5.2 Sick Leave

An employee entitled to accumulate annual leave (see section 5.1.1) is also eligible to accumulate sick leave. 

An eligible employee begins accumulating sick leave upon hire at a rate in proportion to the number of hours paid, up to 3.7 hours per pay period.

A regular merit system employee receives extra sick leave on the first full pay period after her/his first one hundred twenty (120) complete months of employment as a merit system employee as follows:

• A full-time employee receives an extra 80 hours.

• A part-time employee receives a prorated amount based on the average number of hours paid per week during the 120 months in proportion to 40 hours per week and not to exceed 10 days.

An employee may accumulate an unlimited amount of sick leave.

The primary purpose of sick leave is for an employee’s own illness or medical condition. Sick leave may also be used for medical, dental or eye examinations or care/treatment of the employee or an immediate family member (see section 9.1) when appointments cannot be made outside of work hours.

Up to three (3) days of sick leave may be used in accordance with NKY Health’s bereavement leave policy (see section 5.4.) Sick leave may also be substituted for unpaid leave in the event of an unforeseen closure (see section 3.7.)

Sick leave may be used concurrently with workers’ compensation leave (see section 5.11) and must be used concurrently with FMLA leave (see section 5.12.)

An employee may use sick leave only according to all of the following:

1. With her/his supervisor’s permission or concurrently with workers’ compensation or FMLA leave

2. After she/he has accumulated it

3. In no less than the smallest increments supported by the timekeeping system

4. During pay periods when she/he is normally scheduled to work

An employee who is separating from employment (see section 8) may not use sick leave to extend her/his separation date.

An employee’s supervisor may request a signed note from the employee’s or family member’s medical provider to substantiate the need for use of sick leave. 

A merit system employee who has completed an initial Introductory Period (see section 2.9 ) with NKY Health may donate accumulated sick leave to any other merit system employee eligible to receive sick leave donations (see section 5.2.5.1) to be used as sick leave in the current or future payroll.

Any donated leave must be in .25 hour increments and is deducted from the donor’s sick leave balance and added to the recipient’s sick leave balance.

Donors and recipients are responsible for tax consequences, if any, associated with giving/receiving donations. (See Leave Donation Procedures.)

Any merit system employee is eligible to receive up to ninety-six (96) hours of donated sick leave in a rolling twelve (12)-month period. 

Any merit system employee eligible to receive sick leave donations (see section 5.2.5.1) may formally request sick leave donations when all paid leave has been or will be exhausted by an approved leave request.

She/he may formally request donations by submitting written authorization to Human Resources to share a request with all staff.

An employee may not receive pay in lieu of using sick leave.

Sick leave will be paid at the employee’s rate of pay on the first payroll after the leave is used. 

An employee who becomes ineligible to continue to accumulate sick leave forfeits any accumulated sick leave.

Forfeited sick leave may be reinstated if the employee regains eligibility to accumulate sick leave within twelve (12) months of the date she/he became ineligible.

Unused sick leave may factor into any benefits received from KPPA upon retirement even when the sick leave was forfeited.

An employee must not work for NKY Health or any other employer during the same hours she/he is using sick leave.