Administrative & Professional Faculty

Leave and Holiday Information

Important: Some of the benefits listed below are related to an employees enrollment in the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program. Not all Administrative & Professional Faculty members are enrolled in this program and, therefore, do not qualify for some of the benefits listed here. Please contact Human Resources to determine which of the following benefits apply to you.

Generally, as an Administrative & Professional Faculty member, you receive 20 days leave per year that can be used as desired with the approval of your supervisor. However, if you are a member of the Virginia Sickness & Disability program, you may also have sick and personal leave (see below).

Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)
Under this program, employees are provided sick leave and family and personal leave each calendar year. This leave cannot be carried over from year to year. In the event of an extended illness or serious injury, VSDP also provides for short-term and long-term disability benefits at 100%, 80%, or 60% of the employee's salary.

The following chart reflects the rates for sick leave and family and personal leave according to months of State service:

Sick Leave

Current Full-Time:

Months of State Service Sick Leave Hours/Days
Less than 60 64 (8 workdays)
60 to 119 72 (9 workdays)
120 or more 80 (10 workdays)


New Full-Time:

Employment Begin Date Sick Leave Hours/Days
January 10 - July 9 64 (8 workdays)
July 10 - January 9 40 (5 workdays)


Family and Personal Leave

Current Full-Time:

Months of State Service Family/Personal Hours/Days
Less than 60 32 (4 workdays)
60 to 119 32 (4 workdays)
120 or more 40 (5 workdays)


New Full-Time:

Employment Begin Date Family/Personal Hours/Days
January 10 - July 9 32 (4 workdays)
July 10 - January 9 16 (2 workdays)


Family and Medical Leave (Policy 1308)
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires the University to give eligible employees job-protected leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care of a child, or the serious health condition of yourself or an immediate family member (child, spouse, or parent). To be eligible, you must have been employed at least 12 months and provided at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period prior to the leave request. Eligible staff is entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the circumstances stated above.

The 12-week period is calculated starting from the date you begin FMLA leave. Eligible employees have the option of using paid leave, as appropriate under each particular leave policy, for absences covered under FMLA. The agency may designate such leave as family and medical leave. If you take leave under FMLA, you have a guaranteed right to return to your prior job, or in unusual cases, a job with equivalent status and pay. Health benefits continue during the leave at the same level and conditions as if you had continued to work.

You must give 30 days advance notice to your supervisor of the need to take FMLA leave when it is foreseeable for the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or for planned medical treatment. When it is not possible under the circumstances to provide advance notice, you must notify your supervisor as soon as practical.

Intermittent leave that is medically necessary may be taken without your supervisor’s approval for each absence. You are encouraged to provide proper notice to your supervisor even though the supervisor’s permission to use leave is not required. Your supervisor must approve requests for intermittent leave if you are taking leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Certification from your family’s health care provider must be provided to Human Resources to support family medical leave.

For complete information on the Family and Medical Leave Act policy, please contact the Benefits Services Center at 568-3970 or refer to Policy 1308.

Administrative Leave
Administrative leave may be granted to serve on a jury, appear in court as a witness under subpoena, or to attempt resolution of work-related problems. Administrative leave may also be taken when testing and/or interviewing for positions in other state agencies. Reasonable travel time may be included. If use of this leave for interviewing becomes excessive, it may be restricted. Advance approval is required for administrative leave and written verification may be required.

Educational Leave
Educational leave may be provided at the discretion of the University, for the purpose of allowing employees time to further their education through a course of study related to their work or that of their University.

Educational leave is limited to 12 months and may be granted with full, partial, or no pay at the discretion of the University.

Leave Without Pay
Employees may be granted a leave without pay with supervisor’s, approval. Requests for leave without pay must be presented in writing to your supervisor and leave without pay may not be granted for more than 12 calendar months, except for extended illness or injury, or for military active duty. Leave without pay may be granted for:
  1. Educational leave (more than the allowable leave with pay)
  2. Military leave
  3. Medical
  4. Personal reasons
Military Leave
If you are a member of a military unit, the National Guard, Naval Militia, or Armed Forces Reserves, you are entitled to 15 work days of leave per federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30) for federally funded military duty. Regardless of whether the duty is fragmented, you are still entitled to 15 work days of leave per federal fiscal year. You must include a copy of your military orders or other official documentation with your request for military leave. If you are ordered to duty because of an emergency, you must supply supporting documentation upon your return to work to verify the use of military leave.

Holidays
The University observes 12 paid holidays per year; however, due to the academic schedule, these holidays are set annually. They usually include:

January 1st
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Independence Day
Thanksgiving
The day after Thanksgiving
December 25th
Personal Leave Day

The Governor may authorize additional time off. Any additional days granted, will be scheduled at that time. Please refer to Policy 1102 for a current schedule of holidays.