Library Board approved April 16, 2002. Revised July 19, 2011. Revised January 25, 2022.
Introduction
The Oak Park Public Library recognizes staff members will need days off from work to address their or a qualifying family member’s mental and physical health needs. Therefore, the library provides paid health and sick leave (health leave) to all regular staff members to take time off for care, diagnosis, and treatment related to their or a qualifying family member’s medical and behavioral health.
Eligibility
The library provides health leave to all regular full-time and regular part-time staff members.
Reasons for Leave
Health leave is intended to be used when a staff member is unable to work for mental or physical health reasons related to themselves or a qualifying family member. Acceptable reasons to use paid health leave for self or to assist qualifying family members include but are not limited to:
- Physical illness or injury
- Mental health or illness
- Medical and preventive care appointments
- Behavioral health appointments
- Dental and vision appointments
- Individual and group therapy or counseling sessions
- Substance abuse treatment and counseling
- Absences related to domestic violence or a sex offense
- Absences due to the library or the child care facility or school of the staff member’s child being closed by order of a public official due to a health emergency
- Bereavement (if additional time off is needed beyond what the Compassionate Leave Policy allows)
Taking health leave under false pretenses is a violation of trust that is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Qualifying Family Member/Relationship
Qualifying family members are the staff member’s child (including stepchild or foster child), legal guardian/ward, spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, stepparent, other members of your household, or any other person related by blood or whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship. Members of your household include those who live with you as their permanent residence.
Health Leave Rates
The library awards health leave based on a forty (40) hour workweek assuming eight (8) hours worked per day for five (5) days per week.
Full-time staff members are awarded health leave at the rate of one eight-hour day per month for each month of the calendar year for a total of 12 days (or 96 hours) annually.
Eligible staff members in their first calendar year of service are awarded a prorated amount of days/hours to be used in that calendar year based on their budgeted weekly hours and the start of service date.
Eligible staff members in their second and all subsequent calendar years, eligible staff members are awarded sick leave hours annually on January 1. See the award rates below:
| Status and Budgeted Weekly Hours | Health Leave Hours Awarded on January 1 | Maximum Accrual Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Full-Time, 40 hours per week | 96 hours | 1,920 hours |
| Part-Time, 20 hours per week | 48 hours | 960 hours |
| Part-Time, 15 hours per week | 36 hours | 720 hours |
For full-time staff members, the health leave maximum accrual amount is 240 days (1,920 hours). The maximum accrual amount is prorated for part-time staff members.
Part-Time Proration
Regular part-time staff members are eligible for a prorated health leave award amount, depending on their number of hours budgeted to work per week.
For example, a part-time staff member budgeted for 20 hours per week is eligible for the percentage (50%) of what a full-time staff member is eligible for per year. In this example, the part-time staff member would be awarded 48 hours of health leave on January 1 (50% of 96 hours of health leave for a full-time staff member).
The total budgeted weekly hours factor into proration. The scheduled number of days worked per week and the scheduled hours per day worked are not factors determining the prorated health leave allowance.
Utilization and Scheduling
Staff members may use their health leave when needed throughout the year. If all available health leave hours have been used and additional time off is required, vacation and floating holiday hours may be used.
Staff members who know they will be absent from work due to personal or a family member’s mental or physical health-related reason(s) must notify their immediate supervisor in advance, including the date(s) and duration of the absence, if known.
Suppose a sudden mental or physical illness makes it impossible for a staff member to request health leave before their shift begins. In that case, they should notify their supervisor as soon as reasonably possible.
Proof of Need for Absence
A staff member using health leave for more than three consecutive days may be required to produce a note from a health care practitioner. The note should certify that the staff member was unable to work for mental or physical health reasons and is fit to return to duty or that the employee’s assistance was needed to care for a qualifying family member as defined in this policy.
Staff members may also be required to provide such a note when abuse of health leave privileges is suspected or when the library has reason to believe that the staff member may not be able to perform their essential job functions due to a mental or physical health-related reason.
All information about a staff member’s medical condition is confidential and will be kept in a file separate from their personnel file.
IMRF
When a mental or physical health issue causes a staff member to exhaust all accumulated health leave, an application may be made for disability benefits under the provisions of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) provided the staff member meets IMRF criteria.
Retiring staff members who are IMRF members may qualify for additional pension service credit for unpaid, unused health leave. An IMRF representative should be consulted for details.
Termination of Employment
Upon termination of employment, the library will not pay out any health leave to the departing staff member.
