Employee Leave Information

Leave Type Descriptions

Leave Type Description
Vacation Leave Paid time off for personal use, typically accrued based on employee classification and years of service.
Sick Leave Paid leave used for illness, injury, medical appointments, or to care for a sick family member.
Holiday Leave Paid time off for official university holidays (e.g., Independence Day, Thanksgiving, etc.).
Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) Job-protected leave (up to 12 weeks) for medical or family-related reasons, under federal law.
Compensatory Time Time off earned by non-exempt employees who work overtime.
Fitness Leave Time A-State employees may make use of a three (3) hour per week release time benefit for physical fitness purposes. This is a year-round benefit for full-time, benefited employees. It may not be used with the educational benefit and must be taken in increments of 90 minutes or less. Supervisor approval is required, and a request form must be completed.
Education Leave Time Employees may take one in-person course during regular working hours with supervisor approval. The Tuition Discount Form must be completed and approved prior to the beginning of the course.
Child Education Leave Employees are allowed the opportunity to participate in their children’s educational activities by receiving eight (8) hours of leave per calendar year for this purpose.
Military Leave Leave for active duty, training, or other military obligations—protected under USERRA.
Jury Duty Leave Paid leave for required service on a jury or as a court witness.
Leave Without Pay (LWOP) May be approved when paid leave is exhausted or for extended absences not covered by other types.
Sabbatical Leave Typically for faculty; time off (often paid) to conduct research or professional development.

Questions about employee leave? Contact the Human Resources office. We are happy to help! 

FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)

Life happens—and when it does, we’re here to support you. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) allows eligible employees to take time off to care for a family member or to manage their own health needs.

To qualify, you must have been employed at A-State for at least 12 months and have worked 1,250 hours in the past year.

What is FMLA? 

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides time off for employees to care for family members or due to their own illness. To be eligible, employees must have been employed by Arkansas State University for a total of 12 months and have worked a total of 1,250 hours in the past 12 months.

Am I eligible for FMLA? 

The FMLA entitles eligible employees to a total of 12 work weeks of leave during any 12-month period for one of the following reasons:

At the beginning of 2008, the President signed into law permission for an employee to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperating from a medical procedure, therapy, other outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list for a sickness or illness. The 12-month period used by Arkansas State University for determining eligibility is a rolling year forward, with the 12-month period beginning the first day of FMLA leave usage. (For example, if an employee begins leave for surgery on April 10 of 2008, the 12-month period begins on April 10, 2008, and ends on April 9, 2009.)

How do I file for FMLA? 

If you think you may need to take leave under FMLA, we’re here to guide you through the process. Just reach out to the Human Resources Office to get started. We’ll help you understand your options, gather the necessary paperwork, and make sure everything is in place so you can focus on what matters most—taking care of yourself or your loved ones.

Questions? Reach out to Human Resources—we’re happy to help!

Maddie Russell: A-State Human Resources 
870-972-2639
mrussell@astate.edu

Additional Information Regarding FMLA

Employee Rights and Responsibilities

Catastrophic Leave & Catastrophic Leave Bank Program

What would you do if a serious medical condition required an extended absence from work and resulted in the loss of income? What if all of your sick ad annual leave would not cover your absence from work? The A-State Catastrophic Leave Bank is here to help!

Catastrophic Leave

What is considered a Catastrophic Illness?

A medical condition of an employee, employee’s spouse, employee’s parent, or employee’s child who may be claimed as a dependent as certified by a physician (or other individual as provided in ARK. Code Annotated 21-4-201 et seq.) that requires an employee’s absence from duty for a prolonged period of time and which results in a substantial loss of income to the employee because of the exhaustion of all earned sick, annual, holiday, and compensatory leave time.

Do I qualify to receive Catastrophic Leave?

Employees who have 80 hours of vacation and/or sick leave in the system at the onset of an illness or injury and have completed the two years of service may apply for Catastrophic Leave or for a Catastrophic Leave for Dependent/Child to supplement their income while they are on leave from the University.

How do I apply for Catastrophic Leave? 

Complete the Catastrophic Leave Application or the Dependent Child Certification Form.

Catastrophic Leave Bank Program

What is the Catastrophic Leave Bank Program?

The Catastrophic Leave Bank Program is approved by the Department of Finance and Administration and operated by the Department of Human Resources in concert with the Employee Benefits Committee to provide for the orderly authorization and administration of catastrophic leave.

The Catastrophic Leave Bank is a pool of accrued annual and sick leave voluntarily donated by employees, which may be approved by the University for use by other employees to supplement their income while they are on leave from the University.

After completing two years of service with Arkansas State University, employees become eligible for the Catastrophic Leave Bank Program.

How can I donate to the Catastrophic Leave Bank?

Employees may elect to donate to the Catastrophic Leave Bank after completing two years of service and may donate sick or annual leave hours in increments of 8 hours. Donations to the Catastrophic Leave Bank are critical. Once the Catastrophic Leave Bank is depleted, the program will not be available for usage by any A-State employee. To donate, complete the Donation Form.

More questions about the Catastrophic Leave or the Catastrophic Leave Bank Program? View the Operating Procedure or contact Human Resources! 

A-State Human Resources
870-972-3454
HR@AState.edu

Military Leave

Arkansas State University has provisions for leave time for service members who are called to active duty, participate in specialized training, or incur service-connected disabilities.

Active Duty for Military Service:

A benefits eligible full-time employee who works forty (40) hours per week, who is drafted or called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or who volunteers for military service, shall be placed on extended military leave without pay; all unused sick leave at the time of military leave will be reinstated at the time the employee returns. All accrued, unused annual leave at the time of military leave will be reinstated at the time the employee returns to state employment unless the employee requested and received a lump- sum payment for the accrued, unused annual leave when placed on the extended military leave.

Active Duty for the Purpose of Specialized Training:

In cases where an employee volunteers or is ordered to active duty for the purpose of special training, the employee will be placed on leave without pay for the period of training unless the employee elects to use the employee’s accrued annual leave. This leave without pay is given in addition to the paid leave for annual military training. The employee retains eligibility rights including accumulated annual leave (unless the above option has been exercised) and any sick leave not used at the time the employee begins the training. The employee does not accumulate annual or sick leave during the leave without pay period, and the annual leave accrual rate will be calculated as though there had been no period of absence.

When the employee is released from active duty, the employee shall be reinstated to the position vacated or an equivalent position for which the employee is qualified in the same agency or its successor in interest. 

Employees performing active military service for fewer than thirty-one (31) days must report for reemployment on the first regularly scheduled workday within eight (8) hours after discharge from military service. Those serving more than thirty (30) but less than one hundred and eighty-one (181) days must report within fourteen (14) days after discharge. Those serving more than one hundred and eighty (180) days must report for reemployment within ninety (90) days after discharge from military service.

The reinstated employee will not lose any seniority rights with respect to leave accrual rates, salary increases, reduction in force policies, or other benefits and privileges of employment. The period of military service shall, for purposes of computations to determine whether such persons may be entitled to retirement benefits, be deemed continuous service and the employee shall not be required to make any contributions to any state supported retirement fund. To receive service credit for retirement purposes, a copy of the employee's DD214 must be submitted to the appropriate retirement system. The retirement system will notify the university to remit the
employer's contributions to update the employee's account.

Former employees returning to the university after military service, but who extended their enlistment or reenlisted for additional military service beyond the initial period for more than a period of four (4) years (or five (5), when re-enlistment was at the request of the military) will lose all re-instatement rights and will be considered a rehire. Military service time may be extended beyond the five (5) year period for reasons stated under federal law.

Benefits eligible full-time employees who work forty hours per week, who are called to active duty in emergency situations as declared by the Governor or President shall be granted leave with pay. The period of leave with pay for emergency active duty will not exceed 30 working days per calendar year. Periods beyond the 30-day limit may be charged to annual leave at the employee’s option and if necessary, to leave without pay. If an employee's active duty in emergency situations begins in one calendar year and ends in the next calendar year and the employee is subsequently redeployed due to an emergency situation, the employee is eligible for 30 days paid leave in the new calendar year. To be eligible for emergency active military duty paid leave, the employee must be actively employed by the university and submit a copy of military orders for each emergency deployment.

Military leave for emergency active-duty situations is granted in addition to annual military leave for training purposes and annual leave.

Military Leave for Service-Connected Disabilities:

All employees of ASU System who have been rated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its predecessor to have incurred a military service-connected disability and have been scheduled by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to be reexamined or treated for the disability shall be entitled to a leave of absence with pay for a period not to exceed six (6) days for that purpose during any one (1) calendar year.

If an employee receives a leave of absence under this section, the employee shall be entitled to his or her regular salary during the time the employee is away from his or her duties during the leave of absence. The leave of absence shall be in addition to the regular annual leave and sick leave allowed to the employee. During a leave of absence, the employee shall be entitled to preserve all seniority rights, efficiency or performance ratings, promotional status, retirement privileges, and life and disability insurance benefits and any other rights, privileges, and benefits to which he or she has become entitled.

For purposes of computations to determine whether the employee may be entitled to retirement benefits, the period of the leave of absence shall be deemed continuous service.

ASU System shall continue to contribute its portion of any life or disability insurance premiums during the leave of absence on behalf of the employee, if requested, so that continuous coverage may be maintained.

Proportionate Pay for Military Members:

During the period that an employee of the ASU System is called into active duty, as a member of the National Guard or any of the reserve components of the armed forces by order of the President or the Governor, of an emergency nature for contingency for more than thirty (30) consecutive days, the employee shall be eligible for continued proportionate salary payments, which when combined with the employee’s active duty pay, incentives, and allowances, except for uniform and clothing allowances, equal the amount that the employee would have otherwise received but for the employee’s required active duty under the order of the President or the Governor.

Differential payments will be calculated and payable to the current active State employees only.

Terminated employees are not eligible for payments. However, if an employee’s service terminated as a result of a disability incurred while on active duty, the employee is entitled to the payment.

If an employee becomes deceased while on active duty, the employee’s beneficiary is entitled to the payment. 

Payments dating back to September 11, 2001, to the present are to be paid as a onetime lump sum payment. Thereafter, if the employee is still on active duty, payments will be made on a bi-weekly basis.

Employees must provide a Leave and Earning Statement showing the employees’ military pay or Form DD214 which indicates the date the employee was called to active duty and the date released from active duty.

Leave and Earning Statements for those currently on active duty, after the initial submission to payroll, need only be submitted thereafter when a pay change occurs. The payments will be subject to state and federal taxes.

Payments authorized will not be retirement eligible earnings at the time of payment and will not be reported to APERS, thus there will be no matching paid to APERS. When the employee returns to state service as an active state employee, the retirement service will be purchased for them by the employee’s institution and the retirement matching will be paid at the time. If the employee is a member of the APERS contributory plan, the employee will pay the employee’s contributions to APERS by personal payment. These contributions will not be tax deferred.

Benefit eligible, full-time employees who work forty (40) hours per week, who are members of the National Guard or any of the reserve branches of the US Armed Forces will be granted leave at the rate of fifteen (15) working days per calendar year, plus necessary travel time for annual training purposes. Up to fifteen (15) unused military leave days may be carried over to the succeeding year for a maximum of thirty (30) military leave days for military training purposes for that calendar year.

Military leave for annual training will be granted without loss of pay and shall be in addition to annual leave. Any employee volunteering for training in addition to annual training shall take annual leave for that elective training. 

The employee must attach a copy of the employee’s military orders to each request for military leave.

More questions about the provisions for military members? View the Staff Handbook or contact Human Resources! 

A-State Human Resources
870-972-3454
HR@AState.edu