5.13 Leave Without Pay

NKY Health's Guide to Personnel Policies
  • Replaces: Supersedes all previous Personnel Policies on the same topic
  • Reviewed: Annually
  • Section Revised: 1/1/2020
  • Contact: Human Resources Administrator

Upon receipt of a written request from a merit system employee and after consideration of written recommendations from the employee’s chain-of-command, the District Director of Health and/or her/his designee may approve up to four (4) weeks of leave without pay per rolling year.

5.13.1 Circumstances for Approving Leave Without Pay

The following are some but not all examples of circumstances when the District Director of Health and/or her/his designee may approve leave without pay:

  1. When an employee negotiates leave without pay during the hiring process

  2. When a newly hired employee who has not yet accumulated sufficient paid leave must miss work for medical reasons and produces verification from her/his medical provider

  3. When an employee must miss work due to a court order not covered by paid leave and produces the original summons, subpoena, or court order commanding his/her attendance in court or at a legal proceeding

  4. Due to an extreme and extraordinary emergency and/or other circumstances which are both extraordinary and unforeseen

5.13.2 Criteria for Approving Leave Without Pay

Criteria which are considered for an application for Leave Without Pay include, but are not limited to:

  1. All applicable paid leave must be exhausted or the time requested must be ineligible for paid leave according to these policies

  2. The time requested must be otherwise unprotected

  3. The leave must be for a defined period of time

  4. The leave must not impair business operations

  5. The leave must not cause a need for an additional employee to be hired

  6. The request for leave without pay must be infrequent

5.13.3 Requests for Leave Without Pay

Requests for leave without pay must be in writing and may be initiated by either the supervisor or the employee, must include the proposed start and end dates of unpaid leave and the reason for the unpaid leave, and be forwarded up the chain-of-command only when all criteria are met (see section 5.13.2.)

The employee must provide any documentation requested to substantiate the need for the leave without pay.

The head of Human Resources must be copied on all responses to requests for leave without pay that are forwarded to the District Director of Health and/or her/his designee for approval.

5.13.4 Benefits While on Leave Without Pay

The leave without pay may affect the employee’s benefit eligibility according to the plan documents for the respective benefit(s).