Human Resources

Texas Woman's University Staff Handbook
Employee Benefits: Sick Leave

Sick Leave Accrual and Usage
Sick leave entitlement shall be earned by a regular full-time employee at the current rate of eight (8) hours per month or a fraction of a month employment, and shall accumulate with the unused amount of such leave carried forward each month.  A regular part-time employee shall earn a pro rata share based on the percent time worked.  Sick leave accrual will terminate on the last day of duty.

Sick leave with pay may be taken when sickness, injury, or pregnancy and confinement prevent the employee’s performance of duty or when a member of her or his immediate family is actually ill.  Immediate family shall be defined as those individuals related by kinship, adoption or marriage, as well as foster children certified by the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

An employee’s use of sick leave for family members not residing in that employee’s household is strictly limited to the time necessary to provide care and assistance to a spouse, child or parent of the employee who needs such care and assistance as a direct result of a documented medical condition. 

This provision for taking sick leave does not extend to an employee’s parent-in-law if they do not live in the same household. 

Sickness occurring during a vacation period may be charged to sick leave.  When an employee is ill for a continuous period of more than three (3) days, while on vacation, in order to be eligible for accumulated sick leave with pay, she or he shall be required to furnish a doctor’s certificate showing the cause and nature of the illness or some other written statement of facts concerning the illness which is acceptable to the supervisor.

Absences Due to Illness
Staff employees are required to notify supervisors prior to absences.  In the event of emergencies, when prior notification is impossible, employees are obligated to notify their supervisor of their absence at the earliest possible time.  Staff employees are responsible for keeping their supervisor informed of the status of their absence and an expected return-to-work date.

Absences due to illness continuing for three (3) work shifts or more will require a doctor’s certificate showing the cause and nature of the illness or some other written statement of the facts concerning the illness which is acceptable to the supervisor.  The University may, at its discretion, request a doctor’s release, or other documentation after any absence due to illness before a staff employee would be allowed to return to work.  A doctor’s statement and/or appropriate documentation shall be maintained by the employing department.  

Patterned Sick Leave Usage Abuse
Staff employees are responsible for the appropriate use of sick leave.  Sick leave abuse occurs when a staff employee uses sick leave for unauthorized purposes or misrepresents the actual reason for charging absences to sick leave.  Abuse may also occur when an employee establishes a pattern of sick leave over a period of time such as the day before or after a holiday, on Mondays and Fridays, after paydays, any one specific day, half-days, or continued patterns of maintaining a zero or near zero sick leave account balance.  Staff employees who engage in sick leave abuse, and/or show a pattern of failing to notify their supervisor of absences maybe subject to corrective guidelines action up to and including employment dismissal. 

Please review "Good Attendance Habits" for a definition of acceptable attendance.

A state employee who transfers directly from one state agency to another shall be given credit by the receiving agency for the accrued balance of his or her accumulated vacation and sick leave, provided that his or her employment with the state is uninterrupted. If rehired by a state agency within one year, sick leave will be re-instated.

Upon the death of a TWU employee, the employee's estate is entitled to payment of one-half of his or her accumulated sick leave not to exceed 336 hours provided that the employee had continuous employment with the state for at least six months at the time of death.

For additional information concerning sick leave, please review TWU Policy 3.17 "Staff Attendance, Vacation, and Sick Leave".

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