Sick Leave/Vacation

Non exempt and exempt employees can take leave for the number of days earned without regard to length of employment. Requests for annual leave should be submitted by the employee at least one month prior to a planned leave and must be approved by the employee's immediate supervisor and program director. Efforts will be made to approve desired annual leave dates subject to work requirements. Any exceptions must be approved by the Executive Director and Program Director.

Extended sick leave without pay will be granted for qualifying employees as mandated by the Family & Medical Leave act. All other sick leave is covered by the following provisions:

Sick leave with pay shall mean an employee's absence from duty is because of illness or injury to the employee or to a member of the employee's immediate family. Visits to the doctor or dentist may be counted as sick leave.

All staff members, when absent due to illness, are required to call their immediate supervisor daily and early enough in the day for other coverage to be arranged. Phone calls must be made within 30 minutes prior to starting time. The employee must make the phone call. Failure of a staff member to call may result in an unexcused absence for which pay will not be granted, or other disciplinary action may be taken.

A staff member absent due to illness under any one of the following conditions may be asked to provide a doctor's statement to verify the cause of absence:

An absence of three or more consecutive work days.
An absence in conjunction with a holiday, day of leave, week-end or program closure.
An absence subsequent to notice of resignation or dismissal.


Failure to provide a doctor's statement when requested may result in an unapproved absence, disciplinary action or dismissal.

One sick day per fiscal year can be converted to a personal day.

On June 30th of each year, non-exempt and exempt employees may carry over up to five days of unused sick leave for use during the next fiscal year. Carried over sick leave is available for one (1) fiscal year.

To help employees through the period of bereavement, CARC employees may take either annual leave or sick leave up to two days to attend services. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Executive Director.

The agency directors have the authority to place a staff person on medical leave if it is feared that the employee has a currently contagious disease for which medical confirmation is needed. Sick leave or annual leave must be used and expenses incurred are to be born by the employee. (See Communicable Diseases, Section 501.)

The Executive Director and Program Director shall authorize leave with pay when a full time employee is summoned to appear in court as a juror or as a witness on behalf of the United States, the District of Columbia, a state or local government or the agency. Any employee called for jury duty must notify his/her supervisor. The following procedures also apply:

• Before court leave will be granted, the employee must show his/her supervisor the order or subpoena which requires attendance in court.
• Upon completion of court leave, the employee submits a certificate of attendance in court signed by an appropriate court official.
• Any fee received for jury duty performance on workdays shall be retained by the employee.
• If the employee is excused from jury duty by noon on a given day the employee shall report to work immediately if his/her shift is still in progress.

Full time staff members may take leave without pay with the prior approval of his/her supervisor and the Executive Director. Each request is considered on its merits and in accordance with the needs of the agency. While on leave without pay, staff does not accrue benefits such as annual leave. If an employee wishes medical insurance coverage to continue, he/she is responsible for the full cost. The maximum period of time a staff person can be on non-medical leave without pay is six weeks. Exceptions may be made for military service required by government action. Any other exceptions must be approved by the Executive Director. For further exceptions, see Family and Medical Leave Act.

Unauthorized and unreported absences shall be considered absent without leave, and deduction of pay shall be made for the period of absence and also may be cause for disciplinary action. (See Behavior of Employees, Section 801 and Disciplinary Procedures, Section 806.)

If an employee is granted a special non-medical leave of absence, every effort will be made to hold the position open for the period of the approved leave. However, due to business needs, it is not possible to guarantee reinstatement. Every effort will be made to place the employee in a comparable position for which he/she is qualified. If one is available and the employee does not accept the position offered, the employee will be considered to have voluntarily terminated his/her employment, effective the day such offer and refusal are made.

Maternity leave will be granted in accordance with sick, annual, and/or Family & Medical Leave Act provisions upon qualifying circumstances. No employee shall be compelled, coerced or ordered to begin maternity leave at any time during the period of pregnancy unless, if in the opinion of the Program Director, the staff member's condition is interfering with her job performance, in which case a healthcare provider will set the starting date of the maternity leave.

For more information contact Hildy LeJeune at 337-433-3620 ext. 220 or hlejeune@.