The minimum period of any form of paid leave, compensatory time or deferred holiday time that may be taken by an employee is fifteen (15) minutes.
LEAVE IN ANTICIPATION OF ACCRUAL PROHIBITED:
An employee shall not be granted the use of annual leave or sick leave before such leave has been earned.
REQUESTS TO USE LEAVE:
An employee who wishes to request an absence with pay using available leave must complete an Application for Leave (DOT 4181). The request must be presented to the employee’s supervisor for approval.
PRIORITY OF LEAVE USAGE:
Employee’s are required to use accrued paid leave in the order specified in the Leave Taken Priority List.
COMPENSATORY TIME:
For information regarding FLSA and State compensatory time, refer to TOPPS 2235-1, Fair Labor Standards Act Policy
CREDIT FOR LEAVE ON RETURN FROM LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Upon return from a leave of absence without pay, an employee shall be given credit for previously accumulated and unused or unpaid annual leave and sick leave, exclusive of forfeited leave. The record of forfeited annual and sick leave at the beginning of the leave of absence shall be revived but the leave shall not be restored to the employee except as provided in TOPPS 2230-4, Sick Leave.
CREDIT FOR LEAVE ON TRANSFER FROM ANOTHER STATE AGENCY:
An employee moving without a break in service from a position entitled to earn leave in another state agency to a position entitled to earn leave in the GDOT shall be given credit for unused annual, sick and personal leave. The record of forfeited leave shall also transfer, but the leave shall not be restored to the employee except as provided in TOPPS 2230-4, Sick Leave.
A break in service is defined as at least one work day for which an employee is not in employment status and does not receive pay.
NOTE: An individual moving from a position with a public school system to a position in the GDOT will not be given credit for any annual, sick, personal or forfeited leave earned while employed by the public school system. The individual shall likewise not be given credit toward graduated annual leave accrual for any time employed with the public school system.
CREDIT FOR LEAVE ON TRANSFER FROM THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR A STATE AUTHORITY:
An employee moving without a break in service from a position entitled to earn leave in a unit of the University System of Georgia or a state authority to a position entitled to earn leave in the GDOT will be given credit for unused and unpaid annual, sick, and personal leave. Any record of forfeited leave shall also be accepted by the GDOT, but the leave shall not be restored to the employee except as provided in TOPPS 2230-4, Sick Leave.
The employee shall not be given credit for more leave than the employee could have earned had the employee been continuously employed by GDOT. The employee shall also be given credit toward graduated annual leave accrual for all time continuously employed in a leave earning position with the university system or authority.
No leave credit shall be given an employee until the employee provides satisfactory documentation from the previous employer. The documentation must include:
- The date that employment began in a position entitled to earn leave;
- The date that employment in the previous position ended;
- The rate at which annual leave, sick leave and personal leave was accrued; and,
- The annual leave, sick leave and personal leave balances at the time the previous employment ended.
CREDIT FOR LEAVE FOLLOWING REDUCTION-IN-FORCE:
Unused sick leave may be restored to an individual who was separated from the GDOT or other state agency as a result of agency downsizing or reorganization under the following conditions:
- The individual is employed in a position entitled to earn leave; and,
- The employment occurs within one (1) year of the reduction-in-force.
Any record of forfeited leave existing at the time of reduction-in-force shall be revived but the leave shall not be restored to the employee except as provided in TOPPS 2230-4, Sick Leave. The period of absence shall not constitute a break in service for purposes of the rate of graduated annual leave accrual.
RETURN FROM PERIOD OF DISABILITY; CONDITIONS:
The GDOT may, at its discretion, require any employee who is absent from duty because of illness or disability to supply an appropriate medical release or certification that he or she is able to return to duty either without restrictions or with restrictions that can be reasonably accommodated. Such release or certification may be required as a precondition to the employee's return to duty.
ABSENCE AFTER LEAVE EXHAUSTED:
An employee who is absent after all sick, annual and personal leave is used shall, in accordance with TOPPS 2230-5, Leave Without Pay, be placed on regular leave without pay, contingent leave without pay, other leave without pay, or released.
FORFEITED LEAVE – RETIREMENT:
Under qualifying circumstances, forfeited annual leave, forfeited sick leave and unused sick leave may be calculated as creditable service for retirement purposes. For specific information contact the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia (www.ersga.org).
REFERENCE:
Rules of the State Personnel Board, Rule 18, Leave and Holidays.
Sick Leave, TOPPS 2230-4
Fair Labor Standards Act Policy, TOPPS 2235-1
Leave Without Pay, TOPPS 2230-5
Authored by the Office of Personnel, 404-656-5260
- added to MOG: 04/25/95
- added to TOPPS: 12/15/95
- revised: 11/23/05
- eliminates the requirement that deferred holidays must be used before sickleave may be used (See the
Priority of Leave Taken List
deferred holiday time and compensatory time are now included in the section titled Minimum Leave Period: 07/26/06 - reviewed: 06/08/07
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