Sick Leave Pool

Related Forms

Sick Leave Pool Membership Application
Sick Leave Pool Membership Termination

What are the Benefits of being a Member?

The use of hours from the Sick Leave Pool is for a member employee's serious or catastrophic health condition.

Employees who join the Sick Leave Pool may request and receive up to 480 hours in a 12-month period for their serious illness or severe injury after using all earned sick, annual (vacation), personal holiday and compensatory leave. Members may be granted a lifetime maximum of 960 hours during their employment with FSU.

Current Sick Leave Pool members do not need to renew their membership annually. Sick Leave Pool membership will remain active unless terminated in writing or upon separation from the University. Current members will have a zero (0) Sick Leave Pool balance on their timesheet and under leave plans.

A training guide to view membership status can be found here.

Are You Eligible?

To be eligible for the Sick Leave Pool, you must:

  1. Be a sick leave earning Faculty, A&P or USPS employee with 12 months continuous service with Florida State University (non-OPS).
  2. Have an earned sick leave balance of at least 72 hours.
  3. Have an average sick leave usage of less than 9 days for each year of employment at the time of application. If the annual use of sick leave is 9 days or more, apply for membership and provide an explanation for your need to use sick leave over the course of your University employment (surgery, accidents, children, care of parents, etc.). If any of the sick leave used was covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), provide FMLA dates of coverage.

When May I Apply for Membership?

An eligible employee may apply under one of the following circumstances:

  1. During the annual membership application period which is held each spring semester. Dates are published each year on the Human Resources web site.
  2. During any special enrollment period.
  3. Within 30 days of completing 12 months of continuous service with The Florida State University in a sick leave earning position (non-OPS).
  4. Within 30 days from your FSU appointment date when transferring without a break in service from a State of Florida agency or University where you were a Sick Leave Pool member. If approved, the 8 hour membership donation will be deducted from your FSU earned sick leave balance.

If approved, new members must donate 8 hours of their earned sick leave to the pool.

I Am a Member. How Do I Use the Sick Leave Pool Hours?

The Sick Leave Pool Policy (OP-C-7-E2) indicates that hours shall only be used for the employee's catastrophic/serious personal illness, accident, or combination of conditions which has a major impact on life-functions. The committee makes the determination on whether an employee's request meets the criteria for using sick leave pool hours.

Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) and Sick Leave Pool are distinct types of leave. FMLA is for serious conditions, while Sick Leave Pool is for catastrophic conditions. An award of FMLA does not guarantee that pool hours will be approved. Employees can evaluate their short & long term disability insurance options upon hire or during an eligible enrollment period.

Ineligible Situations

  • Pre-existing conditions
  • Self-inflicted injuries
  • Family member illness/injury
  • Pregnancy and childbirth

The following situations are generally considered ineligible unless it was necessitated by a catastrophic event or accident:

  • Cosmetic or elective surgery
  • Orthopedic conditions and surgery
  • Surgeries to improve quality of life
  • Chronic conditions
  • Stable mental health conditions

Before applications are considered, additional documentation may need to be furnished outlining the catastrophic event.

Intermittent Usage

The use of pool hours intermittently will only be approved if the cause for absence is due to a catastrophic/serious personal illness, accident, or injury. The committee may require additional documentation outlining work limitations, prognosis, and/or treatment plans to reacclimatize the employee back to full time work.

The committee may also look at date of hire and previous sick leave usage and make a determination based on the diagnosis of whether the absence should be covered by an employee's biweekly leave accruals.

Retroactive Requests

Policy indicates that applications should generally be received by the pool administrator two (2) weeks prior to the need for pool hours. If the suggested deadline cannot be met due to unforeseen circumstances, then hours may be granted back to the first day of the current pay period for which the request was received. The committee generally does not approve the use of pool hours prior to the current pay period for which the request was received.

Questions? Contact Oriana Inciarte at oinciarte@fsu.edu or by calling (850) 644-5052.