Human Resources

Twelve-month faculty use annual leave for vacation, personal business, or after they have exhausted all other types of leave. Annual leave will accrue after each semi-monthly pay period when a faculty member works the entire pay period or has appropriate leave to cover an absence. Please note: Faculty who are in a ‘leave without pay’ status during a semi-monthly pay period will not accrue annual leave during that pay period.

Annual Leave Carryover/Payout - On Jan 9th of each calendar year, unused annual leave hours that exceed the maximum carryover limits will be donated to the VCU leave share program. VCU pays 12-month faculty for their unused annual leave balances up to the maximum carryover/payout amount when they separate from employment, unless otherwise indicated in their contracts.

Annual Leave is submitted in RealTime for manager approval.

Twelve-month Faculty Annual Leave Plan*
Years of Service	Days Per Year	Hours Per Year	Maximum Hour Carryover	Maximum Hour Payout at Separation
Up through 14	24	192	288	288
15 through 20	24	192	336	288
21 or more	24	192	384	288

* Based on 12-month full time faculty.  Part time 12-month faculty receive a prorated amount in proportion to their faculty appointment percentage.

TRADITIONAL SICK LEAVE PLAN (TSLP) PARTICIPANTS

The Traditional Sick Leave plan is available to faculty members who participate in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP), and to faculty members who participate in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) but have opted out of VRS’ Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)

The Traditional Sick Leave Plan is not available to faculty members who participate in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP).

PERSONAL SICK LEAVE

Twelve-month faculty use personal sick leave for personal illness or injury and health-related appointments. Twelve-month faculty accrue up to 5 hours of sick leave each semi-monthly pay period in proportion to their faculty appointment percentage. Twelve-month faculty record sick leave in 4 or 8 hour increments, as appropriate. Faculty who are in ‘a leave without pay’ status during a semi-monthly pay period do not accrue sick leave for that pay period. There is no limit to the number of sick leave hours that faculty may accumulate.  The university does not pay faculty for their unused sick leave balances when they separate from employment.  After all sick leave is used, any additional time off for personal illness may be covered by annual leave, holiday leave balances, or ‘leave without pay’.

Twelve-month Faculty Traditional Sick Leave Plan (TSLP)*
Days Per Year	Hours Per Year		Maximum Carryover		Maximum Payout
15	120		Unlimited		Non-payable

* Based on 12-month full time faculty. Part time 12-month faculty receive a prorated amount in proportion to their faculty appointment percentage.

FAMILY SICK LEAVE

Twelve-month faculty may use up to 48 hours (6 days) from their sick leave balance for any illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member.  Please refer to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.  The annual limit is 48 hours (6 days) in a leave year, which is Jan 10th through Jan 9th of the following year.  Faculty may use up to 6 days (48 hours) of family sick leave to cover a short-term family illness.  Additional time taken may be covered by using sick leave (up to 33 percent of remaining sick leave balances), annual, holiday, or ‘leave without pay’. Annual, holiday, or ‘leave without pay’ must cover any additional time off for family illness that does not qualify for FMLA.

Childbirth - For absences due to childbirth, the childbearing parent may use sick leave to cover the period of time they are medically disabled (normally 6 weeks).  Additional time off may be covered by using available remaining sick leave (up to 12 weeks total including the disability period), annual, holiday, or ‘leave without pay’.  Please refer to VCU’s FMLA policy for additional information.  

Parental leave for non-childbearing parents and adoption/foster care - Non-childbearing faculty may access 100% (or up to 8 weeks) of their sick leave to bond with/care for a child. Annual, holiday,or ‘leave without pay’ may cover additional time off. This leave must be used within one (1) year from the birth or placement of a child and may be used consecutively or intermittently.  FMLA paperwork must be filed for parental leave use.  Please contact your HR Professional to receive the required FMLA forms for submission to VCU HR Leave Administration.  

PERSONAL SICK LEAVE

Nine and Ten-month faculty may use personal sick leave for personal illness or injury and health-related appointments. Nine and ten-month faculty accrue up to 48 hours of sick leave at the beginning of the fall and spring semester in proportion to their faculty appointment percentage. Nine and ten-month faculty record sick leave in 4 or 8 hour increments, as appropriate. There is no limit to the number of sick leave hours that nine and ten-month faculty may accumulate. The university does not pay faculty for their unused sick leave balances when they separate from employment.  After all sick leave is used, any additional time off for personal illness may be covered by holiday leave or ‘leave without pay’.

Nine and Ten-month Faculty Traditional Sick Leave (TSLP)*
Days Per Fall/ Spring Semester	Hours Per Fall/Spring Semester	Maximum Carryover	Maximum Payout
6	48	Unlimited	Non-payable

* Based on nine and ten-month full time faculty.  Part-time nine and ten-month faculty receive a prorated amount in proportion to their faculty appointment percentage.

FAMILY SICK LEAVE

Nine and ten-month faculty may use up to 48 hours (6 days) of their sick leave balance for any illness, injury or death of an immediate family member.  Please refer to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.  The annual limit is 48 hours (6 days) in a leave year, Jan 10th through Jan 9th of the following year.  Additional time taken for family illness that qualifies for FMLA may be covered by using up to 33 percent of the faculty member’s sick leave balance (with written approval of the Dean and VP), or by using holiday or ‘leave without pay’. Holiday or ‘leave without pay’ must cover additional time off for family illness that does not qualify for FMLA.  

Childbirth - For absences due to childbirth, the childbearing parent may use sick leave to cover the period of time they are medically disabled (normally 6 weeks). Additional time off may be covered by using available remaining sick leave (up to 12 weeks total including the disability period), or by using holiday or ‘leave without pay’. Please refer to VCU’s FMLA policy for additional information.  

Parental leave for the non-childbearing parent and adoption/foster care - Non-childbearing faculty may access 100% (or up to 8 weeks) of their sick leave to bond with/care for a child.  Holiday,or ‘leave without pay’ may cover additional time off. This leave must be used within one (1) year from the birth or placement of the child and may be used consecutively or intermittently.  FMLA paperwork must be filed for parental leave use.  Please contact your HR Professional to receive the required FMLA forms for submission to VCU HR Leave Administration. 

VIRGINIA SICKNESS AND DISABILITY PROGRAM (VSDP) PARTICIPANTS

Faculty hired Jan. 1, 1999 and later who participate in the Virginia Retirement System are automatically enrolled in VSDP unless they opt out, in writing, within their first 60 days of employment.

• Faculty hired before Jan. 1, 1999 had an opportunity to enroll in the VSDP during the initial election period and subsequent election period in 2002. Faculty who participate in the VRS may have elected to participate in the VSDP
• Faculty hired Jan. 1, 1999 and later may choose the VSDP at time of hire if they elect to participate in the VRS
• Part time faculty and faculty who participate in the VCU Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) are not eligible to participate in the VSDP
• Short-term disability income replacement (subject to approval):
• Faculty need to meet a 1 year waiting period before non-work-related disabilities are covered
• For faculty with less than 5 years of continuous VSDP coverage, income replacement is 60 percent
• For faculty with 5 or more years of continuous VSDP coverage, income replacement is 100 percent, 80 percent, and 60 percent, respectively, based on years of service, for up to 25 weeks beginning with the 8th calendar day of disability.
• Long-term disability income replacement (subject to approval) is at 60 percent of salary beginning at the end of short-term disability and lasting to the end of the disability or until eligibility is met for unreduced VRS retirement
• Faculty who enrolled in the VSDP during the initial enrollment period may have converted their existing sick leave balances to disability credits. Faculty may use these credits to replace periods of less than 100 percent income while on short-term disability. VSDP claims that begin within 5 years of eligibility for unreduced VRS retirement may continue for up to 5 years.

VSDP SICK LEAVE

Twelve-month & nine and ten-month faculty may use sick leave for their own short-term illness or toward the waiting period for short-term disability benefits.  Faculty may use up to 33 percent of their sick leave for a family illness covered by FMLA, with Dean or VP approval.  Faculty accrue sick leave based on their length of service. Sick leave accruals are credited at the beginning of the leave calendar year, and balances do not carry forward to the next year, and are not paid upon separation of employment.

Following are sick leave accrual rates for full-time and part-time faculty participating in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program.  *If hired July 10th or later, half of the annual amount is credited upon hire.

Sick Leave Accrual Rates for Faculty in VSDP
Up to 5 years of service	64 hours annually for .75 FTE or greater	32 hours annually for part time employees
5 to 10 years of service	72 hours annually for .75 FTE or greater	32 hours annually for part time employees
More than 10 years of service	80 hours annually for .75 FTE or greater	40 hours annually for part time employees

Childbirth - Childbearing parents in the VSDP may use 100% of their remaining available sick leave bucket to extend their time off, up to a maximum of 12 weeks including the medical disability period.  Annual leave (for 12-month faculty), family and personal leave, holiday, or ‘leave without pay’ may also be used. Please refer to VCU’s FMLA policy for additional information. 

Parental leave for non-childbearing faculty and adoption/foster care - Non-childbearing faculty in the VSDP may access 100% of their available sick leave bucket to bond with/care for a child, up to a maximum of 8 weeks.  Annual leave (for 12-month faculty), family and personal leave, holiday, or ‘leave without pay’ may also be used. FMLA paperwork must be filed for parental leave.  Please contact your HR Professional to receive the required FMLA forms for submission to VCU HR Leave Administration.  

VSDP FAMILY and PERSONAL LEAVE

Twelve-month & nine and ten-month faculty enrolled in the VSDP receive family and personal leave for absences due to family or personal illness, death of a family member or for other personal needs. Faculty accrue leave based on length of service, leave accruals are credited at the beginning of the leave calendar year, balances do not carry forward to the next year, and are not paid upon separation from employment.

Following are the family and personal leave accrual rates for faculty participating in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program.  *If hired July 10th or later, half of the annual amount is credited upon hire.

Family and Personal Leave Accrual Rates for Faculty in VSDP
Up to 10 years of service	32 hours annually
More than 10 years of service	40 hours annually

Study-Research and Educational Leave:  Full-time faculty may request either a study-research or an educational leave of absence.  Study-Research leave applies to faculty who are tenured with six (6) years of university service and have completed six (6) years of service since a previous study-research leave.  Educational leave is available to both tenured and non-tenured (i.e. tenure-eligible and term) faculty who have been employed by the university for at least one (1) year.  The faculty member must ensure compliance with the Study Research Leave and the Tuition Benefits, Educational, and Training Opportunities policies, as applicable. In addition, faculty must follow the respective school/department leave request processes. If the leave request is approved, the faculty member must sign an Educational Leave Agreement and Promissory Note or a Study Research Leave Agreement and Promissory Note.

1. Who should I contact if I have questions about my leave benefits?

1. Faculty with leave-related questions should contact their area’s HR Professional for guidance.

2.  I am a clinical faculty member and I would like to understand my leave benefits. Where should I go? 

1. Clinical faculty members who are dually employed by both VCU and MCV Physicians (MCVP) receive their leave benefits from VCU.  Here is a link to the benefits for Clinical faculty which includes a VCU/MCVP Benefits Comparison chart.

3. What is FMLA leave? 

1. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides job protection for absences that are due to a qualifying reason. Employees are eligible for up to 12 work weeks of FMLA coverage in a rolling 12-month period. FMLA is extended to 26 workweeks (1,040 hours) to care for a family member with a serious health condition when the spouse, child(ren), parent(s) or “next of kin” is a covered service member and the health condition is incurred in the line of duty on active duty.  During the FMLA coverage period, employees must use their own leave balances, or unpaid leave.  Please see VCU’s Family and Medical Leave Policy for more information.

4. When should I request FMLA leave, and how do I go about it?  

1. FMLA should be requested when you need to take leave for yourself or your family member for any absence that involves a period of incapacity of more than three (3) consecutive, full calendar days with follow-up treatment due to a qualifying reason.  It must also be requested when using personal sick leave to bond with or care for a new child. To request FMLA, contact your area’s HR Professional for the FMLA DocuSign forms.

5. Is my FMLA leave paid?

1. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that their group health benefits be maintained during the leave.  During the FMLA coverage period, employees must use their own leave balances, or unpaid leave.  Please see VCU’s Family and Medical Leave Policy for more information.

6. Are faculty members eligible to use the Leave Share Program?  

1. Faculty who participate in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP) may donate annual or university leave. However,

1. 1. 1. VSDP participants are not eligible to receive leave share donations to cover absences for their own personal medical condition. VSDP provides disability income replacement benefits for personal medical conditions
      2. VSDP participants are eligible to receive leave share donations to cover absences for family members’ medical conditions, if they are using approved FMLA for their family member’s illness, and they have exhausted their own leave balances, and they have entered a ‘leave without pay’ status.  Please see the Leave Share Program guidelines under General leave policies for more information.Faculty who participate in the Traditional Sick Leave Program (TSLP) may donate annual leave, and,

b. TSLP participants are eligible to receive leave share donations for their own personal medical conditions, if they have exhausted their own leave balances, and they have entered a ‘leave without pay’ status due to their medical condition. TSLP participants are eligible to receive leave share donations for family member’s illness, if they have exhausted their own paid leave balances, and they are using FMLA for their family member’s illness. Please see the Leave Share Program guidelines under General leave policies for more information.