Income Protection Time (Sick Time)

Scope

This policy applies to all Support and Service Staff employees.

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Policy Statement

1. Regular attendance is a condition of employment.
2. Income Protection Time is provided to protect income and to prevent loss of pay during personal and family illness, injury, or medical/dental appointments, personal emergencies that are not health related such as adverse weather or adverse working conditions, and other special non-emergent situations that cannot be handled during the normal hours away from the job.
3. 100% FTE, appointed employees earn 3.7 hours per eligible 80-hour period (see the Attendance, Absence, and Personal Emergency policy). This results in a maximum earning of 96.2 hours in a calendar year.
   1. Employees do not earn hours during a leave of absence, an absence without pay, or a layoff of more than 30 and no more than 90 days or a permanent reduction in force.
4. Appointed employees of 75% FTE or greater earn a prorated amount of hours, based on their specific FTE. Hours are not earned if the FTE is less than 75% FTE.
5. The amount of income protection time that may be used for any period of personal or family illness or injury is limited only by the amount of time accrued and the medical need to be away from work. 
6. Time accrued cannot be used before it is officially earned.
7. Earnings are accumulative from year to year.
8. Administrators may require confirmation of illness or injury through a licensed physician's statement before approving the use of income protection time. See the provisions in the Procedures section for details.

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Procedures

1. Use of earnings for personal illness, medical/dental appointments
   1. Employees may use accumulated income protection time after receipt of their first paycheck.
   2. Medical disabilities resulting from pregnancy will be treated as any other temporary medical disability.
2. Use of earnings for family care
   1. Earnings may be used so that employees can provide medical and dental care for family illness, injury or medical/dental appointments for members of the immediate family or household.
   2. Members of the immediate family or household are: spouse, same-sex domestic partner, unmarried child at home including the child of the same-sex domestic partner, or other relatives living with the employee. Parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and relatives of the spouse or the same-sex domestic partner of the same degree who are dependent on the employee for emergency care.
3. In addition to illness and injury, earnings may be used to cover the following:
   1. Personal emergencies that are not health related. These events will typically be unforeseen, will require immediate action, and are beyond the employee’s control. The employee must notify the supervisor as soon as possible as to the reason and expected time of return. The employee may be required to provide documentation on the nature and circumstances of the absence.
   2. Special situations that cannot be handled during the normal hours away from the job. Examples are: religious holidays not provided for in the university's holiday policy, funeral arrangements, marriage arrangements, legal matters, real estate transactions, university class attendance, etc. Any questions about the application of this provision should be directed to campus Human Resources.
      1. Requests must be approved by the department in advance of usage.
      2. Department heads are authorized to deny these requests with pay when there is evidence (1) the absence will cause an undue hardship upon the university in relation to employee's convenience or needs and (2) when the request is inconsistent with the provisions of this section of the policy.
      3. Department heads shall not deny such requests on the basis of undue hardship if requested at least 48 hours in advance, except on the basis of excessive numbers of requests for the same day.
      4. Denials must be made within two hours following the request, or 48 hours before the requested absence, whichever comes later.
      5. The employee may be asked for an explanation for the request so that the supervisor can make a decision consistent with the policy.
   3. Injury or illness in conjunction with Worker's Compensation
   4. Selective Service physical—a maximum of eight hours when orders require a physical exam
4. Confirmation of illness or injury
   1. Before approving the use of income protection time, supervisors may require confirmation of illness, injury, medical/dental appointment, or the need for family care through a licensed physician’s statement whenever any of the following apply:
      1. The employee has been absent three or more consecutive workdays.
      2. There is a pattern of absenteeism.
      3. There has been corrective action for absenteeism during the prior twelve months.
      4. The supervisor has a reasonable belief that the claim is dishonest and the absence is for a reason other than illness or injury.
      5. The employee has not followed campus or department attendance guidelines.
   2. In determining whether there is a pattern of absenteeism, absences approved by the university as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or taken under the provision of the Family Medical Leave Act cannot be considered.
   3. The university reserves the right to require a physician’s statement or other medical documentation to support a long-term absence, including FMLA, fitness to return to work, or continued ability to perform the assigned tasks, or to determine eligibility for other benefits or comply with any state or federal requirement.
5. Payment for unused accruals - Except as provided below for separations with IU Retiree status or at time of death, employees do not receive payment for unused accruals.
   1. Support and Service Staff employees that separate from the university with IU Retiree status, regardless for the reason of the separation or who die at any age and with any years of service, are entitled to receive pay for their unused income protection accruals, subject to the criteria below.
      1. 25% of pay for 152.0 through 312.0 hours
      2. 50% of pay for hours more than 312 hours.
      3. Accrued hours below 152 receive no pay.
   2. Refer to the, Retiree Status and Benefits policy for information about qualifying for IU Retiree status.
6. When income protection earnings are used, the exact number of hours, including tenths of hours, are reported and subtracted from accumulated earnings.
7. Unused vacation hours accumulate from year to year and will be paid upon separation up to specified limits detailed in this policy.
8. Employees who transfer from an academic appointment to a Support or Service Staff appointment receive, at the time of transfer, four hours for each month of the academic appointment.
9. A Professional Staff employee who transfers to a Support or Service Staff position will have any sick leave account balance transferred to an income protection account.
10. For converting Income Protection Time to Vacation see the Vacation policy.

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Sanctions

Managers, supervisors, and employees who violate this policy are subject to corrective action, up to and including separation.

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History

April 2018
Updated wording to clarify how full time equivalent (FTE) impacts income protection time accruals.

September 2017
Removes Affidavit of Domestic Partnership.

February 2016
Replaces the following policies:

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