Leave Administration

The University provides vacation leave with pay for permanent staff employees, both full-time and part-time.  Temporary employees are not eligible for vacation leave with pay.

SHRA employees are permanent staff subject to the State Human Resources Act.

Vacation Leave Accrual Rates

Vacation leave is accrued on a monthly basis by eligible employees who are working, on paid leave, or on Workers’ Compensation leave and meet one of the criteria below.

• Employees in regular, also called permanent, staff positions (“permanent employees”) regularly scheduled to work at least 20 or more hours per week, and who are in pay status for at least one-half of the days in a month, are eligible to earn vacation leave.
• Employees who work less than 40 hours per week on a continuing basis earn leave on a pro-rated basis according to the number of scheduled work hours each week.  

Full-time staff (40 hours per week) earn vacation leave according to the charts below. Vacation leave is prorated for positions which are permanent, part-time (20 hours per week) or three-fourth (at least 30 hours per week but under 40 hours per week). 

SHRA Vacation Leave Accrual Rates (Appointed on or after July 1, 1973)

Total State service, for purposes of calculating vacation leave, includes all permanent employment on a month-for-month basis with any North Carolina Agency or Institution.

Advancement of Vacation Leave

Under extenuating circumstances an employee who has total State service of more than six (6) months may be granted advanced vacation leave not to exceed the amount an employee can earn during the current calendar year. 

If more leave is taken than can be credited during the current calendar year, the balance above the amount that can be advanced shall be deducted from the employees’ next paycheck.

Request for advanced vacation leave must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Human Resources.

Uses of Vacation Leave

Vacation leave may be used for a variety of circumstances.

• Vacations
• Medical appointments in lieu of sick leave after all sick leave is exhausted
• Other periods of absence for personal reasons
• Absences due to adverse weather conditions
• Personal illness (in lieu of sick leave)
• Illness in the immediate family
• Time lost for late reporting; however, consultation with the Office of Human Resources regarding disciplinary protocols where excessive tardiness or absenteeism occurs
• Donate leave to the Voluntary Shared Leave Program

Scheduling Leave

Vacation leave shall be taken only upon supervisor (or designated representative) approval.

Employees should submit a request for vacation leave to their supervisor; employee preference should be considered and schedules worked out bearing in mind individual departmental needs.

Note: Although approval of the use of vacation leave is discretionary, requests by an employee to use vacation leave for cultural and/or ethnic-related events should be granted if the employee has accrued vacation leave and the granting of the leave will not result in undue hardship on the department or its employees.

An employee must exhaust all holiday compensatory time, overtime compensatory time, gap hours compensatory time, callback compensatory time, on-call compensatory time, travel compensatory time, emergency closing compensatory time or incentive leave before vacation leave.

Carryforward of Leave

On December 31 of each year, any employee who has vacation leave in excess of the accumulated 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees), shall have that leave converted to sick leave.

Separation – Payout

Upon separation from employment (e.g., Resignation, Dismissal, Death), an employee will receive a lump-sum payment for any unused accumulated vacation leave, not to exceed 240 hours. For part-time employees, this maximum is pro-rated based on their appointment.  The date of separation is the last workday (physical presence).

Employees who separate due to Service retirement, Early retirement, or Reduction in Force may exhaust vacation leave if elected to do so and continue to accrue benefits while exhausting leave.  The date separated is the last day of leave taken.

Vacation leave hours in excess of the allowable maximum (240) for payout are forfeited and ineligible for transfer to another State agency (where applicable under policy guidelines).

Transfer of Leave

• New Appointments within WSSU| If an employee receives a new appointment within the University, then all Vacation Leave retained will transfer to the new appointment.
• Transfer to Another UNC System Institution| If an employee transfers to another UNC System institution to an eligible SHRA position, then up to a maximum of 240 hours of Vacation Leave will transfer to the new institution, and any excess leave will be forfeited.

Overdrawn Leave

In cases where an employee has used more Vacation leave than accrued at the time of separation or is overdrawn on leave, it will be necessary to deduct the cash value from the employee’s final or next available paycheck.

For more details about vacation leave for SHRA employees, see the Vacation Leave Policy.

Vacation and Sick Leave (EHRA Non-Faculty)

EHRA Non-Faculty Employees are entitled to 24 days of vacation leave and 12 days of sick leave per calendar year. The amount of annual leave is adjusted proportionately for part-time employees in covered positions who work half-time (50% FTE) or more. Leave shall be earned on a monthly basis. The monthly earnings amount is equal to one-twelfth (1/12) of the annual leave accrual rate for each month the employee works or is on an approved leave with pay at least half the working days of the month.

The Chancellor, Provost, Deans and Directors of major centers who are classified as EHRA Non-Faculty, Tier 1 Senior Academic and Administrative Officers are entitled to 26 days of vacation leave and 12 days of sick leave per calendar year.

Serious Illness Policy

The UNC System Office recently established a new Personal Leave Program for vacation leave accrual for EHRA leave-earning employees. Effective Jan. 1, 2025, all permanent SAAO, EHRA and Faculty with 12-month appointments hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025, will accrue leave in accordance with Personal Leave Program. Temporary employees are not eligible for personal leave with pay.

EHRA employees hired before Jan. 1, 2025, will have a one-time opportunity to opt in to the new Personal Leave Program in April 2025; the decision to opt in will be irrevocable. Current EHRA employees who do not opt in will continue to accrue Annual Leave as vacation leave.

The establishment of the Personal Leave Program means that the vacation leave an EHRA employee earns is determined by the employee’s date of hire and/or whether the employee chose to opt in to the Personal Leave Program:

• Annual Leave is the vacation leave for EHRA employees who were hired before Jan. 1, 2025, and who did NOT opt in to the Personal Leave Program.  There are no changes to this leave.
• Personal Leave is the vacation leave for:
  • All EHRA employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
  • Any employee who transfers to an EHRA position from another UNC System school after Jan. 1, 2025.
  • Current EHRA employees hired before Jan. 1, 2025, who chose to opt in to the Personal Leave Program.  The decision to opt in to the Personal Leave Program will be irrevocable.

The new Personal Leave Program only affects vacation leave for new EHRA employees and current EHRA employees who choose to opt in; the Personal Leave Program does not affect any other leave programs. Employees under the Personal Leave Program accrue and are entitled to other leave allotments (Sick Leave, Civil Leave, Personal Observance, etc.) per the policies already established for those leaves and in the same way as employees in the Annual Leave Program.

• For general guidance on how to manage your annual and personal leave choices, including information on leave transfers and frequently asked questions about the Personal Leave Program, please check the Personal Leave Guidance Documents from the UNC System Office.
• For the full policy, see the Leave Programs for Faculty and Staff Exempt from the North Carolina Human Resources Act, UNC Policy Manual, 300.2.22.

Personal Leave Accrual Rate

The annual accrual for Personal Leave is 26 days/208 hours (prorated for part-time).

• Personal Leave accrues at a monthly rate and is adjusted proportionately for permanent part-time employees who work halftime or more (0.50 – 0.99 FTE) or who are on contract for fewer than twelve months.
• The monthly earnings amount is equal to one-twelfth of the annual rate.
• Leave is earned monthly when an employee works or is in approved paid status at least half the working days of a month.

Advancement of Personal Leave

Under extenuating circumstances an employee who has total State service of more than six (6) months may be granted advanced personal leave not to exceed the amount an employee can earn during the current calendar year. 

If more leave is taken than can be credited during the current calendar year, the balance above the amount that can be advanced shall be deducted from the employees’ next paycheck.

Request for advanced vacation leave must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Human Resources.

Uses of Personal Leave

Personal leave may be used for a variety of circumstances, including:

• Vacations
• Medical appointments in lieu of sick leave after all sick leave is exhausted
• Other periods of absence for personal reasons
• Absences due to adverse weather conditions
• Personal illness (in lieu of sick leave)
• Illness in the immediate family
• Donations to an employee who is an approved voluntary shared leave recipient

Scheduling Leave

Employees should submit a request for annual leave to their supervisor; employee preference should be considered and schedules worked out bearing in mind individual departmental needs.  Employees whose positions are designated as exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) record leave in either half- or full-day increments.

Note: Although approval of the use of annual leave is discretionary, requests by an employee to use annual leave for cultural and/or ethnic-related events should be granted if the employee has accrued annual leave and the granting of the leave will not result in undue hardship on the department or its employees.

Carryforward of Leave

• Employees may carry forward up to 20 days/160 hours of unused leave into the next year (prorated for part-time).
• Any remaining unused leave is forfeited.

Separation – Payout

• Unused Personal Leave is never paid out.
• Any remaining unused leave is forfeited.
• Personal Leave can be contributed as Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL), similar to Vacation and Annual Leave and subject to the requirements of the VSL policy.

Transfer of Leave

• New Appointments within WSSU | If an employee receives a new appointment within the University, then all Personal Leave and Legacy Annual Leave (where applicable) retained will transfer to the new appointment.
• Transfer to Another UNC System Institution | If an employee transfers to another UNC System institution to an eligible EHRA position, then up to a maximum of twenty (20) days of Personal Leave will transfer to the new institution, and any excess leave will be forfeited. Legacy Annual Leave, up to 30 days, will be paid out prior to transfer.

Overdrawn Leave

In cases where an employee has used more Personal leave than accrued at the time of separation or is overdrawn on leave, it will be necessary to deduct the cash value from the employee’s final or next available paycheck.

Personal Leave and Annual Leave Comparison

The new personal leave program only affects vacation leave.  Employees under the Personal Leave program continue to accrue and are entitled to other leave allotments (sick leave, civil leave, personal observance leave, etc.) according to the policies already established for those leaves and in the same way as employees in the Annual Leave program.

For more information, go to the UNC System Office’s Personal Leave resource page to see the side‑by‑side comparison table of the two leave programs (Annual Leave vs. Personal Leave) and to read through the Frequently Asked Questions.

The University provides Sick Leave with pay for permanent employees (SHRA and leave earning EHRA), both full-time and part-time. Part-time employees must be scheduled regularly at least twenty hours each workweek in a permanent position. Temporary employees, whether full-time or part-time, are not eligible for sick leave with pay.

Sick Leave Accrual Rate

Note: Vacation leave (not applicable to Personal Leave) in excess of 6 weeks (240 hours, prorated for part-time employees) on December 31 of each year will be converted to sick leave. At retirement a member of the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System (TSERS) with an earned sick leave balance receives an additional month of service credit for each 20 days or portion thereof.  The additional service credit increases the retirement benefit of the retiree.

Sick leave is cumulative indefinitely as long as the employee is in a permanent position.  It cannot be transferred to any other type of leave.

Employees cannot have negative leave balances at the end of the calendar year (i.e., December 31).

Verification and Abuse Prevention

Department supervisors are expected to support and allow the use of Sick Leave in accordance with established Sick Leave policies and guidelines.  When there is reason to believe that Sick Leave is being used inappropriately or outside of policy-defined purposes, supervisors may require the employee to provide acceptable documentation to verify the need for leave.

Acceptable documentation may include, but is not limited to:

• A written statement from a licensed medical provider, or
• Other official or verifiable proof consistent with the allowable uses of Sick Leave.

For leave taken for adoption-related purposes, employees may also be required to submit supporting documentation to verify eligibility under the Sick Leave policy.

In cases where Sick Leave abuse is suspected, supervisors have the authority to request verification and take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with university leave policies. Abuse of Sick Leave may be subject to review and corrective action, in accordance with applicable HR procedures.

Advancement of Sick Leave

Under extenuating circumstances an employee who has total State service of more than six (6) months may be granted advanced sick leave not to exceed the amount an employee can earn during the current calendar year. 

If more leave is taken than can be credited during the current calendar year, the balance above the amount that can be advanced shall be deducted from the employees’ next paycheck.

Request for advanced sick leave must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Human Resources.

Uses of Sick Leave

• Illness or injury which prevents an employee from performing his or her usual duties.
• Bereavement Leave - usually a maximum of three days in case of death in the employee's immediate family; however sick leave in excess of 3 days may be granted in exceptional cases with the supervisor's approval. Immediate family is defined as spouse, parents, brother, sister, children, grandparents, and grandchildren. Also included are step, half, and in-law relationships.
• Medical appointments.
• Quarantine due to a contagious disease in the employee's immediate family.
• Temporary disability connected with childbearing and recovery.
• Care for a member of the employee's immediate family, to include care for the mother and newborn infant during the natural mother's period of temporary disability.
• Donations to a member of the immediate family and non-family members who are approved to receive voluntary shared leave.
• Adoption of a child, limited to a maximum of 30 days for each parent (which is equivalent to a biological mother’s average period of disability).  This is interpreted to mean at the time of physical possession of the child and have either adopted or are in the process of adoption.

Sick Leave is exhausted before going on leave without pay because of an extended illness.  If an employee does not have sufficient leave to cover a prolonged illness (of self or to care for a parent, child, spouse, or dependent living in the household who has a prolonged illness), the employee may qualify to receive Voluntary Shared Leave.

Definition of Immediate Family

Immediate family is defined as: spouse (husband or wife), parent (biological, adoptive, in loco parentis, step or in-law), child - son or daughter (biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, in loco parentis*, in-law), sister or brother (step, half or in-law), grandparents, great grandparents, grandchildren (step), great grandchildren (step), dependents living in the employee's household.

*Loco Parentis is defined as a person who is in the position or place of a parent.

Using Sick Leave for Family Members

Employees can donate sick leave to a member of their immediate family who is an approved Voluntary Shared Leave recipient and may donate up to 5 days to a nonfamily member.  See the Sick Leave Policy for guidelines and additional limitations on donating leave.

Carryforward of Leave

On December 31 of each year, available sick leave hours shall carry forward.  Note: Vacation leave in excess of 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees) will be converted to sick leave.  

Separation

Unused Sick Leave is not paid out upon separation from employment. However, any unused Sick Leave may be retained, or "banked," for up to five years from the date of separation. If the employee is eligible to retire within that five-year period, the banked Sick Leave may be applied toward retirement service credit, in accordance with applicable retirement system rules.

Sick Leave may also be reinstated when an employee returns to work following an authorized leave without pay, or if the employee returns to state employment within five years of separation.

Overdrawn Leave

In cases where an employee has used more Vacation leave than accrued at the time of separation or is overdrawn on leave, it will be necessary to deduct the cash value from the employee’s final or next available paycheck.

More details are available in the Sick Leave Policy.

Emergency Management

Adverse Weather and Emergency Conditions

WSSU OHR Condition Levels Guide

The Executive Order on Bereavement Leave provides eligible employees with up to forty (40) hours of fully paid leave following the loss of an immediate family member and up to eight (8) hours of fully paid leave following the loss of a colleague.

Eligible Employee Types

Bereavement Leave is available only to employees who are permanent, probationary, or time-limited.  Employees must be either full-time or part-time with a schedule that is at least half-time.  Part-time employees who work less than half-time are not eligible for Bereavement Leave.

Temporary employees, interns, and contractors are not eligible for Bereavement Leave.

Amount of Leave

Full-time employees are eligible for up to forty (40) hours of paid leave following the loss of an Immediate Family Member.

Full-time employees are also eligible for paid leave up to the amount of time required to travel to and from and to attend a funeral or other memorial event, not to exceed eight (8) hours, following the loss of a colleague with whom the employee worked at WSSU if the colleague worked at WSSU within one year of their passing. (Refer to Loss of a Colleague.)

Timeframe for Use

Bereavement Leave must be used within 180 days of the date of death (or discovery of death).  Bereavement Leave does not have to be used on consecutive days and may be used as the employee needs, subject to supervisor approval.

Employees should request Bereavement Leave at least two weeks before the leave is needed unless notice is impractical, as it may often be, given the nature of the leave.  Bereavement Leave may be taken by an employee only upon authorization by the employee’s supervisor.  Supervisors must approve the use of Bereavement Leave following the loss of an Immediate Family Member for the date requested if it involves attendance at a funeral, visitation, or other memorial event. 

Documentation

Employees must provide documentation of the death of an immediate family member at the time the leave is requested, or, if such documentation is not available at the time of the request, as soon as documentation is available. Acceptable documentation should include, but is not limited to, a death certificate, obituary, and funeral or memorial event information.

Loss of a Colleague

Bereavement Leave following the loss of a colleague may only be used on the date of the funeral or other memorial event.

Employees should request Bereavement Leave to attend a colleague’s memorial event as soon as the date and time of the event are publicized.  Supervisors must approve the use of Bereavement Leave to the greatest extent possible, while maintaining business operations.

Employees must provide documentation of attendance at the memorial event following the use of the leave.

Other Limitations

• Bereavement Leave not taken within the required time frame is forfeited.
• Bereavement Leave has no cash value and cannot be converted to retirement credit, cannot be paid for unused bereavement leave at separation, and is not payable upon the death of an employee during state service.
• Bereavement Leave cannot be applied to existing negative leave balances. It cannot be donated under the Voluntary Shared Leave policy.

The employee and supervisor must submit the Bereavement Leave Request Ticket to receive this benefit. 

Please review the Bereavement Leave Policy and Frequently Asked Questions for full details.

In accordance with Governor Cooper’s June 6 Executive Order 262, UNC System President Hans have authorized WSSU to provide paid Observance Leave to ensure that University employees have an opportunity to observe days of personal, cultural or religious importance.

This leave will be available for SHRA and EHRA non-faculty staff and for faculty who earn leave. Full-time employees will receive eight (8) hours of Observance Leave each calendar year. Part-time employees who work at least half-time will receive a prorated amount based on their number of hours compared to a full-time schedule. Temporary employees, interns, and contractors are not eligible for Observance Leave.

Observance Leave is available to eligible employees annually on a calendar-year basis and must be taken by the end of that calendar year; it cannot be carried into the next calendar year. All eight (8) hours of this leave must be used in one work shift.

For more details, view the full policy on Observance Leave.

As of January 1, 2020 Winston-Salem State University offers a Paid Parental Leave (PPL) benefit that provides eligible employees dedicated leave time to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly-placed child, under the age of 18, by adoption, foster care placement, or other legal placement.

The State Personnel Act provides that the State Personnel Commission shall establish a holiday schedule that shall not exceed 11 paid holidays per year except in those years in which Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, the schedule shall not provide for more than 12 paid holidays.

Purpose

Leave without pay may be granted to an employee for various reasons, including family and medical leave, extended educational purposes, vacation, illness, workers’ compensation, military service, or personal reasons. At the end of the approved leave, the employee is reinstated to his/her prior position, or one of like seniority, status and pay.

Continuation of Benefits

Under leave without pay, employees are responsible for paying for both the University and employee contributions to their benefits packages if they wish to maintain coverage while on leave without pay.

Exception: For Leave without Pay occurring under the Family and Medical Leave policy, the University contribution to the employee’s major medical health plan is maintained. However, the employee continues to be responsible for any employee contributions for participation in benefits programs.

Provisions

Duration of Leave Without Pay: Leave without pay may be approved initially for up to three months. The period may be extended in three-month increments, not to exceed a total of 12 consecutive months. Requests for leave without pay for periods greater than 12 months must be approved by the Director of Benefits and Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources in the Office of Human Resources.

Exception: Leave without pay for military leave and workers’ compensation may extend beyond 12 months, if necessary.

NOTE: If an employee is scheduled for a period of leave (voluntary shared leave,  and medical leave, leave without pay, etc.) and will not be able to use earned compensatory time off during the 52-week period, all such compensatory time off must either be taken or paid out prior to coding vacation leave, bonus leave, sick leave or voluntary shared leave for the absence.

Vacation: An employee must exhaust all accumulated vacation leave before going on leave without pay for the purpose of vacation.

Personal Reasons: An employee must exhaust all accumulated vacation leave prior to going on leave without pay for personal reasons (not vacation or recreational activity) if the leave period is 10 workdays or less. If the leave period is greater than 10 workdays, the employee may elect to exhaust all, part, or none of vacation leave prior to going on leave without pay.

Sick (Illness or Injury): An employee must exhaust all accumulated sick leave before going on leave without pay due to illness or injury or for a funeral for a member of the immediate family. The employee may elect to use vacation leave or to retain part or all accumulated vacation leave before going on leave without pay for illness or injury.

Birth or Adoption: The natural parents of a newborn infant and the parents of a newly adopted child may request leave without pay. The department must grant leave without pay to the natural mother for the period of physical disability incident to the birth of a child if the mother has no sick leave or if she elects to retain some or all of it. The employee must provide acceptable medical evidence to show the last day the mother is expected to work due to disability and the date she is expected to return.

Note: Eligible employees also may qualify to apply for coverage under Family and Medical Leave.

Employee Responsibility

The employee must apply in writing to his/her supervisor for leave without pay. The request must include the:

• reason for leave,
• date expected for beginning leave,
• duration of the leave, and
• expected date to return to work.

The employee is obligated to return to duty within or at the end of the time granted. If the employee will not return to work, the supervisor must be notified immediately.

At least thirty days prior to the end of the leave, the employee must give written notice of intention to return to work; otherwise, the supervisor is not required to provide such reinstatement but may do so if feasible.

Failure to report at the expiration of a leave without pay, unless an extension has been approved, is considered a resignation.

Management Responsibilities

Management has the discretion to approve leave without pay. Factors in deciding whether to approve a request include the employee’s needs, workload, need to fill the employee’s job, chances of the employee returning to work, and the University’s obligation to reinstate the employee.

Exception: A request for leave without pay under the family and medical leave policy, supported by appropriate medical certification or other documentation, must be approved. Similarly, a request for up to 12 weeks of leave without pay from a non-temporary employee who does not meet the eligibility requirements for family and medical leave must be approved if the purpose of the absence is for the birth or adoption of a child or to be at home with the child during the first 12 months of life or adoption.

Management must review and consider written requests for leave without pay fairly and consistently to assure equitable employee treatment in approving, revising, or disapproving requests. Decisions must be communicated to the employee in writing. Revised or approved requests obligate the University to reinstate the employee to the same position or one of like seniority, status, and pay, unless other written agreements have been made with the employee prior to the leave.

In granting leave without pay, management must inform the employee that management retains the right to adjust the length of the leave period and to require an earlier return to meet operational needs. In such cases, management must notify the employee in writing. The notice must specify the need, the new effective date for return, and the effect of not responding or returning to work.

Management should be reasonable in any case in which the leave-without-pay period is shortened. The employee will need time to adjust to the new situation and make alternate arrangements, if possible. However, the inability of the employee to respond may lead management to terminate the employee and to initiate recruitment action to fill the employee’s position.

NOTE: This option of shortening a period of leave does not apply to absences approved under the family and medical leave policy.

If the workload or other organization needs require that a position be filled while an employee is on approved leave without pay, temporary assignments or appointments may be used.

Record Keeping (COLAPST)

When processing either the start or the end of a period of leave without pay for an employee, a status change must be completed in Banner and NBAJOBS.

Community Service Leave (CSL)

CSL provides leave-eligible SHRA & EHRA employees paid time off to volunteer in NC schools, communities, institutions of higher education, NC State agencies, and non-profit organizations; as long as the employee is not receiving pay for the service. All CSL must be preapproved by supervisor prior to volunteer event.

Literacy CSL

Literacy CSL is a special provision available in lieu of regular Community Service Leave to support a literacy program in a NC public school. Leave under this option shall be used exclusively for assisting students in reading and/or writing skills in accordance with established rules and guidelines for such arrangements as determined and documented by joint agreement with WSSU and the public school.  Advisory Note: For employees who live in a state adjacent to North Carolina, the agency may grant community service leave to parents for involvement in the child’s school

Tutoring/Mentoring CSL

Tutoring/Mentoring CSL is a special provision available in lieu of regular Community Service Leave and Literacy CSL to provide tutoring and mentoring for a student in a formal standardized approved tutoring/mentoring program in a public or a non-public school. Leave under this option is to be used exclusively for tutoring and/or mentoring an “at-risk” student in accordance with established rules and guidelines for such arrangements as determined and documented by joint agreement with WSSU and the public/non-public school.

• All types of CSL is credited to each eligible employee on January 1 of each year.
• If an employee chooses to change options from one type of CSL to another, the maximum hours that may be granted is the maximum allowed under the new option chosen minus the amount already used under the original program.
• For the calendar year of employee transfer – the employee should secure approval from the new supervisor to continue the CSL option prior to the transfer.
• All types of CSL does not carry over from one year to the next
• All types of CSL is not paid out upon separation
• Newly hired employees shall be credited with leave immediately upon their employment, prorated at two hours per month for the remainder of the calendar year. Separated employees that are re-employed within the same calendar year are credited Community Service Leave the same as newly hired employees; however, the combination of re-employment credit hours and total hours used prior to separation in the same calendar year cannot exceed the annual 24 hour maximum leave benefit.

How Do I Apply?

Employees should:

• Submit a request for community service leave to their Supervisor. If the CSL is for Literacy CSL or Tutoring/Mentoring CSL then program documentation should be provided to the supervisor and human resources as well (Community Service Leave Request Form)
• Enter and track all leave in the biweekly or monthly leave report in Banner Rams.

Supervisors review the requests for community service leave and approve or disapprove the request.

Other Resources

• Office of State Human Resources, Community Service Leave
• Office of State Human Resources, Community Service Leave-Literacy, Tutoring and Mentoring

The university system recognizes the importance of community involvement and encourages employees to participate in volunteer activities by providing flexibility in work schedules and paid leave opportunities. Community Service Leave is a paid time off program for participation in the educational process of children through the high school level and to support other community service volunteer activities for non-profit organizations.

The twenty-four hours (24) of paid leave shall be credited to each employee on January 1 of each year. New employees shall be credited with leave immediately upon their employment, prorated at two hours per month for the remainder of the calendar year.

Questions & Answers

Q. What types of organizations can be designated as an IRS 501(c)(3) agency?

A. The 501(c)(3) agencies are commonly referred to as "charitable organizations". The organization must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or education purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. The agency must operate as a non-partisan, non-profit organization.

Q. Can employees use Community Service Leave to volunteer time to work at their church?

A. All churches are designated as 501(c)(3) organizations; however, all services provided for a church might not meet the intent of the policy. The volunteer service for a church related community service project must somehow meet a service need of the State of North Carolina's schools, communities and citizens. For example, a church sponsored mission trip to Brazil to rebuild a church destroyed by an earthquake would not qualify; however, a church sponsored project to repair a home in Wilson, N. C. that was flooded by Hurricane Floyd, would qualify for community service leave. Also, qualifying service does not include activities designed to promote religious belief such as teaching or leading religious assemblies or in raising funds to support religious activities.

Q. Would volunteer time spent as a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) qualify for Community Service Leave?

A. Yes. A GAL is responsible for serving as a representative for children who are alleged to be abused, neglected or abandoned and who are involved in court proceedings. Any service that directly impacts the human service needs of children is considered eligible.

Q. If a new employee begins work on August 29, will they begin earning their 2 hours of prorated community service leave in August or September?

A. They would begin earning credit for community service leave in September. As with other benefits such as vacation leave and sick leave, employees must be in pay status for one-half or more of the regularly scheduled workdays and holidays in the pay period in order to earn benefits.

If you have been out of work at least three days to care for your spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition and when you are unable to work because of your own serious health condition, you may qualify for FMLA leave. Call WSSU Human Resources Department for more information.

The Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was adopted by Congress in 1993 to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of employees and their families. The FMLA provides for twelve (12) work weeks of unpaid leave in any 12-month period for an eligible employee to use for the birth or adoption of a child, his/her own serious health condition or the serious health condition of a family member as described herein.

• The Employee's Guide to The Family and Medical Leave Act
• FMLA General Presentation
• Family Medical Leave Policy - UNC
• Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member's Serious Health Condition
• Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee's Serious Health Condition
• Family Medical Leave Request Form
• Medical Leave-Return to Work Form
• Certification of Qualifying Exigency Leave (Military)
• Request for Leave of Absence (Non-FMLA)

FAQs About Family Medical Leave

The University has a voluntary “Shared Leave” program that allows one employee to assist another employee in the case of a prolonged medical condition that exhausts the employee’s available leave and would otherwise force the employee to be placed in leave without pay status, resulting in a loss of income.

An employee may donate leave, as outlined below, to an employee who has been approved to receive voluntary shared leave because of a medical condition of the employee or of a member of the employee’s immediate family that will require the employee’s absence for a prolonged period of time.

Under this policy, employees may use paid leave, leave without pay, or donated voluntary shared leave (for approved recipients only) for absences from work due to childbirth, adoption or foster care placement, or a serious health condition of an employee or an employee's spouse, child or parent.

An employee's job and benefits are protected while an employee takes leave under this policy, whether taken as vacation leave, sick leave, voluntary shared leave, leave without pay or any combination.

To participate in this program as a donor please complete the VSL Authorization to Donate Form. For those requesting shared leave please complete the VSL Request Form.

Leave shall be granted to employees of the State for certain periods of service in the uniformed services. No agent or employee of the State shall discriminate against any employee of the State or applicant for State employment because of their membership, application for membership, performance of service, application for service or obligation for service in the Uniformed Services.

Full-time or part-time (half-time or more) permanent, probationary, trainee and time-limited employees are eligible for military leave.

• Adverse Weather/Emergency Closing Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Civil Leave
• Compensatory Leave
• Community Service Leave

• Community Service Literacy Tutoring - Mentoring Policy
• Family Illness Leave
• Family & Medical Leave
• Holiday Leave
• Holiday Schedule

• Leave w/o Pay
• Military Leave
• Other Management Approved Leave
• Voluntary Shared Leave

General Pay Policies | Shift Premium Pay | Compensatory Leave

On-Call Emergency/Call-Back Pay | Holiday Premium Pay

• Exempt Time Calendar
• EHRA & SHRA Monthly Leave Reporting User Guide

• Exempt Time Calendar
• EHRA & SHRA Monthly Leave Reporting User Guide

• SmartTime Calendar
• SmartTime Supervisor Responsibilities
• SmartTime Instructions 
• SHRA Non-Exempt Bi-Weekly Leave Reporting User Guide

• LawTime - How it Works
• LawTime Calendar