Benefits
Sick Leave
Choose your elected leave type below to learn more.
The traditional sick Leave program is available to employees hired before January 1, 1999 and to all new faculty. It includes a disability retirement option for classified staff and VRS faculty.
Twelve-Month Faculty
In the Traditional Sick Leave program (non-VSDP), full-time faculty (1.0 FTE) on 12-month appointments accrue 30 days (240 hours) of sick leave per year at a rate of 10 hours per semi-monthly pay period. Part-time (at least .5 FTE) 12-month faculty earn sick leave on a prorated basis.
A maximum of 125 days (1,000 hours) sick leave may be carried over from one year to the next each June 24th; once the 1,000 hour maximum is reached, accruals will stop until leave is taken and the balance reduced. Faculty members are not reimbursed for unused sick leave upon retirement or separation.
New hires receive 80 hours of initial sick leave (on a proportionate basis for part-time faculty).
Eligible faculty may use up to one-third of their sick leave to care for members of their immediate family who are ill or incapacitated under approved Family and Medical Leave (FMLA). Personal leave time for reasons other than illness or a scheduled medical appointment should be recorded as annual leave.
Twelve-month faculty are required to submit a timesheet to record any leave taken during the associated pay period. If no leave has been taken, a timesheet does not need to be submitted.
Please note: Twelve-month faculty members on an Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) grant should check with their primary investigator to see if sick leave provisions are available.
See DHRM policy 4.55 regarding the use of traditional sick leave.
See University Policy 2232- Sick Leave Policy for Faculty under the Traditional Sick Leave Plan
Nine-Month Faculty
In the Traditional Sick Leave program (non-VSDP), faculty on 9-month appointments receive 30 days of sick leave per academic year. Nine-month faculty may accrue up to 125 days of sick leave. Faculty members are not reimbursed for unused sick leave upon retirement or separation.
Eligible faculty may use up to one-third of their sick leave to care for members of their immediate family who are ill or incapacitated under approved Family and Medical Leave (FMLA). Summer employment is not covered by sick leave.
Nine-month faculty members do not submit electronic timesheets. Non-FMLA sick leave taken should be recorded within the faculty member's department (office of the chair, director, or dean).
The traditional sick Leave program is available to employees hired before January 1, 1999 and to all new faculty. It includes a disability retirement option for classified staff and VRS faculty.
Classified Staff
Full-time classified staff accrue 10 hours per month. 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.
One third of the sick leave balance may be used for family illness under approved family medical leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Classified employees with five or more years of continuous service are paid for 25% of any unused sick leave at separation, up to a maximum of $5000.
Please note: Use of sick leave may be subject to verification and approval. Read more about verifying sick leave.
For more information, visit the VSDP Sick Leave section on the general Virginia Sickness and Disability Program page.