Shared Leave

The Shared Leave Program allows eligible university support staff and unclassified staff to donate sick and/or vacation leave and eligible faculty to donate sick leave to another qualified faculty/staff member who is experiencing a serious, extreme or life threatening illness or injury either personally or of a family member. (The definition of "family member" includes persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or court placement of minors.) Faculty and staff members who are appointed to regular positions are eligible to participate in the shared leave program as leave recipients or as donors.

Faculty and staff may apply for shared leave who have six months of continuous service, who cannot perform regular work duties, and who have exhausted or who will have exhausted all forms of paid leave at the time shared leave is granted. The requesting faculty/staff member must also have a satisfactory attendance record and a satisfactory performance evaluation or an evaluation rating of at least "meets expectations" for university support staff. A faculty/staff member receiving Workers' Compensation is not eligible for shared leave. Shared leave is only granted to those faculty/staff who will be returning to their jobs. It may also serve as a "bridge" until long term disability has been approved. The maximum of shared leave granted is six months.

A faculty/staff member may request shared leave only for serious, extreme or life threatening illness or injury that may require leave without pay from work or termination of employment for inpatient or hospice care, extensive outpatient treatment or care at home. The standard for qualifying as a serious, extreme or life threatening illness or injury is a strict one. For example, routine surgeries, hysterectomies, routine pregnancy and delivery, anxiety and depression unless hospitalization is involved, and broken limbs are conditions that are not likely to be approved for shared leave.

The department to which a faculty/staff member is appointed pays the sick leave for a shared leave recipient. Most shared leave qualifies for coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Upon returning to work, a shared leave recipient will be expected to provide a release to return to work from a health care provider.

An application for shared leave requires a request form and a health certification from a health care provider. The shared leave request and health certification forms can be found here. Questions regarding shared leave may be directed to Barbara Walker, 864-4946 or bwalker@ku.edu.

rev 11/06