Township of Whitehall, PA Article XXXIV Leave of Absence

[Adopted by Ord. -/-/1991]

§ 1-200 Grant of leave.

The Township recognizes that circumstances may arise which require that an employee be absent for an extended period of time for either medical or personal reasons. In such an instance, the employee may be granted an unpaid leave of absence, depending upon the circumstances of the individual situation.

§ 1-201 Date and start of leave.

An unpaid leave of absence shall begin the date the employee is deactivated from the Township payroll. An employee shall be deactivated from payroll and placed on a leave of absence only after that employee has used the amount of other leave time either available to or requested by the employee.

§ 1-202 Medical disability leave.

A. In the event an employee is unable to work for a protracted period of time due to illness or a non-job-related injury, that employee may be granted a medical leave of absence upon presentation of proper certification from a physician that the employee is unable to work.

B. Medical disability leave may be granted for a maximum period of 26 weeks, beginning on the day the employee is deactivated from the Township payroll.

C. The employee shall continue to be covered by Township-paid health, disability and life insurance benefits during the authorized medical leave period.

§ 1-203 Date of deactivation.

An employee who is granted a medical leave of absence shall be deactivated from Township payroll for the duration of the leave. The date of deactivation shall depend upon which of the following options the employee chooses:

A. Use of leave time accruals.

(1) Use up all accumulated sick and/or other accrued leave time available prior to deactivation from payroll.

(2) Use only a portion of accumulated sick and/or other accrued leave time available prior to deactivation from payroll.

B. Application for disability benefits.

(1) File an application for disability benefits under the Township's short-term disability insurance, which provides for a maximum of 26 weeks of benefits in lieu of compensation through Township payroll.

(2) Waive disability benefits.

§ 1-204 Personal leave of absence.

A. A personal leave of absence is a nonmedical leave of absence. All full-time employees in good standing with length of service over one year may request a personal leave of absence. A personal leave of absence must be approved by the Bureau Chief and Mayor, but shall not exceed 30 days. Approval shall not be unreasonably withheld but may be denied if workload or staffing would be adversely affected. Abuse of a personal leave shall result in immediate dismissal.

[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]

B. During the personal leave of up to 30 days, the eligible employee shall continue to be covered by Township-paid health, disability and life insurance benefits. An employee whose leave of absence extends beyond 30 days shall not be covered by such benefits. If the employee wishes to continue insurance coverage at the employee's own expense, then the employee may contact the personnel/benefits coordinator to discuss the options available.