Absence Management
Sick Leave and Sick Family Member Benefits
As you accrue sick leave, you may use such sick leave to receive paid time off if you are unable to work due to illness or need to care for a sick family member.
The Benefit
An eligible employee accrues sick leave, up to a maximum of 108 days. The accrual depends on the employee's employment category (full time regular or term appointment, part-time regular or term appointment, or full-time temporary).
An eligible employee may use such sick leave to receive paid time off if the employee is unable to work due to their own illness or injury. An eligible employee may use up to 40 hours of their sick leave per payroll year to receive paid time off if an employee needs to care for an ill or injured family member and is unable to work. Use of the BSA Sick Family Member benefit does not reduce the benefit available under New York State Paid Family Leave.
Sick Family Member
Employees may use their sick leave accruals to care for an ill or injured family member. All regular full-time and eligible part-time non-bargaining employees may charge up to 40 hours of sick leave per payroll year (Dec. 21 to Dec. 20 of following year) using the sick family member code (SFM) with a minimum usage of two hours per occasion. Total time charged must also not exceed 40 hours, or the employee's part-time percentage thereof. For this benefit, a family member is a spouse, parent, dependent child, or same-sex domestic partner. For members of collective bargaining units, the terms of the labor contract will determine the benefits in this area.
Supervisors may require a medical certification or other documentation for the absence.
Eligibility
To be eligible for these benefits, an employee's regular work schedule must be 20 hours or more per week.
Definitions of Family Member Includes
- Parent: Biological, adoptive, step or foster father or mother.
- Dependent Child: Biological, adopted, or foster child, step child up to the end of the calendar month of his/her 26th birthday. Such children who are over age 26 are included if mentally or physically incapable of earning their own living.
- Spouse: legally married or same-sex domestic partner if not living in an area that provides for same-sex marriage.
- Same-sex domestic partner: only if you live in a jurisdiction that does not recognize same-sex marriage and you provide the required proof of domestic partnership to BSA.
Return to Work
An employee who has been absent on sick leave may be required to report to the OMC before returning to work, and must report to OMC for a back to work clearance for absence of 5 or more workdays (or an equivalent time period for employees on alternative work schedules). An OMC back to work clearance is also mandatory for an absence of any length resulting from an occupational injury and illness. A certificate from a qualified medical authority may be required following absences charged to sick leave for three or more working days.
