Appendix III

Campus Catastrophic Leave Program

REFERENCES AND RELATED POLICIES UC-PPSM 41 (Vacation)
UC-PPSM 42 (Sick Leave)
UC-PPSM 43 (Leave of Absence)
UC-PPSM 46 (Administrative Leave) A. INTRODUCTION The UCLA Catastrophic Leave Program permits temporary salary and benefit continuation for a staff employee who accrues vacation and who has exhausted all paid leave credits as a result of a catastrophic illness or injury. That illness or injury can be to the employee or a member of the employee's family or household and requires the employee to be absent from work. B. DEFINITIONS
  1. Catastrophic Illness or Injury - a non-industrial illness or injury which is physically debilitating or life threatening and requires the employee's absence from work when the employee has exhausted all paid leave credits.
  2. Paid Leave Credits - includes sick leave, vacation, blood bank donations, and compensatory time off (CTO). However, sick leave, blood bank donations, and compensatory time off are inapplicable to and shall not be donated to the Catastrophic Leave Program.
  3. Recipient - the employee who is eligible to accrue and use vacation, has exhausted all paid leave credits, and is in need of extending his/her salary and benefits temporarily.
  4. Donor - the employee who is donating vacation time to an employee or to the Catastrophic Leave Bank ("the bank").
C. CRITERIA
  1. Department Head - The Department Head shall determine the methodology for soliciting donations to the Catastrophic Leave Program. Participation in the Catastrophic Leave Program is strictly voluntary.
  2. Recipient - Donations may be credited incrementally to the receiving employee to a maximum of 160 hours in a twelve-month period. Employees may not receive any University-paid or Employee-paid Disability benefits while being paid from Catastrophic Leave Program donations because the employee is considered to be on active pay status. Donated time may be applied to the receiving employee's Employee-paid Disability waiting period.
  3. Donor - Each donation by an eligible donor must be a minimum of eight (8) hours with any additional hours for that donation in whole hour increments. When the recipient is eligible to receive fewer than eight (8) hours, donations of less than eight (8) hours may be made. The maximum that may be donated is 50% of the donor's vacation balance or eighty (80) hours in a twelve-month period, whichever is less. Donations may be made to individual employees or to the bank.
D. ELIGIBILITY All UCLA staff employees, who are eligible to accrue and use vacation time, are eligible to participate in the Catastrophic Leave Program. Exclusively represented employees who meet the criteria may participate in the program to the extent provided in the applicable collective bargaining agreements. The program is non-grievable, and is not subject to any arbitration policy applicable to any employee. Vacation leave may be credited to an employee in the event of the employee's eligible catastrophic illness or injury if the following conditions are met:
  1. The employee (recipient) has sent a written request to the Department Head (or designee);
  2. The Department Head (or designee) has confirmed that the employee is unable to work due to the catastrophic illness or injury of the employee or a member of the employee's family or household;
  3. The requesting employee has exhausted all paid leave credits; and
  4. Vacation leave hours have been donated for that employee or are available from the bank.
E. METHOD OF DONATING VACATION HOURS
  1. Designated Donation
    An employee may donate time to an individual employee who is eligible to receive catastrophic leave hours by completing a donation form and submitting it to his/her department head. The department head or designee is responsible for coordinating the solicitation for leave donations and the processing of adjustments to the leave balances of the donor and the recipient.
  2. Undesignated Donation
    An employee may donate vacation leave hours to a central catastrophic leave bank maintained by campus Payroll Services by completing a donation form and submitting it to his/her department head. The department head authorizes the department timekeeper to reduce the employee's vacation leave balance and notifies campus Payroll Services to add the hours to the catastrophic leave bank. Requests for disbursement of vacation leave hours from the bank are sent to Campus Human Resources by the department head for an eligible employee. A committee comprised of representatives from Campus Human Resources, campus Payroll Services, and departments determines disbursement of hours from the bank based on confirmation of the catastrophic illness or injury and the number of hours available and authorizes the department head to process adjustments to the recipient's leave balance.
F. TRANSFER OF VACATION LEAVE HOURS Donations are irrevocable once the donor signs the form authorizing a deduction from his or her vacation leave balance unless the designated recipient becomes ineligible to receive the donation. The department head or designee will ensure that donations meet the eligibility criteria and will deduct the donated vacation hours from the leave balance of the donor. The leave balance should be reduced using the Description of Service (DOS) code VLC so that the department does not receive a credit from the financial leave reserve account. When approving the crediting of vacation hours to the recipient's vacation leave balance, the department head or designee shall ensure that only the number of hours needed are credited. The leave balance should be increased using the Description of Service (DOS) code VLC so that the department is not charged for leave assessment by the financial leave system. G. EFFECT ON THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE and CALIFORNIA FAMILY RIGHTS Participation in the Catastrophic Leave Program does not affect a recipient employee's right to Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) and/or leave under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). Time paid through this Program will be charged as FMLA or CFRA as long as the employee meets the eligibility requirements (i.e., having worked at least 1,250 hours during the last twelve (12) months), and the leave has been designated as FMLA or CFRA. H. VERIFICATION OF CATASTROPHIC ILLNESS OR INJURY
  1. In order to receive any donated vacation leave hours, the employee must provide appropriate verification of illness or injury to his/her Department Head (or designee) from a licensed health care provider.
  2. A department head (or designee) must verify that the employee who receives time through this Catastrophic Leave Program has exhausted all paid leave credits including sick leave, vacation, blood bank time, compensatory time, and also has used any paid leave he/she continues to accrue on a monthly basis before receiving any vacation leave hours from this Program.
  3. A department head (or designee) will ensure that the employee eligible for the Catastrophic Leave Program will have any donated time credited as an hour-for-hour addition to his/her leave balance.
UCLA CAMPUS CATASTROPHIC LEAVE PROGRAM
Description Summary
Implementation DateMarch 1, 1999
DefinitionsCatastrophic Illness and Injury is a non-industrial illness or injury which is physically debilitating or life-threatening to the employee or members of the employee's family or household, and requires the employee's absence from work. The employee shall have exhausted all accrued paid leave credits (i.e., vacation, sick leave, blood bank donations, and compensatory time off).
Benefit TriggersThe catastrophic illness or injury of an employee or the need to care for a family member who has a catastrophic illness or injury.
EligibilityAll UCLA staff employees who accrue and who are eligible to use accrued vacation.
The contributing and receiving employees may be from the same department or from different departments; or, employees may contribute and receive hours from the central catastrophic leave bank maintained by campus Payroll Services.
Eligible Leave CreditsAccrued vacation time. Sick leave credits may NOT be transferred.
Minimum DonationsEach donation must be a minimum of eight (8) hours with any additional hours for that donation in whole hour increments. Donations of less than eight (8) hours may be made only when the recipient is eligible to receive fewer than eight (8) hours.
Maximum DonationsThe maximum that may be donated is 50% of his/her vacation balance or eighty (80) hours of accrued vacation leave in a twelve-month period, whichever is less.
Maximum Receipt
of Donations		An employee may receive a maximum of 160 hours vacation in each twelve-month period.
Pay Level of
Donating or Receiving
Employees		Contributions can be made to employees at a higher or lower pay level because donations are transferred on an hour-for-hour basis (not on a dollar-for-dollar basis).
Department Head's
(or Designee's)
Responsibilities		The Department Head (or designee) is responsible for:
  • determining if the applicant is eligible to participate in the Program with appropriate medical verification;
  • submitting appropriate documentation upon request to support applications made to the central catastrophic leave blank;
  • verifying that all paid leave has been exhausted; and
  • assuring that only the hours that are needed by a recipient are actually credited.
Employee's
Responsibilities*		The employee is responsible for:
  • obtaining the appropriate medical verification of illness or injury;
  • completing the Recipient Application Request form with the medical verification attached; and
  • assuring that all credits requested are used within the period specified on the request form.
*The Recipient Application Request form can be completed by a family member or individual residing in the household if the employee is incapacitated.

Catastrophic Leave Program Recipient Application Request

Catastrophic Leave Program Donor Form


 

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