Leave without pay may be granted to an employee for: a) educational purposes which will better equip the employee for the performance of duties and responsibilities; b) to do special work for the federal/state government in cases of emergency or when the College is to profit by the experience gained or the work performed; c) for vacation purposes; d) for reasons specified in college policy; or e) for other reasons deemed justified by the appropriate vice president and the President or otherwise required by law.
Leave without pay normally shall not exceed twelve (12) months. Any exception to this should be agreed upon by the appropriate vice president and the President. For military leave without pay, see Policy 03.02.15 – Military Leave.
The employee shall apply in writing to the employee’s supervisor for leave without pay at least thirty (30) days prior to such leave. 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 employee must notify the College immediately. Failure to report to work at the expiration of a leave without pay, unless an extension has been requested, shall be treated as a resignation.
The decision to grant leave without pay is an administrative one for which the vice president and President must assume full responsibility. Factors to consider are workload, need for filling employee's job, chances of employee's returning to duty and chances of the College's ability to reinstate employee to a position of similar status and pay. If it is necessary to fill a position vacant by leave without pay or if it is necessary to terminate an employee on leave without pay, the position may be filled by a temporary or permanent appointment provided the employee on leave without pay is notified of such action immediately.
Prior to leave without pay, the employee must exhaust all applicable accumulated leave.The employee ceases to earn any additional sick or annual leave on the date leave without pay begins. The employee may be ineligible for salary increase if the employee is not in pay status on the effective date of the increase.
An employee on leave without pay may be required to pay the employer’s portion of health insurance and all elective benefits.
A short period of leave without pay is a period of not more than ten (10) workdays. An employee on leave without pay for a short period is entitled to be paid for holidays, if the employee is in pay status on the day immediately preceding the holiday or was in pay status for half or more of the workdays in the month.