FMLA, Annual, Sick and Other Leave

West Virginia State University recognizes the importance of supporting faculty and staff as they balance career, personal and family life. As part of its total rewards package, the university provides paid and unpaid leaves to support employees.

Employees who accrue leave can request leave and monitor leave balances through myApps.

Leave Options

Employee’s serious health condition, form WH-380-E 
 
Family member’s serious health condition, form WH-380-F 
 
Qualifying Exigency, form WH-384
 
Military Caregiver Leave of a Current Servicemember, form WH-385 
 
Military Caregiver Leave of a Veteran, form WH-385-V 

Complete information on paid leave programs can be found in the West Virginia State University’s Board of Governors Policy #18 – Employee Leave.

Annual Leave
Annual leave is the term that the State uses for vacation days. Twelve-month regular faculty and full-time staff may use vacation intermittently or continuously subject to supervisor approval. Vacation in lieu of sick may be used for illness or injury of self or immediate family member when there is insufficient sick leave to cover the absence(s).  

Sick Leave
May be used intermittently or continuously for illness or injury of self or immediate family member, for medical appointments, foster care placement, birth/adoptive events and death of an immediate family member (bereavement). A faculty or staff member who is taking sick leave on a recurring or continuous basis may be eligible for job protection pursuant to Family and Medical Leave (FML).

Bereavement
Faculty and staff may take up to five working days of sick leave for bereavement due to death of an immediate family member. Other leave options are available for bereavement due to death of others who are not an immediate family member.

Grievance, Witness and Jury Leave
Employees who are subpoenaed or directed to serve as jurors or appear as witnesses for review proceedings of the Federal Government, the State of West Virginia, or a political subdivision thereof, shall be entitled to work release time for such duty and for such period of required absence which overlaps regularly scheduled work time.

Military Leave
An employee who is a member of the National Guard or armed forces reserve is entitled to a military leave of absence without loss of pay, status, or efficiency rating, on days during which he or she is ordered by properly designated authority to be engaged in drills, inactive duty training, parades, funeral details, service schools or other duty, during business hours, field training, annual training, or other full-time active service of the State for a maximum of 30 working days in any one calendar year

Leave Donation
Eligible faculty and staff can donate annual and sick leave to an eligible faculty and staff to provide care for their own or an immediate family member’s life threatening injury or illness. The receiving employee must have exhausted all leave and other paid time off prior to requesting donated leave.

Special Emergency Leave with Pay
Special emergency leave with pay may be granted by the President, or his/her designee, to full-time employees in the event of extreme misfortune to the employee or the immediate family.

Complete information on unpaid leave programs can be found in the West Virginia State University’s Board of Governors Policy #18 – Employee Leave.

Faculty and staff may request an unpaid leave for personal, professional or medical reasons, including pregnancy. Unpaid leave may run concurrently with disability benefits (short-term disability, long-term disability and workers’ compensation) and Family and Medical Leave (FML).

Faculty and staff will be billed for benefits contributions while on unpaid leave. While on an unpaid leave of absence, you have the option to continue your benefits or to waive them. Coverage will stop if you do not make payment by the due date.

Medical Leave of Absence Without Pay
Any employee requesting a medical leave of absence without pay must provide the institutional president or the president’s designee, through established procedures, with satisfactory medical evidence (such as a statement from the attending physician) that he/she is unable to work. Employees must also submit a Medical Leave Verification form completed by an appropriately licensed treating health care provider if the leave without pay request is for medical reasons. The physician’s signature is required on the form (as opposed to the signature of a member of the physician’s staff).

Parental Leave
A full-time employee who has worked at least twelve (12) consecutive weeks for the state may request up to twelve (12) weeks unpaid parental leave. The request must be due to birth or adoption by the employee or because of a planned medical treatment or care for the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or dependent who has a serious health condition.

Personal Leave of Absence Without Pay
A full-time regular employee, upon application in writing and with written approval by the University President, may be granted a continuous personal leave of absence without pay for a period not to exceed one year. The University President, at her or his discretion, may require the written approval of the supervisor before accepting the written application of an employee for a leave of absence without pay and shall determine if the purpose for which such leave is requested is proper and within sound administrative policy. To make a request, an employee must complete the Unpaid Personal Leave of Absence Request Form. After all signatures have been obtained, the form should be sent to the Department of Human Resources.