Sick Leave Pool

System Offices has established a sick leave pool to provide a source of additional paid sick leave for leave eligible employees who have exhausted available sick, vacation, and compensatory time as a result of a catastrophic illness or injury. Sick leave pool benefits are made available through voluntary donations of sick leave hours from current and terminating employees.

Human Resources thanks those employees who choose to donate available sick leave hours to the pool. Such generosity enables other employees to receive this benefit where circumstances have caused them to exhaust their available paid leave.

Eligibility

Employees may qualify for pool hours if:

  • The employee or family member has been under a licensed practitioner’s care and the catastrophic illness/injury has resulted in the employee’s being absent from work for a minimum of 80 hours (hours missed do not need to be consecutive for pool purposes); and
  • Eligible sick, vacation, and/or compensatory time has been exhausted.

Pool Donations

Employees may donate an unlimited amount of their accrued sick leave each fiscal year or upon separation from state employment. Donations must be made in 8-hour increments.

Definitions

Catastrophic Illness or Injury:

A severe condition or combination of conditions affecting the mental or physical health of the employee or the employee’s immediate family that requires the services of a licensed practitioner for a prolonged period of time and forces the employee to exhaust all leave time earned by that employee and to lose sick leave compensation from the state for the employee.

Health Care Provider:

A health care provider, as defined in the Texas Insurance Code, who is practicing within the scope of his or her license.

Prolonged Absence (80-hour Waiting Period):

Employees may not access Sick Leave Pool hours until s/he has missed 80 cumulative hours of work (50% effort = 40 hours missed work) due to the catastrophic illness/injury. The employee may use available paid leave to satisfy the 80-hour waiting period; missed hours do not need to be consecutive.

Resources