• University and Academic Professionals (UAPs) and 12-month Faculty will be able to carry over up to four weeks (160 hours) of leave above the allowable maximum on January 10, 2022. 

• Any leave hours above the maximum carry over for the specific employee category plus the extra 160 hours will be subject to carry over limits on Jan. 9, 2022.

• The additional 160 hours carried over are not payable to employees upon separation from the university. Leave payouts for UAPs are limited to the maximum amounts contained in the Working @VCU Great Place policies.

• The hours carried over will expire on Jan. 10, 2024. Note: This means that employees will have two years, until 2024, to use the leave hours carried over.  

Updated: Tues, June 22, 2021

Leave

VCU has generous paid leave programs for faculty and staff, and Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL) is an essential category of leave covering faculty, staff, adjunct faculty and hourly employees. The purpose of PHEL is to provide a temporary emergency benefit rather than an ongoing expanded leave program. PHEL is activated at the state level by the Virginia Department of Human Resources Management; criteria for usage are also defined at the state level.

As of September 1, 2021, PHEL has been re-activated by the Department of Human Resources Management.  

All employees, including wage employees and adjunct faculty, are eligible for up to 80 hours of PHEL during calendar year (CY) 2021 to attend to their own medical needs and/or those of their immediate family members due to positive cases of COVID-19. The amount of PHEL for adjunct faculty and hourly employees is prorated based on average hours worked. If employees have already exhausted their 80 hours of PHEL that was allocated at the beginning of CY 2021, the reactivation of PHEL does not add hours to the original allocation of leave and employees will need to use their own leave (university/sick/personal/annual).

Criteria for using PHEL beginning September 1, 2021:  

Employees may use PHEL with their manager’s approval by submitting medical documentation which meets the following criteria: 

• Up to 80 hours of PHEL may be used to attend to an employee’s own illness due to a confirmed positive test for COVID-19. The employee’s return to the workplace must align with the VDH recommendations.  
• Up to 80 hours of PHEL may be used to attend to an immediate family member who has contracted COVID-19 through a confirmed positive test.  
• Up to 8 hours of PHEL may be used to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine and/or recover from side effects resulting from obtaining the vaccine.  

DHRM’s PHEL guidance provided prior to September 1, 2021 is not applicable. Quarantining due to a COVID-19 exposure and coordination of childcare/school arrangements are no longer covered by PHEL. These situations will need to be covered by the employee’s university, sick, annual or other leave type.   

Once the employee’s allotment of PHEL is used, employees may use appropriate and available personal leave balances or leave without pay. Employees who have used PHEL during the current leave year (since January 10th) may use the remaining balance of PHEL based on the above criteria. Employees who have used 80 hours of PHEL within the current leave year will not receive an additional PHEL leave allotment. 

*Medical documentation is required to access PHEL leave.  Employees who are positive for COVID-19 but asymptomatic may telework for the isolation period (per VDH guidance) provided the position’s duties are suited for telework. 

See also: Emergency Leave Guidelines