Leave benefits are provided to UHCL employees in accordance with state and federal regulations. To ensure compliance, employees are encouraged to review all information regarding the various leave benefits.

The HR office provides individual counseling and will assist employees and departments with processing of all required documentation..

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Vacation Leave

Hours Accrued Per Month For Full-time Employment:

Sick Leave

Emergency Leave/Bereavement Leave

Emergency leave with pay is granted because of the death of the employee’s spouse, or the death of the employee’s or the employee’s spouse’s parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren and children. Duration of the leave is appropriate to the circumstance and is determined on a case-by-case basis.  This leave with pay must be requested and documented through normal leave reporting procedures.

Absences due to the death of an individual outside the employee’s immediate family is taken as vacation or compensatory leave or as otherwise provided by policy.

Benefits eligible employees may be allowed time off with pay (emergency leave) to attend the funeral or off campus memorial service of another UHCL employee/retiree. Employees must receive approval of the department head, or designee, in writing prior to the absence.
The department head, or designee, may approve time off with pay for any benefits eligible employee to attend the funeral or memorial service of another family member of a UHCL employee/retiree. Family member is limited to the employee's spouse, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild or child.

College Release Time

Regular full time employees may request paid release time (up to three hours per week) to attend class. The request must be in writing on the appropriate form and approved prior to registration. The course must be considered directly related to the current or prospective employment and judged to be of benefit to both the employee and the state.

Donor Leave

Employees are entitled to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary for the time necessary to serve as a bone marrow or organ donor. The leave may not exceed five working days in a fiscal year to serve as a bone marrow donor and 30 working days in a fiscal year to serve as an organ donor.

For the donation of blood, employees are allowed time off without a deduction in salary or accrued leave.  The time off must have the approval of the employee’s supervisor before taking the time.  Upon returning to work, the employee must provide the supervisor with proof of the donation.  If an employee fails to provide the proof of donation, the time used will be deducted from the employee’s salary or accrued leave, whichever the employee chooses.  The time off for blood donation may not exceed four times in a fiscal year.

Other Leave (Jury, Military, etc.)

JURY DUTY

The time an employee must be absent from work because of jury duty is granted without a loss of salary and without affecting any other paid leave entitlement. There is no requirement to account for any fee or compensation received for jury duty service. The request for jury duty should be made on a leave request form and submitted to the employee’s supervisor prior to the time the leave is needed. A copy of the jury duty orders must be attached to both the employee’s time sheet and leave request.

MILITARY LEAVE

National Guard Emergency

An employee who is called to state active duty as a member of the state military forces by the governor because of an emergency is entitled to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary in accordance with Government Code, Section 431.0825. If the call is for federal active duty as a member of the state military forces, the employee may not receive the employee’s salary except as provided by Sections 661.904 (d) and (f) of the Government Code.

Reserve Duty

An employee called to active reservist duty to serve in a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States is entitled to a paid leave of absence not to exceed fifteen days in a calendar year. If the leave of absences extends beyond the paid fifteen days, the employee will be placed on military leave of absence without pay. Employees may opt to use all accrued vacation time before being placed in an unpaid leave status. If the hours are not used, they are retained along with accrued sick leave and will be available once the employee returns to work. Employees on active duty, regardless of pay status, will continue to accrue state service credit for purposes of longevity pay.

Parental Leave

Employees who have been employed for less than 12 months by the state or worked fewer than 1,250 hours during the 12-month period preceding the beginning of leave are eligible to take a parental leave of absence not to exceed 12 weeks for the birth of a natural child or the adoption by or foster care placement of a child younger than three years of age. All accrued sick and vacation leave will be used before the employee is placed in an unpaid leave status. Once an employee is on unpaid leave status for an entire month, insurance benefits to include the state and employee’s contributions will be paid by the employee directly to the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Under the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, employees who have a total of at least 12 months of state service and who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period preceding the beginning of the leave may be entitled to leave benefits under FMLA. The request for the leave must be in accordance with federal regulations and with required documentation. The leave granted may be up to 480 hours in a rolling calendar year. All available and applicable accrued sick and vacation leave must be used during the approved leave period.  The approved leave provides for job and benefit protection.