Sick Leave Program |
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Recipient Eligibility |
Members may request shared leave when they have exhausted all available accrued vacation and sick leave. The employee or immediate family member must:
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Conditions or Circumstances That Do Not Qualify for Receipt of Shared Leave |
Employees may not receive shared leave in the following circumstances:
An employee employed less than one year is ineligible to receive donated leave. |
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Making Requests from the Shared Sick Leave Pool |
An eligible employee may request shared leave by submitting a submitting a Shared Sick Leave Request Form and Physician’s (FMLA) Certification Form from a licensed physician to the program administrator.
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| Shared Sick Leave Committee | |
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Committee Appointment and Membership |
A committee shall be appointed by the AVP of Human Resources or his/her designee to review requests for shared leave and to make the final determination of granting the requested leave. This committee shall consist of a representative from the Office of Human Resources, a member of the Faculty Benefits Committee, and a classified staff member. |
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Review Process |
The Shared Sick Leave Program Committee will review the request for shared leave within 5 business days of receiving the request. The Committee's decision to approve or deny a request will be by simple majority vote and may be the result of communication by email or phone or other means in lieu of meeting. A letter from the supervisor shall accompany the application. This letter can be of a general nature and does not need to include reference to the medical condition. |
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Notification of Approval |
If the request is approved, the program administrator will notify the employee that the request is approved and the date the employee will receive payment for the hours requested from the shared leave pool. |
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Notification of Denial |
If the request is denied, the program administrator will inform the employee of the denial. Requests which have been denied may be appealed in writing to the Chief HR Officer at Georgia Tech. |
The responsibilities each party has in connection with Shared Sick Leave program are:
| Party | Responsibility |
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| Shared Services Center | Maintain leave balances in OneUSG Connect Payroll |
| Georgia Tech Chief HR Officer | Ensure Compliance with policy |
| GTHR Benefits | Shared sick leave program administrator. Offer assistance to employees with policy interpretation |
To report suspected instances of noncompliance with this policy, please visit Georgia Tech’s EthicsPoint, a secure and confidential reporting system, at: https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/en/report_custom.asp?clientid=7508