Paid Leave - Vacation, Personal and Holiday Benefits

The University grants paid leave benefits to eligible employee groups. Employees may earn vacation, sick leave and personal holidays in addition to nine legal holidays.

A summary of your sick leave benefits is provided at www.uwsa.edu/hr/ benefits/leave/sick.htm.

Paid leave is authorized by § 230.35(4)(a) of the Wisconsin Statutes, ch. ER 18 and UWS 19 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, the University of Wisconsin System Unclassified Personnel Guidelines (UPG #9 and #10.)

In most cases you must report leave usage on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. UWEX Payroll and Benefits Office can provide details.

State and university offices are closed on the following LEGAL HOLIDAYS:

• January 1
• Third Monday of January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday)
• Last Monday in May (Memorial Day)
• July 4
• First Monday in September (Labor Day)
• Fourth Thursday in November (Thanksgiving Day)
• December 24
• December 25
• December 31

Benefits vary according to your employee group.

UNCLASSIFIED

Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees who are paid on an annual pay-basis, and are expected to work at least one-third of what is considered full time employment (440 hours per year) for at least one year, earn vacation, legal holidays, personal holidays and sick leave. The leave year is on a fiscal basis, July 1 through June 30.

Full-time staff receive the following paid leave allotments. If you are employed on a part-time basis, your leave time is pro-rated consistent with your percentage of employment.

Vacation (Annual Leave) (12-month pay basis personnel only)

• Regent policy is set out in UPG #9.
• Full-time, twelve-month pay basis employees earn 22 days (176 hours) per year.
• You should check with your staff benefits office concerning unused vacation carryover provisions, as institution guidelines may vary.

Annual Leave Reserve Account (ALRA)

Faculty, Academic Staff or Limited appointees who have completed ten years of qualifying service have the option to bank unused vacation.

• Eligible employees may defer vacation in an ALRA account to use at a future date for such purposes as vacation, education, illness, extension of termination date, etc.
• With supervisor's approval, ALRA leave can be taken like regular vacation (continues your regular earnings and is paid on a monthly basis).
• Value of unused ALRA will be paid to you at termination.
• Eligibility begins in the fiscal year after ten years of qualifying service is reached.
• If eligible, you are offered the banking option in the spring of each year.
• Annual banking limit: 40 hours.
• Unused ALRA accumulates from year to year without limit.

Cash Pay Option for Unused Annual Leave

Note: Effective with the 2003-2005 unclassified pay plan, the cash pay option described below for unused annual leave for unclassified employees with 25 years of service has been suspended until such time as funding is made available in the state budget. Employees who would have been eligible for the cash pay option may instead bank an additional five days' vacation in their ALRA account.

• Prior to the 2003-2004 fiscal year, employees with 25 years of qualifying service could opt to receive up to 40 hours of annual leave as cash payment as well as bank up to 40 hours to ALRA.
• Payout option was offered in the spring of the fiscal year following the 25th year of service.
• If elected, the cash payment was made on July 1.

Personal Holiday (12-month pay basis personnel only)

• 36 hours per year of personal holiday leave are granted and you have until the end of the fiscal year to use them.
• Part-time appointees receive a proportionate share consistent with percentage of appointment.

Legal Holidays

Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees on a twelve-month pay basis earn nine legal holidays.

Some of this information was taken from the University of Wisconsin System - Human Resources and Workforce Diversity Office and UW-Extension Payroll and Benefits.