Benefits
Leave
Full-time classified staff earn annual leave in accordance with the number of years of state service. Part-time classified staff earn leave proportionately. Leave must be earned before it is used and may not be advanced. Once separated from employment, classified employees are paid for unused annual leave up to the allowable maximum. The chart below shows the hours earned per years of service and the allowable maximums for each category:
|
Years of Service |
Hours Accrued per Pay Period |
Hours Accrued per Year |
Maximum Carryover Limits |
Maximum Payment Limits |
|
Up to 5 years |
4 Hours |
96 Hours |
192 Hours |
192 Hours |
|
5 years |
5 Hours |
120 Hours |
240 Hours |
240 Hours |
|
10 Years |
6 Hours |
144 Hours |
288 Hours |
288 Hours |
|
15 Years |
7 Hours |
168 Hours |
336 Hours |
288 Hours |
|
20 Years |
8 Hours |
192 Hours |
384 Hours |
336 Hours |
|
25 Years |
9 Hours |
216 Hours |
432 Hours |
336 Hours |
Civil and Work-Related Leave (formerly Administrative Leave)
Employees are provided with paid leave when they are performing certain civic duties, and to employees who are participating in the formal resolution of workplace conflicts and certain other work-related activities.
Civic Reasons
Civil and Work-Related Leave is granted to the employee to fulfill the civic duties and functions listed below. Agencies must permit employees to be away from work for these purposes:
- As required by a summons to jury duty.
- To appear as a crime victim or as a witness in a court proceeding or deposition as compelled by a subpoena or summons.
- To accompany the employee’s minor child when the child is legally required to appear in court.
- To serve as an officer of election.
- To serve as a member of a state council or board.
- To attend his or her own naturalization ceremony.
Civil and Work-Related Leave is not granted for use by an employee.
- who is a defendant in a criminal matter, where criminal matter means either an alleged misdemeanor or felony.
- who has received a summons to appear in traffic court (except as a witness), or
- who is a party to a civil case, either as plaintiff or defendant, or who has any personal or familial interest in the proceedings.
Work-Related Reasons
Civil and Work-Related Leave may be granted to the employee for absences during scheduled work hours for the following reasons:
- To interview for other positions with the state.
- To participate in resolution of work-related conflicts or of complaints of employment discrimination.
- To attend work-related administrative hearings as a party or witness.
- To attend one initial session at DHRM’s Career Center and one subsequent visit per leave year thereafter.
- To attend one initial session with the Employee Assistance Program per qualifying incident. (Employees who are not eligible for the EAP because they have waived state health coverage may consult the third-party administrator to obtain a referral to other behavioral health resources).
Certain classifications of classified employees are eligible to earn overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when hours worked in a week exceed 40 and other classifications are eligible to earn compensatory time. Compensatory leave is granted hour-for-hour to those eligible. It must be authorized by a supervisor, preferably before the extra hours are worked.
The accrual of compensatory leave by employees who are exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA is at the University's discretion. This type of leave is not mandated by federal or state regulations. In general, when exempt employees decide to work additional hours without the request or approval of their supervisor, the work time does not accrue as compensatory leave.
Compensatory leave is also earned by any classified employee who is required to work during a regularly scheduled holiday. This leave is granted hour-for-hour for work done on the holiday regardless of the FLSA status of the classified employee.
Earned compensatory leave is tracked in a category much like annual and sick leave. Compensatory leave may be used for any reason at any time the employee is authorized to take leave from the University.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
George Mason University provides family and medical leave according to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of paid and/or unpaid leave per 12 calendar months for any of the following reasons: birth or adoption of a child; to care for a seriously ill member of the employee's immediate family (parent, child, spouse) or for the employee's personal illness. Employees must notify their supervisor,verbally or in writing, 30 days prior to the leave when possible; if not, the employee must give notice as soon as possible. It is important that the employee or supervisor notify Human Resources.
To be eligible, you must have been a State employee for at least 12 months and have at least 1,250 hours of service during that period. Employees may use a combination of annual, sick, overtime, compensatory and unpaid leave. Classified employees may use up to 1/3 of the sick leave hours accrued at the time of leave for the care of an eligible family member. Employees in VSDP may use family and personal leave for the care of an eligible family member.
The Human Resources Department will request an initial medical certification of a serious health condition from a health care provider/ practitioner and may request recertification every four weeks. For employees in VSDP, UNUM will coordinate FMLA-related absences. The employee will be reinstated to the same or an equivalent job with the same pay, benefits and terms and conditions of employment upon return from leave.
If the circumstances of the leave change, employees must notify their supervisor at least three working days prior to the date they intend to return to work. Before returning to work, a fitness-for-duty statement may be requested from the healthcare provider/practitioner.
Health insurance, life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending account benefits will be maintained during any unpaid FMLA leave under the same conditions as if the employee continued to work. Employees will be responsible for their portion of the premiums for health insurance, long term disability and supplemental life insurance during any period of unpaid FMLA leave. If the employee is on paid leave, premiums will continue to be deducted from his/her pay.
Details of the policy on FMLA are outlined in:
Family and Personal Leave
Employees participating in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP), are awarded family and personal leave every January 10. Family and personal leave is available to cover absences to care for an ill or injured immediate family member, for your own illness or injury, or to cover an absence for other personal reasons including bereavement leave. Approval to use family and personal leave should be sought from your supervisor as far in advance as possible.
Family and personal leave is awarded based on years of service. Employees with less than ten years of service are awarded 32 hours of leave and those with ten or more years of service receive 40 hours of leave. Unused leave expires as of January 9 each year. There is no payout of unused family and personal leave at time of separation.
Leave Without Pay
Classified employees may be granted periods of leave without pay with appropriate supervisor approval. Leave without pay will not be granted for more than 12 calendar months, except for extended medical reasons or active military duty. No annual or sick leave is earned during pay periods when an employee is on leave without pay. If an employee fails to return to his/her job at the end of the leave without pay, the employee will be separated from State service.
The University may grant conditional leave without pay, which does not guarantee reinstatement of the employee to his/her former position. Conditional leave allows the employee to retain prior sick and annual leave credits. Retirement contributions stop but life insurance coverage continues. Health insurance coverage may also continue but the employee may be responsible for the entire premium.
Unconditional leave without pay guarantees an employee reinstatement to his/her former position. (Military leave is always unconditional). Retirement contributions stop but life insurance coverage continues. Health insurance coverage may also continue but the employee may be responsible for the entire premium.
Military Leave
Classified employees are entitled to up to 15 work days of paid military leave in a federal fiscal year for each tour of active duty. In addition, employees may choose to use their annual, overtime or compensatory leave balances during this time. Any leave in excess of the initial 15 days or other paid leave will be considered as unconditional leave without pay.
If classified employees are members of any reserve unit of the Armed Forces or the National Guard, they are eligible for leave with pay for up to 15 workdays in a federal fiscal year, October 1 through September 30, for military duty which includes training. To qualify for reserve duty leave, employees must furnish their supervisors with copies of their orders or other documentation from a responsible military official. Only the dates specified in the orders may be charged to reserve duty leave.
Payment for Leave Balances
If you resign, retire or are terminated from the University, you will be paid for unused annual leave up to the maximum number of hours that can be carried forward at the end of the calendar year, based on the length of service. If you have five or more years of continuous State service when employment ends, and you are in the traditional sick leave program, you will also be paid for 25 percent of the unused sick leave or disability credits, not to exceed $5,000 (NOTE: VSDP participants are not paid for unused sick or family/personal leave). You will also be paid for any overtime and/or compensatory leave balances.
If you move from one classified position to another within the University, your annual, sick, overtime and compensatory leave balances will be transferred with you. If you move to a position in another State agency within Virginia, your annual and sick leave balances will be transferred with you, but you will be paid for your overtime and compensatory leave balances.
If you move from a classified position to an administrative faculty position, you will be paid out for unused annual, overtime, and compensatory time balances.
School Assistance and Volunteer Service Leave (formerly Community Service Leave)
Classified employees receive up to 16 hours of time off with pay per leave calendar year to provide volunteer services through eligible non-profit organizations within or outside their communities. Such service may be provided as a member of a service organization or through authorized school assistance.
Part-time classified employees receive this leave based on the proportion of a 40 hour week they work.
Sick Leave
Employees in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP) are awarded sick leave each January 10 based on years of service. The following shows the levels of leave awarded. Unused leave expires each year as of January 9.
Leave Awarded According to Years of Service:
- Less than 5 years = 64 hours
- 5 years to less than 10 = 72 hours
- 10 years or more = 80 hours
Part-time classified employees are awarded leave per the following:
- Less than 10 years = 32 hours
- 10 years or more = 40 hours
Under VSDP, there is no payout of unused sick leave upon separation from the University. If you have 5 or more years of continuous service, you will be paid for 25% of unused disability credits up to a maximum of $5,000.
Full-time classified staff not in VSDP accrue five hours of sick leave
per pay period. Part-time classified staff earn a proportionate amount.
Sick leave must be earned before it is used and may not be
advanced. An unlimited number of hours may be accrued. Classified
employees not in VSDP with five or more years of continuous service are
paid for 25% of any unused sick leave at separation, up to a
maximum of $5,000.