About

Policy 1427 – Crisis Leave Program

Revision Date:  02/09/2023

Last Review: 02/09/2023

Responsible Office: Office of Human Resources

Reference:  ULS Policy FS-III.XXII.-1

Policy:

The Crisis Leave Program is a means of providing paid leave to an eligible employee who has experienced a catastrophic illness, serious injury, or personal emergency to themselves or eligible family member. The intent of the program is to assist employees who, through no fault of their own, have insufficient paid leave to cover the crisis leave period.

Definitions:

  1. Crisis Leave is leave hours donated by employees into a Crisis leave pool to be used by employees who are suffering from their own serious health condition or personal emergency which has caused or is likely to cause the employee to take leave without pay or to terminate employment. Employees may irrevocable donate annual or sick leave to the Crisis leave pool.
  2. Serious Health Condition (Family Medical Leave Act) is an illness, impairment, physical or mental condition, or injury caused by a serious accident on or off the job, that involves: 1) Any period of incapacity or treatment in connection with or consequent to inpatient care (i.e. an overnight stay) in hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; 2) Any period of incapacity requiring absence from work, school, or other regular daily activities of more than three calendar days, that also involved continuing treatment by (or under supervision of) a health care provider; or 3) Continuing treatment by (or under supervision of) a health care provider for a chronic or long-term health condition that is incurable or so serious that, if not treated, would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three calendar days; or for prenatal care.
  3. Personal Emergency means a catastrophic illness, serious injury, or a personal emergency incurred by a full-time employee participating in the institution’s leave-transfer program, or to the employee’s spouse or a minor child of the employee, which prevents the employee from performing his/her duties for a period of more than ten consecutive days which the employee is scheduled to work and the employee does not have sufficient annual, sick, or compensatory leave credited to the employee personally to cover the entire period of illness or injury.

Procedures:

  1. Crisis Leave for Employees
    1. Crisis leave shall be applied for by the employee and may be taken only when approved by the review committee and the campus president or his/her designee. The employee must provide written documentation of the need for leave. The review committee may choose to require an opinion from a health care provider, especially for extended leaves. Application for Use of Crisis Leave Form
    2. To be eligible to participate in the Crisis Leave Program an employee shall:
      1. Be a full-time employee who is eligible to earn annual or sick leave,
      2. Have completed at least (a) one academic year of service with the institution if employed on an academic year basis, or (b) one fiscal year of service with the institution if employed on a 12-month basis,
      3. Have used all sick, annual, and compensatory leave before requesting leave from the Crisis pool.
    3. Donating employees must retain a minimum balance of 120 hours of annual and/or sick leave after the donation. Leave Donation Form.
    4. Employees who use leave from the pool shall not be expected to pay it back.
    5. Donations shall come from “sick” or “annual” leave reserves.
    6. Donations shall only be allowed to the Crisis Leave Program pool and not to an individual. It is suggested that campuses address the process of granting leave as well as what will occur if the leave pool runs low.
    7. The maximum crisis leave that will be granted to an eligible employee is 240 hours during a crisis leave pool year.
    8. Days shall be transferred from the pool as used.
    9. Employees receiving workers compensation or benefits from a long-term disability insurance policy are not eligible to participate.
    10. This policy (and any policies adopted by campuses subsequent to this policy) shall not create a legal entitlement. Particular decisions to grant Crisis leave will be made at the campus level. If a university chooses to end its Crisis leave pool, any accrued leave would continue to be used through the pool until depleted.
  2. Compensation and Benefits
    1. The maximum monetary value of the crisis leave granted shall be seventy-five (75%) percent of the employee’s base pay customarily received in a regularly scheduled workweek.
    2. An employee on crisis leave will be considered in partial paid leave status and continue to receive benefits as appropriate.
    3. While off work on crisis leave, an employee is not eligible to accrue leave.
  3. Review Committee
    1. A review committee shall be appointed by the campus president to recommend approval/disapproval of requests for leave under the Crisis Leave Program.
    2. It is suggested that membership on the review committee shall be proportional to the participation by faculty and staff.

Classified employees are eligible to participate within the guidelines of the Louisiana Department of State Civil Service.

Policy 1427 – Crisis Leave Program

Revision Date:  02/09/2023

Last Review: 02/09/2023

Responsible Office: Office of Human Resources

Reference:  ULS Policy FS-III.XXII.-1

Policy:

The Crisis Leave Program is a means of providing paid leave to an eligible employee who has experienced a catastrophic illness, serious injury, or personal emergency to themselves or eligible family member. The intent of the program is to assist employees who, through no fault of their own, have insufficient paid leave to cover the crisis leave period.

Definitions:

  1. Crisis Leave is leave hours donated by employees into a Crisis leave pool to be used by employees who are suffering from their own serious health condition or personal emergency which has caused or is likely to cause the employee to take leave without pay or to terminate employment. Employees may irrevocable donate annual or sick leave to the Crisis leave pool.
  2. Serious Health Condition (Family Medical Leave Act) is an illness, impairment, physical or mental condition, or injury caused by a serious accident on or off the job, that involves: 1) Any period of incapacity or treatment in connection with or consequent to inpatient care (i.e. an overnight stay) in hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; 2) Any period of incapacity requiring absence from work, school, or other regular daily activities of more than three calendar days, that also involved continuing treatment by (or under supervision of) a health care provider; or 3) Continuing treatment by (or under supervision of) a health care provider for a chronic or long-term health condition that is incurable or so serious that, if not treated, would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three calendar days; or for prenatal care.
  3. Personal Emergency means a catastrophic illness, serious injury, or a personal emergency incurred by a full-time employee participating in the institution’s leave-transfer program, or to the employee’s spouse or a minor child of the employee, which prevents the employee from performing his/her duties for a period of more than ten consecutive days which the employee is scheduled to work and the employee does not have sufficient annual, sick, or compensatory leave credited to the employee personally to cover the entire period of illness or injury.

Procedures:

  1. Crisis Leave for Employees
    1. Crisis leave shall be applied for by the employee and may be taken only when approved by the review committee and the campus president or his/her designee. The employee must provide written documentation of the need for leave. The review committee may choose to require an opinion from a health care provider, especially for extended leaves. Application for Use of Crisis Leave Form
    2. To be eligible to participate in the Crisis Leave Program an employee shall:
      1. Be a full-time employee who is eligible to earn annual or sick leave,
      2. Have completed at least (a) one academic year of service with the institution if employed on an academic year basis, or (b) one fiscal year of service with the institution if employed on a 12-month basis,
      3. Have used all sick, annual, and compensatory leave before requesting leave from the Crisis pool.
    3. Donating employees must retain a minimum balance of 120 hours of annual and/or sick leave after the donation. Leave Donation Form.
    4. Employees who use leave from the pool shall not be expected to pay it back.
    5. Donations shall come from “sick” or “annual” leave reserves.
    6. Donations shall only be allowed to the Crisis Leave Program pool and not to an individual. It is suggested that campuses address the process of granting leave as well as what will occur if the leave pool runs low.
    7. The maximum crisis leave that will be granted to an eligible employee is 240 hours during a crisis leave pool year.
    8. Days shall be transferred from the pool as used.
    9. Employees receiving workers compensation or benefits from a long-term disability insurance policy are not eligible to participate.
    10. This policy (and any policies adopted by campuses subsequent to this policy) shall not create a legal entitlement. Particular decisions to grant Crisis leave will be made at the campus level. If a university chooses to end its Crisis leave pool, any accrued leave would continue to be used through the pool until depleted.
  2. Compensation and Benefits
    1. The maximum monetary value of the crisis leave granted shall be seventy-five (75%) percent of the employee’s base pay customarily received in a regularly scheduled workweek.
    2. An employee on crisis leave will be considered in partial paid leave status and continue to receive benefits as appropriate.
    3. While off work on crisis leave, an employee is not eligible to accrue leave.
  3. Review Committee
    1. A review committee shall be appointed by the campus president to recommend approval/disapproval of requests for leave under the Crisis Leave Program.
    2. It is suggested that membership on the review committee shall be proportional to the participation by faculty and staff.

Classified employees are eligible to participate within the guidelines of the Louisiana Department of State Civil Service.