ANNUAL LEAVE

PURPOSE:

To outline the policy and procedures for University employees' accrual and use of annual leave.

AUTHORITY:

HEPC Policy Series 38; Board of Trustees Classified Employee Handbook, Section 7.1, 7.1.1, and 7.2; ; WV State Code 12-3-13

ELIGIBILITY:

All full-time regular classified and non-classified employees, and faculty or FE/AP employees with 12 month contracts are covered under this policy.

ACCRUAL RATES:

Non-Classified, Faculty Equivalent/Academic Professional (FE/AP) and Faculty Employees:

Non-classified, FE/AP, and faculty members with 12 month contracts are eligible to accrue twenty-four (24) days of annual leave per year, at a rate of two (2.00) days per month.

Faculty and FE/APs on less than a 12 month contract/appointment do not accrue annual leave.

Full-Time Regular Employees in Classified Positions:

Eligible classified employees earn years of service for annual leave accrual based on the total years of service with state agencies and/or state spending units. Annual appointment periods of nine (9) months or more shall be credited for one year of service for annual leave calculation purposes.

Classified employees are granted annual leave based on the length of service as follows:

Less than 5 years' service - 15 days leave per year, calculated at a rate of 1.25 days per month;

5-10 years' service - 18 days leave per year, calculated at a rate of 1.50 days per month;

10-15 years' service - 21 days leave per year, calculated at a rate of 1.75 days per month;

15 or more years' service - 24 days leave per year; calculated at a rate of 2.00 days per month.

Eligible employees who are employed at less than 1.00 full time equivalency (FTE) shall have his/her monthly accrual rate pro-rated accordingly.

Employees must be in an active payroll status and work the majority of the month in order to accrue annual leave. Annual leave is credited to an employees leave bank on the 15th of the month.

A person initially appointed to or separated from a regular full-time position may receive annual leave credit for the appointment/termination month, provided the employee was in an active payroll status the majority of the month. Employees do not accrue annual leave during a terminal leave period.

MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE ACCUMULATIONS:

Normally, annual leave may not be accumulated beyond one year's accrual. Accumulated annual leave may be extended above the amount normally earned in a one year period with the prior written approval of the appropriate Dean/Director. A letter of justification that outlines the reason(s) necessitating an increase in the maximum accrual amount and specifies the duration of the extension must be submitted to the Division of Human Resources by the Dean/Director prior to effecting the increased accrual.

An increase in the maximum allowable accumulation of annual leave will not normally be granted for a time period greater than one (1) year. An employees leave limit factor may be raised to one of the following three pre-defined levels; 1.3, 1.5, or 2.0. Accumulated leave may never exceed twice the amount earned in a 12-month period.

EMPLOYEES EARNING HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS:

No employee who is earning a higher accumulation due to pre-1979 Board of Trustees leave policies shall not have his/her accumulated leave reduced to comply with this policy. Upon leaving the position, the proper accumulation rate shall apply to the employee who fills the vacant position.

SCHEDULING AND USE OF ANNUAL LEAVE:

Annual leave usage must be approved in advance by the supervisor. Employees wishing to use accumulated annual leave may do so by pre-arranging his/her time away from work with the immediate supervisor, consistent with departmental guidelines.

Annual leave will be scheduled consistent with the operational needs of the unit. Consideration will be given to an employee’s request. Annual leave may be scheduled without the specific request of the employee if operationally warranted. Seniority will be considered by supervisors when arranging and approving vacation schedules or requests.

An employee may not use annual leave before it has been earned.

When Illness Occurs During Annual Leave:

If an employee is on a pre-approved annual leave and he/she is hospitalized or a member of his/her immediate family dies, conversion of approved annual leave to a sick leave charge is at the employee's discretion.

When an employee is scheduled for a pre-approved annual leave and is ill the previous workday, the overlapping period of illness, as determined by the treating physician, may be charged to an employees accrued sick leave. Conversion of the time is at the employee's discretion.

Annual Leave Usage for Sick Leave Purposes:

At the employee's request, annual leave may be used for sick leave purposes, provided that all available sick leave has been exhausted.

Personal Emergency:

An employee's absence from work due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a vehicle breakdown, frozen pipes, power outage, etc., will be charged to an employee’s available accumulated annual leave.

When a Holiday Occurs During Annual Leave:

A holiday occurring during an employee's pre-approved annual leave period is not considered as a day of leave.

Family Medical Leave Act Charges:

An employee's absence from work due to a condition that is qualified under the Family Medical Leave Act will be recorded as such. Employees will be required to substitute accrued/paid annual leave, until exhausted for such absences.

Record Keeping:

All annual leave earned/used by an employee must be recorded on the official University time sheet form. The hours earned/used should be recorded in the appropriate column(s) of the time sheet and submitted, along with any departmental leave request form(s), to the appropriate departmental administrator at the end of each month (cross reference Leave Reporting policy). Each individual department is responsible for keeping accurate records of an employees earned/used annual leave.

TRANSFER OF ANNUAL LEAVE FROM AGENCIES OF WEST VIRGINIA STATE GOVERNMENT TO WVU:

Up to fifteen (15) days of accumulated annual leave may be transferred from other agencies of West Virginia State Government and state higher education institutions to WVU. It is the responsibility of the employee to request for a transfer of annual leave within one (1) year from the last day of employment with the other state agency or institution. Certification of the annual leave balance from the losing state agency must accompany the request for transfer and bear the signature of an officer of that agency.

UNUSED ANNUAL LEAVE:

When an employee has been authorized for annual leave accrual beyond their annual maximum, and is hired by a different unit, the hiring unit may require the employee to use or receive compensation for the excess accrual at their current rate of pay by the originating unit.

Upon termination of employment an employee may opt to be paid a lump sum amount for any accrued and unused annual leave, or may remain on payroll until accrued annual leave is exhausted (cross reference Terminal Leave policy). When changes in the FTE of a position occur the employee will be expected to use accrued annual leave in excess of the new maximum accrual prior to or immediately upon conversion to the new FTE.

Upon retirement, employees meeting the criteria established by the plan administrators (PEIA), may elect to have any unused annual leave applied as a credit toward the premium for the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Plan.

In the event of an employee's death, any accumulated annual leave will be credited to the employee's estate.

Employees who die and are due additional pay will be paid as follows:

If an employee dies in mid-pay cycle, and vacation time is due them, add vacation days to extend the pay to the end of that pay cycle; and then pay the remainder of vacation and longevity, if due any, in a lump sum in the next available hourly payroll.

If an employee dies in mid-pay cycle, and no vacation is due them, the department will return the check and repay the correct amount. Prorated longevity, if due the individual, will be paid in the next available payroll.

PEIA health insurance for covered dependents ends the end of the month in which the employee dies.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Additional information or questions regarding annual leave accrual can be obtained by contacting the Benefits Unit in the Division of Human Resources at 293-5700 x4. Additional information regarding annual leave usage can be obtained by contacting the Employee Relations Unit in the Division of Human Resources at 293-5700 x5.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 1, 1999

WVU POLICY REFERENCE: http://www.wvu.edu/~adminfin/policies/hr_policies/WVU-HR-02.html