Effective Date: January 2013
Issuing Authority: Executive Vice President of Administration and Finance
Policy Contact: Associate Vice President for Benefits and Payroll, payroll@mercer.edu, benefits@mercer.edu, 478-301-2699
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define an employee’s military leave for reserve or active duty.
Scope
This policy applies to all employees at Mercer University.
Exclusions
None
Definitions
As used in this policy, the following term(s) have the meaning specified below:
Employee: any faculty (including, but not limited to, regular, visiting, or adjunct), any individual who has an appointment at the University, and all regular and temporary staff.
Policy Statement
Military Leave for National Guard or Military Reserve Duty or other Military Training Duty may be taken with or without pay when scheduled and authorized by the individual’s supervisor. The individual requesting Military Leave must present his/her orders to report for the Military Service to validate their request for Military Leave.
Reserve Duty
Regular employees will be paid while engaged in the performance of military duty in the reserves, and while going to and from such duty during normal working hours, but the maximum length of military leave with pay is eighteen (18) eight-hour workdays in any one fiscal year. [When full-time employment is less than one fiscal year, the 18 days shall accrue at 1.50 days per month of full-time employment] This paid military leave may not exceed eighteen (18) workdays in any one continuous period of absence. At the expiration of paid military leave, at the employee’s discretion, he or she may use accrued annual leave to cover unpaid military leave absences.
Active Duty
Notwithstanding the paid reserve duty military leave limitation of eighteen (18) days set forth above, in the event that the employee is called up to active military duty, the employee shall be paid his or her salary for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days in any one fiscal year, and not exceeding 30 days in any one continuous period of such active duty service. At the expiration of paid military leave, at the employee’s discretion, he or she may use accrued annual leave to cover unpaid military leave absences. Employees returning from an active-duty military leave of absence will be rehired in accordance with applicable federal and state laws pertaining to re-employment rights. Personal leave without pay may be granted for a period not to exceed one (1) year. Under federal law, individuals returning from up to five (5) year’s active duty may have certain re-employment rights for a period of time.
An employee’s request for a military leave of absence must be accompanied by a written copy of orders placing the employee on active duty. These orders are to be forwarded to the Human Resources Department for inclusion in the employee’s personnel file. The employee’s department must also submit a payroll action form documenting the anticipated dates of absence with orders attached.