Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

ABOUT SICK LEAVE BANK

The Lovejoy ISD Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank is a voluntary employee benefit program developed to provide up to 45 paid days to members who have suffered a catastrophic illness or injury.

For full plan details, please visit your benefit website: www.mybenefitshub.com/lovejoyisd

Open Enrollment

Employees may join the Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank during the annual open enrollment period, or if a new employee, during the first 30 calendar days from hire date.

Who Is Eligible?

All Full time employees of the Lovejoy Independent School District eligible for leave benefits from the District are eligible for membership in the Sick Leave Bank.

How To Enroll

To become a member of the Bank, an employee must contribute two days from his/ her accrued or anticipated local leave for the current school calendar year. New employees have the first 30 calendar days from their hire date to join the bank.

The two contributed days will be acquired within the first 60 days of employment from the member’s local leave record and become the property of the Lovejoy ISD Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank. Existing employees who wish to join the Bank must do so during the district’s annual open enrollment.

Membership

The effective date of membership will be the 9/1 date of the year in which the employee signed up during open enrollment. All sick leave days donated remain in the Bank and Cannot be returned even upon cancellation of the membership.

Membership continues from year to year, without any additional contributions, unless: • The member uses one or more days from the Bank

during the year; OR • A member decides to cancel his/her membership in the

Bank; OR • A member terminates employment with the District;

OR • The days paid to members during the school year cause the number of days remaining in the bank to fall below two times the number of members. Then, depending on the need, current members will give an additional day to replenish the Bank. (If a current member is unable to donate the emergency request due to that member’s leave being exhausted, the member’s ability to use the sick leave bank is not affected.)

Qualifying For Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank Days

A member may request days from the Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank only after he/she has exhausted all accumulated state and local leave days, plus the 10 extended sick leave days. Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank days can be granted only for absences for working days and will not be granted for holidays, vacation days, or other such days for which the member is not paid. A member may receive days from the Bank ONLY after the two day membership donation has been contributed. Anyone who joins the sick leave bank with a pre-existing, diagnosed condition or illness for which they have received treatment within the last 90 days, shall not be allowed to utilize the sick leave bank for an illness resulting from or related to that specific condition until the member has been treatment free for 90 days or has been a member of the sick leave bank for one full year (365 days).

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Days from the Bank are granted only for a catastrophic illness or injury that necessitates an absence from work based on the Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank guidelines.

The application for Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank days must be received in the Human Resources office as early as possible, but no later than 30 work days from the date the employee returns to work.

A member who suffers a catastrophic illness or injury may initially apply for up to 30 days from the Bank. If the employee is unable to return to work after the initial 30 days are exhausted, he/she may apply for up to 15 additional days.

Use Of Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank for Immediate Family

The Bank may be used for members whose immediate family has suffered a catastrophic illness or injury. Immediate family is defined in Board Policy DEC (Local).

The maximum number of Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank days that may be granted to an employee during the year (July 1 through June 30) is 45 days. See Sick Leave Bank on the Staff Resources page of the Lovejoy ISD website for more detailed information .

What Is Considered Catastrophic?

A catastrophic illness or injury is a severe condition or combination of conditions affecting the mental or physical health of the employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family that requires the services of a licensed practitioner for a prolonged period of time and that forces the employee to exhaust all leave time earned by that employee and to lose compensation from the District. Complications resulting from pregnancy shall be treated the same as any other condition. Such conditions typically require in-patient hospitalization or are expected to result in disability or death.

Determination of “catastrophic” is based upon the physician’s statement with diagnosis, and any complications, in accordance with the Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank guidelines. A few examples of conditions that may be considered catastrophic are: • Inpatient hospitalization due to major non-elective surgery or injury (proof of room & board charges will

be required) • Organ transplant • Cancer with chemotherapy treatment

Exclusions include normal pregnancy and/or post-natal care; elective or routine surgery; outpatient procedures; mental disability that is not considered a “serious mental illness” as defined by Texas law; and workers’ compensation income eligibility.

When an employee has suffered a catastrophic illness or injury, the member may submit to the Benefits Specialist a request for days from the Bank. This request will include the “Application for Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank Days” and the Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank Physician’s Statement”. The forms can be obtained from the Business and Employee Services Office. A copy of inpatient room and board charges will also be required. Applications will be processed by the Benefits Specialist and the Leave Bank Executive Officer.