Sick Leave
An employee may request sick leave when they are unable to perform their duties because of temporary mental or physical disability. Sick Leave may also be used for medical or dental appointments.
All full-time faculty and professional staff employees earn sick leave credits in accordance with the graduated scale noted below:
Sick Leave Accrual Schedule for Full-time Faculty & Professional Employees
| Calendar Year | College Year | |||
| Years of Service | Days/Month | Yearly Total | Days/Month | Yearly Total |
| First Year | 1 ¼ | 15 | 1 ¼ | 11 ¼ |
| Second Year | 1 ⅓ | 16 | 1 ⅓ | 12 |
| Third, Fourth & Fifth Years | 1 ½ | 18 | 1 ½ | 13 ½ |
| Sixth Year | 1 ⅔ | 20 | 1 ⅔ | 15 |
| Seventh & Subsequent Years | 1 ¾ | 21 | 1 ¾ | 15 ¾ |
Employees record sick leave usage on their monthly online attendance report.
Members of the classified staff earn sick leave on an hourly basis each pay period:
For those who normally work 40 hours per week, 4 hours sick leave credit;
for those who normally work 37½ hours per week, 3¾ hours sick leave credit.
Sick leave usage is recorded on the bi-weekly attendance report.
All employees may accumulate a maximum of 200 sick leave days, while part-time employees' maximum accumulated sick leave credits will be on a pro-rated basis.
Upon retirement, with ten (10) or more years of service, you may use up to 200 days of accumulated sick leave credits to offset health insurance premiums in retirement. Accumulates sick leave credit is converted to a monthly credit which is applied toward paying any health insurance premiums you may make for the rest of your life. You may delay the use of this sick leave credit for up to five (5) years after retirement.
Any employee disabled by pregnancy or childbirth is eligible to use sick leave credits; disabilities due to pregnancy or childbirth are treated as any other temporary disability.
Approval of sick leave in excess of three (3) consecutive days is contingent upon receipt of suitable medical evidence in the form of a physician's statement containing general diagnosis, prognosis for recovery and expected date of return to work. The Human Resources Office is the final authority on the adequacy of any medical evidence submitted.
Bereavement
For a Research Foundation Employee:
Leave for Bereavement or Family Illness - Employees are allowed to charge absences from work in the event of death or illness in the employee’s immediate family* against accrued sick leave credits up to a maximum of 30 days in any one calendar year. Requests for leave for bereavement or family illness shall be subject to approval of the appointing authority; such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
For UUP, NYSCOPBA, CSEA and MC employees:
Leave for Bereavement or Family Illness - Employees are allowed to charge absences from work in the event of death or illness in the employee’s immediate family* against accrued sick leave credits up to a maximum of 30 days in any one calendar year. Requests for leave for bereavement or family illness shall be subject to the approval of the appointing authority; such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
*Immediate family includes any relative or relative-in-law, or any persons with whom an employee makes his/her home.
Leave Donation Program
Any state employee who earns vacation credits may donate their vacation leave credits to another state employee who have exhausted all their leave accumulation. The intent of this program is to provide a means to assist employees who, because of long-term personal illness, have exhausted their leave benefits and would otherwise be subject to a severe loss of income during a continuing absence from work. Further information about the program is available from the Human Resources Office.