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Benefits

Paid Days Off

Sick Time | Vacation Time | Holidays | Winter Recess | Bereavement

Sick Time

Faculty and Administrative Staff Members:

  1. Sick Time. Sick time with pay shall be granted to eligible members of the academic and administrative staff on the basis of 12 working days per fiscal year. Sick leave is accrued on a monthly basis. Regular employees who are normally scheduled to work fewer than 37.5 hours per week will accrue sick time on a pro-rated basis. Members of the faculty are eligible for sick time with pay if illness occurs during summer-term appointments.

    It is the responsibility of employees to report all absences due to illness on the Monthly Payroll Absence Report. Each pay period the available sick time accumulation is shown in the Leave Balances section of the Employee Self Service under MyUSI. Sick time is not intended as earned time off with pay and will not be granted except for bona fide illness. The University may require appropriate medical evidence at reasonable intervals as confirmation of illness.

    Sick time may be used in accordance with the foregoing policy for illness, appointments with medical providers, or medically determined inability to work.


  2. Medical Leaves of Absence. Employees who are absent from work due to illness or disability for more than five consecutive working days will be placed on a Medical Leave of Absence. The employee must submit a medical release from a physician to the Human Resources Department prior to returning to work. However, the University reserves the right to request a physical release to return to work for absences of less than (5) five days. Additionally, for absences qualifying for coverage under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a leave of absence request must also be completed prior to the leave; refer to Leaves of Absence, FMLA, for additional information.

    The University grants medical leaves of absence in increments of up to 30 calendar days, generally not to exceed a total of 90 calendar days. Please refer to Leaves of Absence, FMLA, for information regarding absences qualifying for coverage.

    Sick time with pay may be used during the disability income benefits waiting period. Sick time with pay must end prior to commencing disability benefit payments.


  3. Sick Time Use for Family Illness. Effective January, 2012, a maximum of ten days of an employee's accumulated sick time may be taken each fiscal year for illness of a covered family member. For the purpose of this Sick Time Policy, covered family members include spouse or registered same-sex domestic partner, children, parents, siblings, relatives who live with the employee, and relative (in-laws) of the same degree of the spouse/registered domestic partner who are dependent on the employee for emergency care. The preceding relationships include step, adoptive and foster relationships. Such sick time will be designated by the employee as "family sick" on the time report.


  4. Medical and Dental Appointments. Medical and dental appointments for an employee or immediate family member should be scheduled outside normal working hours. If this is impractical or impossible, appointments scheduled during regular working hours with prior approval of the department head will be charged to available sick time.


  5. Unused Accumulated Sick Time: Retirement/Death/Termination. Faculty and administrative staff are not eligible to receive payment of their unused, accumulated sick time.

Support Staff Members:

  1. Sick Time. Sick time with pay shall be granted to eligible support employees on the basis of 12 working days per fiscal year. Regular employees who are normally scheduled to work fewer than 37.5 hours per week will accrue sick time on a pro-rated basis. Sick time will only accrue based on hours in regular pay status. Sick time will not be claimed during the probationary period; however, sick time will be earned and accumulated during probation to be available for use after successful completion of the probationary period.

    Employees must report all staff absences due to illness on the Bi-weekly/Hourly Time Report. Each pay period the available sick time accumulation is shown in the Leave Balances section of Employee Self Service under MyUSI. Sick time is not intended as earned time off with pay and will not be granted except for bona fide illness. The University may require appropriate medical evidence as confirmation of illness. Sick time may be used in accordance with the foregoing policy for illness, appointments with medical providers, or medically determined inability to work.

  2. Medical Leaves of Absence. Employees who are absent from work due to illness or disability for more than five consecutive working days will be placed on a Medical Leave of Absence. The employee must submit a medical release from a physician to the Human Resources Department prior to returning to work. However, the University reserves the right to request a physical release to return to work for absences of less than (5) five days. Additionally, for absences qualifying for coverage under the FMLA, a leave of absence request must also be completed prior to the leave, refer to Leaves of Absence, FMLA, for additional information.

    The University grants medical leaves of absence in increments of up to 30 calendar days, generally not to exceed a total of 90 calendar days. Please refer to Leaves of Absence, FMLA, for information regarding absences qualifying for coverage.

    Sick time with pay may be used during the disability income benefits waiting period. Sick time with pay must end prior to commencing disability benefit payments.

  3. Sick Time Use for Family Illness. Effective January, 2012, a maximum of ten days (75 hours) of an employee's accumulated sick time may be taken each fiscal year for illness of a covered family member. For the purpose of this Sick Time Policy, covered family members include spouse or registered same-sex domestic partner, children, parents, siblings, relatives who live with the employee, and relative (in-laws) of the same degree of the spouse/registered domestic partner who are dependent on the employee for emergency care. The preceding relationships include step, adoptive and foster relationships. Such sick time will be designated by the employee as "family sick" on the Bi-weekly/Hourly Time Report.


  4. Medical and Dental Appointments. Medical and dental appointments for an employee or immediate family member should be scheduled outside normal working hours. If this is impractical or impossible, appointments scheduled during regular working hours with prior approval of the department head will be charged to available sick time.
     
  5. Unused Accumulated Sick Time: Retirement/Death/Termination. Eligible support employees, who retire from the University with ten or more years of service and qualify for monthly benefits from the Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund, are eligible for payment of one-half of their unused, accumulated sick time, not to exceed 60 days with pay, effective October 1, 2010. Prior to October 1, 2010, the maximum payment was 45 days.

    If an eligible support employee dies while actively employed, regardless of length of service, one-half of all unused, accumulated sick time up to a maximum of 60 days will be paid to the appropriate beneficiary(ies). Prior to October 1, 2010, the maximum payment was 45 days.

    Accumulated sick time will not be paid upon termination from the University except under circumstances as outlined above.

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Vacation Policy Guidelines

  1. Vacation allowance will be computed on the basis of hours per pay period in regular pay status and years of service.
  2. Regular pay status time shall include scheduled regular work hours, paid sick leave, paid vacation, paid holidays, paid winter recess, and other approved paid absences.  Overtime and special payments shall be excluded.
  3. Vacation time will be available for use upon accrual except during the initial probationary period for support personnel.  Only one day may be utilized until successful completion of the probation.  Vacation periods should be arranged in advance with the appropriate supervisor.
  4. The maximum accrual at any time shall be twice the annual allowance.  Vacation time will not carry over beyond the two-year maximum accumulation.  After the maximum vacation allowance has been reached, no further vacation accumulation will occur until vacation time is used.
  5. At the time of separation from employment, unused vacation will be paid but may not exceed the allowable maximum accrual.  The last day worked shall be the last day for which vacation leave is accrued.   Holidays, when occurring during terminal leave, shall be excluded in computing the terminal vacation allowance.  An employee terminating during the probationary period will be paid all accrued vacation.
  6. Vacation or other accrued time cannot be used in lieu of notice of resignation.
  7. No employee may receive extra pay in lieu of accrued vacation.
  8. Vacation allowance will be paid at the salary or wage rate the employee is receiving at the time vacation is taken.  Pay will not be advanced for the vacation period.
  9. Faculty members with fiscal year appointments are subject to the same working day calendar as regular administrative staff appointments. Therefore, the vacation allowance will be applied during periods when classes are not in session.  Vacation time may not be taken during the teaching days of the academic year or summer sessions, unless prior approval is received from the vice president of Academic Affairs.
  10. Vacation allowance will not be granted to temporary employees.  Such employees appointed to a regular, full-time position would receive vacation allowance only for time served in the regular, full-time position.

Vacation Time
Administrative Staff Members:  Chief administrative personnel (president, vice presidents, deans, and directors, including senior staff designated by the president of the University) and fiscal faculty will accrue vacation at the rate of 20 working days per fiscal year.  Other administrative staff will accrue vacation at the rate of 15 working days per fiscal year.  Upon the completion of five years of service, other administrative staff will accrue vacation at the rate of 20 days per fiscal year.  Academic year appointments are not eligible for vacation.

Professional Library Staff Members:  Professional library personnel will accrue vacation at the rate of 20 working days per fiscal year.

Support Staff Members:  Full-time support employees accrue vacation based on the following schedule:

Vacation Earned During

Hours Per Pay Period

0 -   3 years
4 -   6 years
7 - 10 years
11 years or more

2.88
3.46
4.32
5.77

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Holidays

The University observes the following holidays:

Jan  1, 2012 New Year's Day Sep 3, 2012 Labor Day
Apr  6, 2012 Good Friday Nov 22 - 23, 2012
Thanksgiving Day
May 28, 2012 Memorial Day   and the day following
July 4, 2012 Fourth of July Dec 24 - Jan 1, 2013 Christmas,
plus two working days
and Winter Recess

When holidays fall on weekends, the University may designate another day as the holiday. 

Eligible employees may receive holiday pay regardless of the length of time they have been employed.  When University offices are closed on holidays, eligible employees working in such offices will receive pay for normally scheduled working hours; this pay will not be charged against the annual vacation allowance for the employee.

Employees working in areas/departments where continuous service is essential (i.e. certain physical plant and security employees) may be required to work on a designated holiday.

Holidays will be counted as time worked for purposes of overtime pay calculation.

To be paid for these holidays, an employee must be in "pay status."  In "pay status" is defined as:

  1. having worked the approved scheduled work days before and after the holiday, or
  2. being on an approved absence with pay.

If the employee terminates employment with the University, he will not be paid for a holiday occurring after the last day worked or contractual employment ends.

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Winter Recess

The president may authorize additional days off during the Christmas holiday period as winter recess days.

2010-2011 Winter Recess Guidelines:

The University will be closed from Friday, December 24, 2010, through Friday, December 31, 2010.  December 24, 27, 28, and 31, 2010, will be considered University Holidays.  University policy pertaining to holidays will be in effect for those dates.  December 29 and 30, 2010, will be considered Winter Recess days.  During Winter Recess, all University offices will be closed and regular, benefit-eligible staff members will receive compensation equal to their regular scheduled hours.  The only exceptions will be essential operations and offices that must remain open as determined by each Vice President.  

The following guidelines only apply to regular, benefit-eligible staff members.  

  1. December 24, 27, 28, and 31 will be Holidays observed by all benefit-eligible University employees.  December 29 and 30 are the designated Winter Recess days for all benefit-eligible employees.  
  2. For benefit-eligible, non-exempt staff members paid on a bi-weekly basis, time worked on the Holiday of December 24 will be reflected on the time sheet ending Friday, December 24, 2010, and paid on Friday, December 31, 2010.  The Holidays of December 27, 28, and 31 and the Winter Recess days of December 29 and 30, 2010,  will be reflected on time sheets due on January 7, 2011, and paid January 14, 2011.  Standard University pay policy will apply, including payment of time and one half for any regular hours worked on the holiday.  
  3. Benefit-eligible, non-exempt staff members paid on a bi-weekly basis who are scheduled to work on either of the two designated Winter Recess days will receive 7.5 hours Winter Recess pay and be compensated at the time and one-half rate for any regular actual hours worked.  
  4. Only time worked in excess of the Holiday or Winter Recess will be paid from December 24 through December 31.  No vacation or sick pay will be allowed during this time period.  
  5. Part-time, non-exempt staff members eligible for benefits will receive Winter Recess pay and Holiday pay on a pro-rated basis.   

NOTE:  Temporary staff members, as well as others who are not eligible for benefits, do not qualify for Winter Recess or Holiday pay.  

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these guidelines, please contact Julia Yancey at 464-1840 or Kaye Lands at 465-7045.

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Bereavement

Eligible employees may be granted time off with pay for the purpose of arranging for or attending funerals, in accordance with the following conditions: 

  1. Time off with pay for a maximum of three days may be utilized for the funeral of an employee's spouse, children, step-children, parents, step-parents, brothers, step-brothers, sisters, step-sisters, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, or other members of the employee's family residing in their immediate household.  A maximum of two days travel time may be utilized for a reasonable distance upon the approval of the dean/department head and the director of Human Resources.

  2. For other members of the family including uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and other in-law relatives, time off with pay may be allowed for a maximum of one day.  A maximum of two days travel time may be utilized for a reasonable distance upon the approval of the dean/department head and the director of Human Resources.

  3. For attending funeral services of other relatives including close friends, employees may use accrued vacation, compensatory time, or time off without pay.

  4. An employee may be granted time off with pay up to one-half day to attend the funeral service of a fellow employee.

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My USI Access

Open Enrollment Dates

TIAA-CREF Representative

Lori Matthews of TIAA-CREF will hold individual appointments in the HR Training Room on the below dates.  To schedule an appointment, contact 800/732-8353. 

  • Tuesday, Dec 4
  • Thursday, Dec 6
  • Wednesday, Jan 30
  • Tuesday, Feb 19
  • Thursday, Feb 21
  • Wednesday, Mar 20
  • Tuesday, April 23
  • Thursday, April 25
  • Wednesday, May 22
  • Tuesday, June 18
  • Thursday, June 20
  • Wednesday, July 24
  • Tuesday, Aug 20
  • Thursday, Aug 22
  • Wednesday, Sept 25
  • Tuesday, Oct 22
  • Thursday, Oct 24
  • Wednesday, Nov 20
  • Tuesday, Dec 10
  • Thursday, Dec 12