Sick Leave Policy (405)

Category: TIME AWAY FROM WORK
Issued: January 1, 1993
Revised: July 1, 2004
Responsible Office: Employee and Labor Relations (212) 870-2801

Support Staff 1.  Regular support staff employees hired prior to October 21, 1994, will be paid   sick leave in accordance with the following schedule:

The above is modified as follows:

1. Effective October 1, 2001, employees shall be entitled to accumulate up to sixty (60) working days of sick leave during any one year, including the days earned or to be earned in the current sick leave year.  
2. Under certain circumstances, employees may be required to show proof of sickness from their own physician or a physician designated by Columbia University.  
3. Employees are required to notify their supervisor of any absence no later than one hour after the start of the employee's normal work day.  
4. Employees may not charge absences to unearned sick leave.  
5. Employees who exhaust their sick leave may be eligible to receive disability benefits under the New York State Disability Law.  After seven consecutive calendar days of absence, an employee should complete a New York State Disability Claim Form (DB-450) and contact the Return to Work Program with any questions.   Completed forms should be forwarded to: Disability Desk, Box 2, Central Mailroom, New York, NY  10027.
6. Employees must pass their service anniversary date and have returned to work in order to re-establish eligibility for a new sick leave period.  
7. The schedule in #5 and #6 shall be pro-rated for regular part-time employees by the number of days and hours they work per week.  
8. Employees do not earn sick leave during leaves of absence.  
9. Employees are not eligible for sick leave when ill during a vacation period.  
10. Accumulated sick leave is not paid upon termination.  
11. Those employees covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement shall follow the schedule as stipulated in their union contract. 

2.  Regular support staff employees hired on or after October 21, 1994, will be paid sick leave as follows:

1. Employees, after thirty (30) days of employment, shall be entitled to paid sick leave earned at the rate of one (1) days for each month of employment, retroactive to date of hire, up to a maximum of twelve (12) days per year.  
2. Employees, after one (1) or more years of employment with the University shall be entitled to a total of twelve (12) additional days of sick leave as of the beginning of his/her second and each subsequent year of employment, provided that at no time will an Employee be entitled to accumulate more than sixty (60) working days of sick leave during any one year, including the days earned or to be earned in the current sick leave year.

3.  All employees shall be entitled to use up to four (4) days of his/her sick leave each year for family illness (spouse, child or family member residing in the employee’s household).

4.  Support staff members may use accrued sick leave for their own medical or dental appointments, or for appointments for family members, as defined as follows:

1. employees must schedule the appointment with their supervisor at least one week in advance (except in case of emergency treatment);
2. sick leave must be taken in one hour increments;
3.  the supervisor may require documentation of the appointment;
4. approval for use of sick leave will not be unreasonably denied (under this section, use of sick leave may be denied if operational needs require the employee's presence or if the position must be covered on an overtime basis by another employee);
5. employees who have been given a written warning or who have been suspended for excessive absenteeism or tardiness within the previous year may be denied the use of sick leave for medical or dental appointments; and,
6. time taken for family members will be debited against the four days set forth in Section 1 or 2 above.

Officer Salary Continuation

Full-time officers (non-instructional) shall be entitled to salary continuation for up to six (6) months during any 12 month period when extended absence is caused by illness or accident.  Officers must be back at work for at least 12 months before being eligible for additional salary continuation.

While on salary continuation by Columbia University, employees who receive State Disability or Worker's Compensation payments must immediately remit these payments to the University.

FMLA

See The Family and Medical Leave Act for information.