Employee Donation Program for Serious Illness Guidelines

Effective Date: August 4, 1996
Revised: January, 2001

Procedures

Forms:
Application
Data Release Consent
Donor Contribution

I. Eligibility

A City of Minneapolis City Council employee who has completed 1,044 hours is eligible to receive transfers of vacation, sick leave and/or compensatory time from other City Council employees where absences from work are required due to the serious illness or injury of one of the following people:

  1. The employee;
  2. The employee’s dependents or the employee’s spouse;
  3. The employees registered domestic partner within the meaning of the Code of Ordinances Chapter 142;
  4. The employee’s parents;
  5. The employee’s dependents other than their children; and/or
  6. Members of the employee’s household

Employees eligible for workers compensation are not eligible for the Sick Leave Donation Program. Eligibility for transfers will be effective only after the applicant has used all accrued sick leave, vacation time and compensatory time. Nothing in this policy will be construed to limit or extend the maximum allowable absence under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

II. Use of Donated Benefits

A. All donated time will be transferred into the recipient's sick leave bank. Once transferred, such benefits may be used in accordance with the applicable sick leave and FMLA provisions of collective bargaining agreements and City personnel policies.

B. The eligible employee must complete the "Donation Program for Serious Illness Application", the "Informed Consent for Release of Data" form and a "Request for Leave of Absence" form accompanied by the medical verification of the employee’s illness. It is the requesting employee’s responsibility to obtain medical verification on the "Employee Request for Sick Leave" (pink sick leave form) and/or "Family Medical Leave Certification of Physician or Practitioner," (blue FMLA certification form) whichever applies. These forms are available from department payroll representatives or Human Resources. Illness, prognosis, and expected date to return to work must be attached to the application and signed by the eligible employee’s primary medical doctor. If donations are being received due to serious illness or injury of persons other than the employee themselves, the same forms must be completed.

C. Donations must be made in one (1) hour increments. For every one (1) hour of sick, vacation or compensatory time donated by the donor, the recipient will be credited with one (1) hour of sick leave. The pay levels of the two employees shall not affect the transaction.

D. All applications for donations will be reviewed by Human Resources, Employer/Employee Relations to determine adherence to these guidelines.

III. Administration

A. Properly completed and signed application forms should be returned to Human Resources, Employer/Employee Relations Division, #100 Public Service Center. If the eligible employee is unable to sign their application for donations, a signature from a family member is required. If the application is not approved, notification will be sent to the employee and the employee’s immediate supervisor of the reason for denial.

B. Once the "Donation Program for Serious Illness Application Form" has been approved, data concerning the donation shall be maintained by Human Resources on a confidential basis. The Employer/Employee Relations Division will process the approved donations in HRIS.

C. Donors must indicate to whom and how much of their own sick leave, vacation time, and/or compensatory time they will donate within the parameters of this program. Donations are strictly voluntary. "Leave Donation Forms" must be sent to Employer/Employee Relations Division, #100 Public Service Center for processing.

D. Once donated time has been transferred to the eligible employee, neither the donor nor the eligible employee may revoke the transaction. Unused sick leave may not be returned to the donor but will remain in the eligible employee’s sick leave bank.

E. A maximum of 1044 hours may be received by any eligible employee for each incident. An employee who returns to work either on "limited duty" or on a part-time basis may, with verification, continue to use donated time. The employee may continue to receive additional donations during the next 30 calendar days only, and can use these benefits at any time in the future. Should the employee return to full duty, no additional donations will be allowed.

F. All donation forms shall be date-stamped when received in Human Resources and shall be submitted in the order received. Donated time shall be available for use by the eligible employee only after Human Resources has had an opportunity to verify and enter the required data.

G. Employees terminating employment, either voluntarily or involuntarily, may donate accrued sick leave up to a maximum of forty (40) hours, provided at least forty (40) hours remain in their own sick leave bank. There shall be no restriction on the amount of vacation or compensatory time, which may be donated.

H. Departmental payroll/HRIS representatives shall notify Employer/Employee Relations Division when the eligible employee has returned to work.

I. No provisions of this policy, or its administration, shall be subject to review under the grievance or arbitration provisions of any collective bargaining agreement.

Last updated Mar. 6, 2013