7.11 Vacation Leave Donation Program

Piedmont University recognizes that employees may have a family emergency or a personal crisis that causes a severe impact to them resulting in a need for additional time off in excess of their available balance for vacation leave. To address this need, all eligible employees, strictly on a voluntary basis, may donate vacation leave from their unused balance to a General Leave Bank.

1. Donation

   An employee who voluntarily donates vacation leave must be employed by the University for a minimum of a twenty-four-month period, classified as a full time employee, and is eligible for vacation and medical leave accrual under the current leave accrual policy.

   Employees who voluntarily donate vacation leave from their unused balance must adhere to the following requirements:

   • Donation minimum - donations must be made in increments of 5 hours
   • Donation maximum - 100 hours and not more than 50 % of their current vacation leave balance
   • Donation recipient - a qualified individual

   Note: Employees who voluntarily donate time must maintain at least 50% of their total current balance to ensure they have sufficient hours to cover their own personal need for time off.

   Note: Employees cannot borrow against future vacation leave to donate.

   Employees who wish to voluntarily donate vacation leave to General Leave Bank must complete a Vacation Leave Donation Program Request Form. All forms should be returned Human Resources.

   Employees who wish to voluntarily donate vacation leave to General Leave Bank will waive their right to receive a vacation payout for donated time according to current policy upon termination of employment.

   Employees who are currently on approved leave of absence cannot donate vacation.
   
   

2. Recipient Eligibility

   Employee eligibility shall be based on current qualifications under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

    

3. Recipient Donation Request

   Eligible recipients must meet the following criteria to make a donation request:

   1. The employee must have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately before the date when the leave is requested to commence.
   2.  The employee must be classified as a full-time employee.
   3. The employee must be eligible and accruing vacation leave under the current leave accrual policy.
   4.  The maximum number of hours an employee may receive in a 12-month period is 100 hours.

   5. Employees who would like to make a request to receive donated vacation leave are required to complete a Vacation Leave Donation Program Request Form which includes authorization and the sole purpose of the request at least 20 days prior to exhausting personal accumulated leave accruals

       

4. Recipient Donation Approval

Requests for donations of vacation leave must be approved by the Office of Human Resources.

If the recipient employee has available vacation leave balance, this time will be used prior to any donated vacation leave. Donated vacation leave may only be used for time off related to the approved request.

Leave received under this policy is limited to the lesser of hours needed to reach time approved under FMLA and/or a maximum of 100 hours per year.

Donated leave balances are not eligible for vacation payout upon termination of employment.