Leave & Accruals

The University will be closed, except for those required to maintain essential services, on the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day — UAlbany recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Independence Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• New Year’s Day

Note: Please see the Liberal Leave section below for additional information. 

Classes will be in session, with offices open and employees expected to report to work for the following holidays:

• Lincoln’s Birthday
• Election Day

Note: Lincoln’s Birthday and Election Day are floating holidays for most employees. They are regular holidays for NYSCOPBA and PBA of NYS employees.

Please review the floating holiday rules for professional employees and classified employees for additional information.

Classes will be in session, but offices will close on the following holidays (employees deemed essential will earn a compensatory day if they work):

• Washington’s Birthday
• Veteran's Day

Liberal leave is a leave designation made by the University president or designee. The president may designate liberal leave to reduce operations for a pre-determined period or for weather-related and other emergencies.

When liberal leave is designated, University employees who have not been designated as essential employees may choose to work, use accrued leave credits (other than sick leave) or take leave without pay without prior supervisory approval.

Supervisors should establish reasonable procedures for non-essential employees to follow if they decide to take any form of liberal leave. We encourage supervisors to be as flexible as possible in allowing employees to take advantage of liberal leave.  

Offices that provide essential services or direct student services may reduce operations to a minimum or provide remote service, as appropriate. Other offices may close.

Reductions in Operations

When campus presence is less critical, such as when most students have left campus for scheduled breaks, the president may designate liberal leave use to limit or consolidate activity on campus to reduce energy use and utility cost.

Reductions may be connected to observed holidays or during the intersession when on-campus presence may be less critical for some operations and encouraging liberal leave supports employee wellness.  

Human Resources communicates liberal leave for operational reduction to employees on this webpage and via email.

Weather-related & Other Emergencies

When there is a weather-related or other emergency affecting campus, the president may designate liberal leave use for employees’ safety. In these cases:

• Non-essential employees who can work fully remotely may do so with supervisory approval.
• Non-essential employees who cannot work fully remotely, or do not request to, must charge appropriate leave credits.
• Essential employees required to be on campus will follow departmental protocols.  Faculty will use alternative instructional delivery options.  

Since only the Governor of New York can close state offices, no employee can be directed to not report to work or leave before the end of their workday should they choose not to.  

Emergency alerts are posted on the University website and sent to all students’ and employees’ albany.edu email addresses. We encourage you to sign up to receive alerts via text message, voicemail and/or personal email.

Please review Facilities Management’s Snow Response Plan for information about campus snow-clearing procedures.

To reduce operations during holiday periods, liberal leave use is approved for the following dates:

• Friday, July 5, 2024: Classes will be in session, but offices may close.
• Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Offices may close.
• Friday, November 29, 2024: Offices may close. Eligible employees are encouraged to use an earned floating holiday.
• Monday, December 23, to Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Offices may close.

The president may also designate liberal leave in a weather-related or other emergency. In those cases, employees will receive an email.

Calendar year and college year employees are eligible to observe the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Lincoln's Birthday
• Washington's Birthday
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans' Day
• Election Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Part-time employees employed on a fee-for-service, per-diem or hourly basis, with a professional obligation of less than one day of work per week, are not eligible for holiday leave.

Eligible part-time employees only observe holidays that fall on their regular work schedule. 

The University president may designate two holidays per year as floating holidays, in lieu of the holidays listed above and designate an alternate date for observing one of the holidays.

If a second holiday is designated, employees may select a date to observe it, with supervisory approval and consistent with the campus’ operating needs. Employees must observe the second holiday before the beginning of the next academic year.

The president consults with UUP on their designation before an announcement is made in September each year. 

Holiday-eligible employees are granted a compensatory day off when a holiday listed above falls on a Saturday, Sunday or pass day (an employee's regular day off).

Holiday-eligible employees required to work on a holiday will be granted a compensatory day off. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are granted one and a half compensatory days off.

Employees may schedule compensatory days off at times mutually convenient to the employee and the University. Compensatory days off must be used within one year of accrual. 

On January 2 of each year, one vacation day will be added to the accrual balance of all employees eligible to accrue vacation leave.  

Vacation leave accrual rates depend on an employee’s designation, full-time/part-time status and hire/start date.

All full-time M/C employees, and all full-time employees represented by UUP who were hired before July 1, 1982, with a calendar year or college year obligation are eligible to accrue vacation leave at the rate of 1.75 days per month, or major fraction thereof, during the term of their professional obligation.

Note: Employees must be in pay status for the majority of the month to earn accruals. (For example, if there are 20 workdays in a month, an employee must be in pay status for at least 11 days to earn accruals.) 

Part-time M/C employees with a calendar year or college year obligation are eligible to accrue vacation leave credits on a pro-rated basis.  

Full-time UUP employees hired on or after July 1, 1982, with a calendar year or college year obligation are eligible to accrue vacation leave each month or major fraction thereof during the term of their professional obligation, as follows:
 

Part-time UUP employees who started before July 1, 2018, with a calendar year or college year obligation are eligible to accrue vacation leave as follows:
 

Part-time UUP employees who started after July 1, 2018, with a calendar year or college year obligation are eligible to accrue vacation leave as follows: 
 

Note: Accrual rates for part-time employees are subject to change. 

Employee’s accumulation of vacation leave is unlimited within the calendar year. However, their accumulation cannot exceed 40 days on the first day of the calendar year.

If an employee dies, retires, resigns or leaves the University for another non-disciplinary reason, or if their period of professional obligation changes from calendar year or college year to academic year, the employee is compensated for up to 30 days of accumulated, unused vacation leave.

Payment may not be made if the employee moves to a position in another SUNY unit covered by the Policies of the Board of Trustees or a position in another state agency covered by the attendance rules for employees in the State Classified Service.

Employees must request to use vacation leave in advance. Department heads are approved to authorize vacation leave use.

Vacation leave usage cannot exceed the number of dates accumulated and must be reported in quarter day increments (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1).

Visit the Payroll & Time Sheet page for reporting instructions.

Sick leave accrual rates depend on an employee’s designation, full-time/part-time status and hire/start date.

Note: Academic year employees are not eligible to accrue sick leave in June, July or August.  

All full-time employees designated Management / Confidential (M/C), and all full-time employees represented by UUP who were hired before July 1, 1982, are eligible to accrue sick leave at the rate of 1.75 days per month, or major fraction thereof, during the term of their professional obligation.  

Part-time M/C employees are eligible to accrue sick leave on a pro-rata basis.  

All full-time UUP employees hired on or after July 1, 1982, are eligible to accrue sick leave each month, or major fraction thereof, during the term of their professional obligation as follows: 
 

Academic part-time UUP employees who teach and started before July 1, 2018, and are eligible to accrue sick leave as follows:
 

Professional part-time UUP employees who started before July 1, 2018, are eligible to accrue sick leave as follows: 
 

Part-time UUP employees who started on or after July 1, 2018, are eligible to accrue sick leave as follows: 
 

Academic part-time employees who teach and started on or after July 1, 2024, are eligible to accrue sick leave as follows: 

Note: Accrual rates for part-time employees are subject to change. 

Accumulation of sick leave credits cannot exceed 225 days.  

If an employee retires, the monetary value of their accumulated, unused sick leave (up to 200 days) will be applied toward their retiree health insurance premiums.

Academic year employees accrue sick leave during the academic year based upon a five-day week. Consequently, absences due to sickness must be charged on this basis, regardless of class schedule.

Sick leave usage must be reported in quarter day increments (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1). Visit the Payroll & Time Sheets page for reporting instructions.

An employee may request to use up to 30 days of sick leave (from July 2 of each year to the July 1 of the next year) for absences necessitated by death or illness in the employee's immediate family.

Immediate family members include children (including stepchildren), domestic partners, parents (including parents-in-law and stepparents), grandparents, grandchildren, spouses and siblings. 

Family sick leave is subject to the same campus approval procedures outlined above.

Employees may also be eligible to use Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) to care for a family member. Please visit the Additional Leave Regulations section for information on FMLA.

The University president may grant an employee additional sick leave, beyond what they have accrued. Additional sick leave is typically not at full pay.  

Additional sick leave at full or partial salary, used with any accrued sick leave, cannot be approved by the president beyond six months.  

Additional sick leave without salary may not exceed one year.  

Sick leave beyond these limits requires the recommendation of the president and the approval of the SUNY chancellor.

To request authorization for additional sick leave, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].

Before an employee is granted additional sick leave, they must either provide documentation from their medical provider(s) or submit to a medical examination by a physician selected and paid by the University.

Additional sick leave is granted on a discretionary basis. Historically, it is approved when employees do not have enough sick leave to cover the six-month elimination period before long-term disability payments begin.  

The president will consider the following factors when determining whether to grant additional sick leave:

• The vice president's support of the request
• Employee's length of service
• Amount of leave requested
• Employee history of sick leave use
• Eligibility for coverage under the State University's Group Disability Insurance Program

See the Disability Leave for Professional Employees section below for more information. 

When an employee is discontinued from service in accordance with the provisions of the State University Group Disability Insurance Program, the employee is placed on leave without pay for disability until the disability ceases, the employee reaches age 65 or the employee dies, whichever occurs first.

Visit SUNY’s Long-term Disability Insurance page for more information.

Disabled employees may choose to use all or any of their leave before being discontinued from service, subject to the provisions of the retirement system they selected, if applicable, concerning disability retirement.

If an employee’s retirement system approves their application for disability retirement, the employee is removed from payroll and placed on leave without pay, effective the date disability retirement benefits are payable.

Under the State University Group Disability Insurance Program’s provisions, the University president may require an employee to be examined by a physician selected and paid by the University.  

Notwithstanding the failure of an employee to cooperate with the University's examining physician, the president may determine a disability exists upon advice that physician’s advice that there are reasonable grounds to assume a disability benefit would be payable.

If the president determines a disability exists, the employee must apply for disability benefits under the State University Group Disability Insurance Program.  

If the employee does not apply for disability benefits, they will be placed on disability leave without pay.

If the disability insurance carrier finds the employee is not disabled and denies their application, the employee will be restored to regular employment status.

Note: For employees not covered by the State University Group Disability Insurance Program, provisions for discontinuation from service can be found in the Policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees.  

If the president determines a disability exists that prevents the employee from performing their duties, the employee will be placed on leave without pay. The employee may choose to use all accumulated sick leave and may request additional sick leave (see above).

Where appropriate, the president, after consulting with the University's examining physician, may refer the employee to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or other service agencies.  

An employee placed on disability leave without pay under these provisions may request to be restored to regular employment status, subject to the Policies of the Board of Trustees.

The Agreement between the State of New York and UUP allows UAlbany to grant employee organization leave with pay to designated employees so they can attend UUP meetings, process grievances and participate in negotiations with the state.  

Employee organization leave requests should be made in accordance with that Agreement.

Sabbatical leave allows for the professional development of faculty and professional staff. Please visit the Procedures for Sabbatical Leave Proposals webpage on the Provost’s Office website for detailed information.

Other leaves of absence are leaves granted for the following purposes, under appropriate circumstances:

• Professional development
• Acceptance of limited-duration assignments with another university and college, or a governmental agency, foreign nation, private foundation, corporation or similar agency, as a faculty member, expert, consultant or similar capacity
• Childcare
• Other appropriate purposes consistent with the needs and interests of the University

Leaves of absence at full or reduced salary are subject to the approval of the University president and the SUNY chancellor. Leaves of absence without pay require the approval of the president.

To request other leave, employees should contact Human Resources at [email protected].

Completed applications will be forwarded through administrative channels via the appropriate vice president to the president.

Employees on other leave are not eligible to accrue or use leave during their other leave period.

Employees with an academic year obligation paid over 12 months earn their salary at a different rate than their salary is paid, allowing bi-weekly checks to continue all year.  

In most cases, when this type of employee takes unpaid leave, the proper earnings amount is not deducted during the leave and an additional amount must be deducted upon their return.  

Please contact Payroll at 518-437-4700 or [email protected] with any questions. 

Granting a leave of absence does not automatically extend an employee’s term of appointment. All leaves of absence terminate when an employee's appointment expires.

Classified employees receive 12 paid holidays per year. By April each fiscal year, the state may designate two of those holidays as floating holidays for most classified employees.  

(Note: NYSCOPBA and PBA of NYS employees observe floating holidays as regular holidays. All other classified employees observe floating holidays.)

Floating holidays should be treated as a regular workday. Employees in full-pay status are credited with a 7.5 or 8-hour floating holiday, as appropriate.

Floating holidays must be earned in units of a standard workday but may be charged in 0.25-hour increments.

Employees should use normal time off request procedures to use floating holidays.

When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is designated as the date of observance.  

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the state may designate another day to be observed as the holiday.  

If a holiday falls on a full-time employee's regular day off (pass day), the employee is entitled to receive holiday leave in the amount of their standard workday.

Employees required to work on a holiday will receive holiday pay — unless they have waived holiday pay to receive holiday compensation time instead.  

Holiday pay waivers cover all holidays falling between April 1 to March 31 of the upcoming year and may not be changed for an individual holiday.

To waive your holiday pay or change your selection, please complete a Holiday Pay Waiver Form. NYSCOPBA and PBA of NYS employees who are veterans and eligible reservists must also complete an Additional Holiday Pay Waiver Form.

Submit completed forms to Time Records via mail or in person (University Administration Building, Suite 300), via fax (518-437-4731) or via email ([email protected]).

If you submit the form(s) after May 15, your previous year’s election will apply to this year’s Memorial, Independence, and Veterans’ Day.

If you do not wish to change your selection for the upcoming year, no action is necessary.

Part-time employees, including hourly employees, who earn accruals are entitled to holiday pay for holidays falling on their regular work schedule only.

A part-time employee who works on a holiday is entitled to credit for all hours worked, up to a maximum of one shift, regardless of their regular schedule.  

For example, if an employee’s regular schedule is four hours, but he is required to work eight hours on a holiday, he will be credited with eight hours worked.

Employees who are regularly scheduled to work on Fridays are eligible for holiday leave for a holiday that falls on Saturday. 

Generally, classified employees are not entitled to compensation for unused accrued holiday leave upon separation from state employment.  

However, in the Security Services Unit and the Security Supervisors Unit, the time is added to accrued vacation credits and the rules concerning liquidation of vacation credits apply to liquidation of holiday credits.

Additionally, some contracts require that holiday leave be used within one year after it is earned. Supervisors should encourage employees to use earned holiday leave as soon as possible.

Use of holiday leave is subject to prior supervisory approval, consistent with the University's operating needs. As with personal leave and annual leave credits, such authorization should not be unreasonably or arbitrarily withheld.

Annual Leave (Vacation Credits)

Salaried classified employees accrue 13 to 25 days of annual leave per year. Accrual rates vary depending on an employee’s unit, years of service and date of hire.  

Employees can use annual leave after 13 pay periods of time-records-eligible service. To earn vacation credits, employees must work at least 70% of their regular schedule in a pay period.  
 

Personal Leave

Classified service employees receive up to five days of personal leave a year.

The amount of personal leave accrued depends on the employee’s bargaining unit, date of hire, and years of service. Personal leave is pro-rated for part-time employees.  

This leave is intended to cover absences for reasons such as religious and personal business. It may also be used for vacation.

Personal leave is not cumulative. Any unused amount expires at the close of business the day before the individual's personal leave anniversary date.
 

Sick Leave

Salaried classified employees accrue 0.5 days of sick leave for every two weeks on the state payroll, for a maximum total of 13 days of sick leave per year.

To earn sick leave credits, employees must work at least 70% of their regular schedule in a pay period.  

Sick leave credits may be accumulated up to a maximum of 225 days.

Classified employees who are paid hourly must work a regular schedule of at least 50% to be eligible to earn leave. Accruals are pro-rated, based on work percentage.

Accruals are credited after 19 complete pay periods:

• Personal leave is credited as of the twentieth pay period.
• Sick leave and annual leave are credited retroactively.  

If the employee’s work schedule falls below 50% for more than one pay period, the count starts over.

Employees who were previously covered by time and attendance rules within the past year (such as rehired retirees) are provided an exception to these rules:

• Their accruals begin immediately at a pro-rated amount of prior earnings.  
• Any prior sick leave and unpaid annual leave balances are restored and can be charged — even if they are not eligible to earn additional accruals because they work less than 50%.

Employees may accrue vacation credits up to a maximum of 40 days. Employees are entitled to payment of up to 30 days of accrued annual leave in the event of death, retirement or separation from state service.

Some of the Collective Bargaining Agreements provide that an employee may exceed the maximum vacation accumulation during the fiscal or calendar year, provided that the balance does not exceed the maximum at the end of such year.

Employees must obtain prior supervisory approval to use vacation credits. However, there is no restriction for what vacation may be used.

A supervisor may not arbitrarily or unreasonably deny an employee's properly submitted request for vacation time off.  

A supervisor may withhold authorization when the resulting absence would negatively affect departmental operations.

Classified employees may use sick leave in the following ways:

• To recover at home or in a healthcare facility from an illness, injury, operation or childbirth
• To meet with a healthcare provider to address an illness or emergency, or for routine examination and preventative care
• As family sick leave (see below for additional information)

Consistent with the applicable contractual provisions, a supervisor has the right to ask for satisfactory medical documentation of sickness before approving an employee’s use of sick leave for an absence.

The medical documentation should be a written explanation from a doctor, hospital or other recognized healthcare provider and be gathered at the employee’s expense. 

All medical documentation should be submitted to Human Resources via mail or in person (University Administration Building, Suite 300), via fax (518-437-4731) or via email ([email protected]).

A supervisor may require documentation on a one-time basis or as a standing order for all future absences within a specified period.

Generally, documentation is not required for four days or less because an employee does not always see a doctor for a brief illness.  

When medical documentation is required, it must be satisfactory to the University. For example, documentation may be unsatisfactory in the following circumstances:

• It is not specific.
• It does not state an anticipated date of return.
• It does not offer a prognosis.
• It does not fulfill a specific requirement to comment on the employee's ability to perform specific duties.

Classified employees may use a limited amount of sick leave per year (amount varies depending on bargaining unit) for absences necessitated by death or illness in the employee's immediate family.

Immediate family members include children (including stepchildren), domestic partners, parents (including parents-in-law and stepparents), grandparents, grandchildren, spouses and siblings. 

Family sick leave is subject to supervisory approval, but authorization should not be unreasonably denied.  

For bereavement, the decedent must be a member of the employee’s family.  

For a family illness, the employee’s presence must be medically necessary for the employee to qualify to use sick leave.

Examples of appropriate family sick leave use include:

• Providing direct care for an ill family member
• Accompanying a family member to a doctor's appointment, either because the family member is unable to go alone due to age or illness) or because the employee must be present as a responsible adult to receive the medical information concerning the family member's condition
• Being present with a spouse on the day of delivery of a child and to provide direct care following their release from the hospital
• Being present at the hospital during surgery or other medical emergency of a family member  

Employees may also be eligible to use Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) to care for a family member. Please visit the Additional Leave Regulations section for information on FMLA.

In addition to paid sick leave, permanent classified state employees are eligible for one pay period of sick leave at half pay for every six months of service. Temporary employees are not eligible for this benefit.  

To draw sick leave at half pay, an employee must:

• Have at least a year of state service
• Be absent due to personal illness or disability
• Exhaust vacation, sick, personal and holiday leave, as well as voluntary and overtime credits, before being granted sick leave at half pay

Supervisors and/or department heads are responsible for establishing the time allowed for employees’ meal periods and rest periods.

The meal period should be at least 30 minutes long and should not exceed one hour.

The granting of rest periods is discretionary but recommended, especially for employees with routine responsibilities.

When granted, rest periods should be a reasonable duration.  

For example, more than two 15-minute rest periods per 7.5- or 8-hour workday would be considered excessive under normal working conditions.

Employees who don’t use rest periods are not allowed to shorten their workday or receive any form of overtime compensation or compensatory time off.

An employee who works 37.5 hours per week will earn regular compensatory time if they are required to work beyond their scheduled work hours.

Compensatory time is earned from 37.5 hours to 40 hours.  

Overtime pay is paid after an employee works 40 hours in a work week (Thursday through Wednesday) — unless the employee is enrolled in an Over40 Comp Time Program.

Please review the Over40 Comp Time II Pilot Program Description for more information.

Employees may only enroll during the Over40 Comp program period, which runs from May to June 1.

To enroll, please submit a complete the Over40 Comp Time II Pilot Program Enrollment Form to Time Records via mail or in person (University Administration Building, Suite 300), via fax (518-437-4731) or via email ([email protected]). 

All accrued compensatory time must be used by the end of the fiscal year in which it was earned. The fiscal year for CSEA and PEF employees at UAlbany begins April 1.

Overtime pay is paid after an employee works 40 hours in a work week (Thursday through Wednesday) — unless the employee is enrolled in an Over40 Comp Time Program (see above).  

Overtime is paid at a rate of 1.5 hours for each hour worked (time and a half).

Any time worked or charged to accruals fulfills the 40-hour requirement. Note: Employees on a 37.5-hour workweek, please review the information about Compensatory Time (see above).  

For PBA of NYS and NYSCOPBA employees: Since time sheets cover a four-week period, overtime payments are only made every other pay period — unless copies are of time sheets are forwarded to Time Records at the conclusion of the first two weeks, indicating overtime was worked.

For CSEA and PEF employees who report time on a bi-weekly basis via the Time and Attendance System: Payment for overtime is made by the close of the second bi-weekly payroll period following the period during which the overtime was earned.

Visit the Payroll & Time Sheet page for reporting instructions.

When employees are recalled to their workstation to work overtime, after having completed their scheduled work period and left their workstation, they are paid for at least one-half workday for overtime purposes.

Two criteria must be met for overtime work to be considered recall:

• The employee must have left their work site and, by being required to return, would incur additional travel costs. 
• The return must be unanticipated, meaning the employee must be called in unexpectedly. If an employee knows in advance that they will be required to return to work, they will be entitled to payment for actual hours worked but not the benefits of recall pay.  

If only one criterion is met, it is not considered recall. Note: Please see the overtime section above for additional information.

Employees whose percentage of employment changes at any point during a biweekly (twice monthly) payroll period are credited with accruals based on their percentage of employment on the last day of the payroll period.  

For example, a full-time employee who moves to a 50% part-time position in the middle of the payroll period accrues at the 50% rate for the entire biweekly payroll period.

As a public state agency, UAlbany does not provide a paid maternity leave. To stay in pay status during a leave, employees must use accrued leave credits.  

Sick leave may only be used during a period of medical disability. Disabilities arising from pregnancy or childbirth are treated the same as other disabilities in terms of eligibility for, or entitlement to, sick leave.  

New York State defines the period of disability for an uncomplicated pregnancy as beginning up to four weeks before the anticipated delivery date and continuing up to six weeks after delivery, or eight weeks after a Caesarean section.  

If medical complications that may extend the period of disability arise, please contact Time Records (518-437-4715 or [email protected]) for guidance.

Medical documentation may be required. It should be marked “Confidential” and sent directly to HR, not the employee’s supervisor or department. The HR fax is 518-437-4731.

Beyond the period of disability, employees may charge accrued leave (if available) other than sick leave to remain in pay status.  

Spouses may use sick leave credits for the day of delivery and for the convalescent period immediately following hospitalization, generally one week.

State union agreements provide employees, regardless of gender, with up to seven months of childcare leave without pay.

Vacation and/or holiday accruals may be used, if available, during childcare leave to remain in a paid status. However, the use of accruals will not extend the seven-month period.  

The seven months include the disability period following birth. Employees should discuss the terms of the leave, including the anticipated start and return dates, with their supervisor.  

Childcare leave can be available to either parent. If both parents are state employees, leave for childcare will be approved for one parent at a time and the parents may elect to split the seven-month leave into two separate blocks of leave, with each parent entitled to one continuous period of leave but not to exceed a combined total of seven months of leave and not to extend beyond seven months from the date of delivery.

When an employee requests childcare leave before or after adopting a child, they must submit documentation of a legal adoption. Leave may start at any time after the child begins living with the adoptive parents, through the effective date of adoption and beyond, up to seven inclusive months.  

Please contact Time Records (518-437-4715 or [email protected]) with any questions.

Please visit the Additional Leave Regulations section for information on the following options:

• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Leave
• Leave Donation Program
• Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule (VRWS) Program

Additionally, classified employees should review the sick leave at half pay provision in the Classified Leave Regulations section.

If an employee remains on the payroll during a leave of absence, they continue to be responsible for only the employee share of their health insurance premium.

When an employee is on approved FMLA leave, even if unpaid, they continue to be responsible for only the employee share of their health insurance premium.

If an employee is not eligible for FMLA leave or has exhausted their FMLA benefits, they are responsible for the full health insurance premium (meaning they must pay the employee premium and employer premium) during the unpaid leave.

Employees are billed for health insurance premiums during unpaid leave.  

If an employee’s coverage is suspended or cancelled during their unpaid leave, the employee is subject is a waiting period upon their return before their health insurance becomes effective again.

Visit the Benefits page for more information. Please contact Employee Benefits (518-437-4705 or [email protected]) with questions about benefits during a leave of absence. 

Visit the Benefits page for more information. Please contact Employee Benefits (518-437-4721 or [email protected]) with questions about benefits during a leave of absence. 

State-administered Dental & Vision Coverage

State-administered dental and vision coverage is available to eligible employees represented by PEF, NYSCOPBA, PBA of NYS and eligible employees designated M/C.

State-administered coverage will continue during FMLA leave and/or while an employee remains on the payroll (at a benefit-eligible level) during a leave of absence. It is automatically terminated once an employee enters non-FMLA leave without pay.

Employees seeking to continue state-administered dental and/or vision coverage while on unpaid, non-FMLA leave should contact Employee Benefits (518-437-4721 or [email protected]).

Union-administered Dental & Vision Coverage

Union-administered dental and vision coverage is available to eligible employees represented by UUP and CSEA. For additional information, please contact the appropriate benefit trust fund:

• UUP Benefit Trust Fund website
• CSEA Employee Benefit Fund website

Contributions to retirement plans are based on wages earned. Contributions will not be made for earnings lost during unpaid leave.  

Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) members will not receive service credit for periods of unpaid leave (excluding Workers’ Compensation leave).

Visit the Retirement page for more information. Please contact Employee Benefits (518-437-4721 or [email protected]) with questions about retirement benefits during a leave of absence.

Visit the Benefits page for more information. Please contact Employee Benefits (518-437-4721 or [email protected]) with questions about benefits during a leave of absence. 

Benefits-related Payroll Deductions

Employees who usually pay for personal insurance policies or other benefits through payroll deduction should pay each provider directly while on unpaid leave or if their paycheck is insufficient to support deductions while on paid leave.

Leave Accruals & Holidays

Employees are not paid for holidays that fall during unpaid leave.

If a professional employee is on unpaid leave for the majority of a month, they will not earn accruals for that month.  

If a classified employee is on unpaid leave for more than three days in a pay period, they will not earn accruals for that pay period.

Permanent or Continuing Appointment (Tenure) Timeline

Periods of leave without pay or leave at less than 100% pay extend the time towards permanent or continuing appointment but are not an interruption in otherwise continuous service.

Employees represented by UUP may request a temporary cessation of service credits towards continuing appointment by following these steps:

• The employee must submit a completed Request to Stop the Tenure Clock Form to HR via mail or in person (University Administration Building, Suite 300).
• Their supervisor must complete an Appointment Change Form in IAS / PeopleSoft (HRTS).

Faculty members should also review information on stopping the tenure clock on the Provost’s Office website.

Nursing employees must receive reasonable time each day to express breast milk for their nursing children for up to three years following childbirth.

Employees are entitled to a 30-minute paid break to express breast milk for their nursing child each time the employee has a reasonable need to express breast milk.

If additional time is needed beyond the 30 minutes of paid break time, an employee can use the following:

• Leave credits (excluding sick leave)
• Existing paid break time (15-minute breaks)
• Mealtime
• Unpaid breaks

Employees can work before or after their normal shift to make up any time used as unpaid break time to express break milk, as long as the time falls within the agency or facility’s normal work hours. However, an employee is not required to make up their unpaid break time.  

Employers must make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, close the employee’s work area, where the employee can express milk in private. There are several lactation rooms on campus.

Employees must make advance arrangements to use this benefit by consulting with their supervisor before returning to work.  

Employees must also obtain prior approval to leave their workstation. Generally, an employee expressing breast milk will agree on a schedule with their supervisor when they make initial arrangements to use this benefit.

The amount of time needed to express breast milk may vary, and there is no set limit on the number of breaks per day. Additionally, the amount of time required to express breast milk includes the time required to reach and return from the location for expressing milk.

This benefit is available to employees within their basic workweek and during any extra time worked, including overtime shifts. Employees who express breast milk in the workplace may not be discriminated against.

For additional information, please refer to New York State Department of Labor’s policy on the rights of employees to express breastmilk.