5.40 - Sick Leave Policy

Purpose

To describe the eligibility for and circumstances under which paid sick leave may be requested and granted.

Policy Statement

Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) provides paid sick leave benefits to all eligible employees that will need time off from work to address medical needs.

Use of Sick Leave

Sick leave may be used for an employee’s personal illness, injury, well-care, medical and dental appointments. An employee may also use their accumulated sick leave each year to care for a sick family member such as a child, spouse, parent, domestic partner, and parent of spouse/domestic partner and for their medical or dental examination and care.

Sick leave cannot be used in increments of less than fifteen minutes. For extended leave, provisions outlined in the Family Medical Leave Act policy will apply to the use of sick leave. Sick leave benefits are intended solely to provide income protection for the events listed above, and may not be used for any other absence.

Leave Accrual

Eligible full-time employees are entitled to sick leave benefits at the rate of 96 hours (12 days) per year (1 day for every full month of service). Employees who work 20 hours or more, but less than a 40-hour workweek, are entitled to a prorated allotment of sick leave for each month of employment. These employees will receive 60 hours (7.5) per year.

Full-time Professional Employees sick leave will accrual based on the provisions outlined in the Master Contract. Sick leave shall accumulate from year to year without limit.

Notification of Leave

Sick leave should be requested in advance when possible (e.g., elective surgery, medical appointments). In the case of illness, injury, emergency, or any other absence not approved in advance, employees are required to inform the supervisor of the circumstances as soon as possible.

Medical Certification

If an employee is absent for three or more consecutive days due to illness or injury, a physician's statement may be required to verify the illness or injury and its beginning and expected ending dates. Such verification may be requested for other sick leave absences as well and may be required as a condition to receiving sick leave benefits. Before returning to work from a sick leave absence of three (3) calendar days or more, an employee may be asked to provide a physician's verification that they may safely return to work.

Return from Leave

Within 48 hours after returning to work, the employee must submit their sick leave request to the supervisor if the leave request was not approved in advance.

Unused Sick Leave at Separation of Employment

Upon separation of employment, the full-time employee shall receive compensation equal to the number of accumulated days of sick leave in excess of ninety (90) days multiplied by the daily base rate of his/her job classification. The 90-day minimum will be decreased ten (10) days for every complete ten (10) years of service (no partial decades). No employee shall be compensated for more than two hundred sixty (260) days. This amount will be paid to the employee (or to a designated beneficiary in the event that death is the cause for the separation of employment) on the next payroll following the last day of employment.