1. Eligibility for a Leave of Absence
a. Employees who have passed their
probationary period of employment and who have obtained regular�� employment status may request a leave of
absence of time away from work.
b. Such leaves may be granted not more
often than once every twelve (12) months (defined as a rolling 12-month period,
looking back from the first day of the leave request).
c. The employee must apply for a leave of
absence, by indicating the length leave requested, the commencement date and
the return date in addition to any restrictions placed on them upon their
return.
d.�� Requests
need to be made at least thirty (30) days in advance of the intended date upon
which said leave will commence, unless prevented by extenuating circumstances.
e. Community Care
may request certification from an appropriate source to verify the amount of
leave indicated.
2. Approval
a. The employee's immediate
supervisor should assess an employee's request for a leave based on an analysis
that considers both direct and indirect costs against benefits to the team,
agency and the employee.
b. Time off for two (2) consecutive
weeks or less may be approved and administered by the employee's immediate
supervisor. All other requests must be approved by the employee's immediate
supervisor and the Executive Director and/or their designee.
c. A leave of absence, unless
specified elsewhere, may be granted for a maximum of six (6) months.
d.�� Requests for
extensions of the leave of absence will be considered on a case by case basis
and may not be for an amount greater than one-fourth (1/4) of the length of the
original leave.
3. Benefits While on
Leave
a. CarePET
hours do not accrue when an employee is on an unpaid leave.
b. If a leave of absence extends
beyond thirty (30) days, the employee's CarePET
accrual date will be adjusted accordingly.
c. Employees will not be considered for
individual merit or cost of living increases while on unpaid leave of
absence.� Consideration may be made upon
the employee�s return from leave.
d. For leave requests of less than thirty
(30) days, employees who are on an approved leave of absence may continue to be
covered by the agency's group insurance and retirement programs.� The employee will continue to be responsible
for any required employee or dependent contributions and the agency will
continue to pay the employer's contribution for group insurance and retirement
programs as applicable. After 30 days away from work on approved leave,
coverage would cease at the end of that month and the employee would receive
information regarding COBRA.
4. Reinstatement
a. If an employee returns from
a leave of absence in a timely manner, every effort will be made to reinstate
the employee to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced or
to a position with equivalent seniority status, benefits, pay and other terms
and conditions of employment.� However,
in some cases, for employee�s who hold a caseload and bill direct hours, the
employee�s hourly status may be altered due directly from lowering their
case-load while out on leave and the inability to return to a part-time high or
full-time caseload.
b. Because it may be necessary to hire
a replacement during an employee's unpaid leave of absence, reinstatement to
the employee's former position may not be possible.�
5. Termination
a. An unpaid leave of absence
may be automatically canceled and employment may be terminated if the employee
begins work elsewhere.
b. Employment may be terminated if
the employee does not return to work on the first normal work day following the
last day of the approved leave of absence, unless a request for extension has
been approved by the employee's immediate supervisor and/or the Executive
Director or their designee prior to the expiration date of the Leave of
Absence.
6. Responsibility
a. Administration of the leave of
absence policy is the joint responsibility of the employee, the employee's
immediate supervisor, the employee's team, and Human Resources.
b. Exceptions to this policy may be
made by the Executive Director and/or their designee when such exceptions are
considered to be in the best interest of both Community Care and the employee.
c. Official leave of absence records
and applicable benefits accruals and payments are maintained by Human Resources
based on the terms of the approved request for leave.
DEFINITIONS:
- An employee
initiated Personal Leave of Absence is an authorized written request for
an absence from work for reasons other than those mandated by law or under
another applicable policy such as bereavement leave or jury duty.
- Personal
Leave of Absence is a period of absence from employment requested by an
employee and approved by the employee�s immediate supervisor and/or the
Executive Director or their designee. Approved Leaves of Absence for less
than a month without pay will not result in a break in service.