Special Announcements

  • Planning Time Off: Employees who regularly take leave are often healthier, happier, and more productive at work. Please work with your manager to schedule your time off from work now that the summer is upon us. To help you plan your personal leave usage, review your leave balances using your myVCU portal and RealTime before requesting leave. Your HR Professional is available to assist you with questions about your leave accrual.
  • 2024 Winter Break: Employees are required to use 16 hours of personal leave for the 2024 winter break (12/23/2024 & 12/31/2024). Employees must record all leave requests in RealTime. Your Timekeeper is available to assist you with submitting leave requests for planned time off or for this year’s winter break.

Leave

As an employment benefit, leave provides a way for faculty and staff to take approved time off from work for various reasons. Understanding your leave options will help you best prepare for any situation where you may need to use your leave such as vacation, illness, community service, or extended time away from work.

VCU provides various paid and unpaid leave options to assist eligible employees with managing their absences from work. VCU HR Leave Administration manages the university's leave programs and processes to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Your Leave Plan

Employees should reference the VCU Leave Guide for details on each type of leave as applicable to their employee class. The guide also contains guidance on requesting leave from your manager, timekeeping, general leave policies, leave accrual rates, employee responsibilities, and other commonly asked questions about leave.

For detailed information about your leave plan, contact your HR Professional.

Basic elements of leave plans for different employee classes are represented in the chart below. This information is presented in further detail in the VCU Leave Guide.

University & Academic Professionals

Faculty

Postdoctoral Employees

Classified Employees

  • University Leave
  • Short Term Disability (STD)
  • Parental Leave
  • Caregiver Leave
  • Enhanced Community Service Leave
  • Annual Leave
  • Traditional Sick Leave Plan (TSLP) OR Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)
  • Study-Research Leave
  • Educational Leave
  • Annual Leave
  • Traditional Sick Leave Plan (TSLP) OR Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)
  • Annual Leave
  • Traditional Sick Leave Plan (TSLP) OR Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)
  • Parental Leave for Classified Employees

Employee types listed above may also be eligible for the following types of leave:

  • Overtime and Compensatory Leave
  • Educational Leave
  • Bone Marrow and Organ Donor Leave
  • Military Leave
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  • Leave Share Program
  • Absences due to Worker's Compensation
  • Administrative Leave
  • Holidays
  • Office Closings
  • Community Service Leave (DHRM Policy 4.40)

Read more about each of these types of leave in the VCU Leave Guide.

 

Other Considerations

Using Leave Prior To Accrual

In general, managers should carefully consider approving the use of university leave before the employee earns (or accrues) it in order to avoid placing both the employee and VCU in the difficult position of requiring the employee to repay the university if separated. Managers should contact their HR Professional as soon as possible to discuss approval and use of university leave an employee has not yet earned which should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and for each pay period the employee continues to request the use of leave that an employee has not yet earned. There may be cases when the employee’s use of unaccrued leave is appropriate. However, these situations should always be reviewed by the manager with their HR Professional who will consult with the appropriate Central Human Resource departments for required guidance and actions.

Read more about ways to use your leave in the VCU Leave Guide.

Contact Us

For questions about leave usage, contact your HR Professional.

For questions about the VCU Leave Guide, contact VCU Leave Administration at leave@vcu.edu.