Leave Donation Program

The intent of this program is to provide a means to assist employees who, because of long-term personal illness, have exhausted their leave benefits and would otherwise be subject to a severe loss of income during a continuing absence from work. If you meet the eligibility criteria to donate, you may complete the leave donation form.

The leave donation program is available to employees in the following participating bargaining units: CSEA, UUP, PEF, Council 82, NYSCOPBA, and employees designated as M/C. Employees in these units may donate to eligible employees in other participating units, as well as to employees in the same unit.

Eligibility to Donate

In order to donate vacation credits, an employee must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

must be employed in a participating bargaining unit.
must be employed in the same agency or department as the employee to whom donations are made, though not necessarily at the same facility for location, OR be a family member of an eligible recipient employed in a different agency than the donor.
must have a minimum vacation balance of at least 10 (ten) days after making the donation.

Donations must be made in full-day units (7.5 or 8 hours). Donors cannot donate vacation which they would otherwise forfeit. Donor identity is kept strictly confidential. Note: donated leave is taken from the donor's balance at the time it is needed by the recipient, not necessarily at the time of the donation.

The employee, co-workers or local union representatives may solicit donations; the employing campus may not solicit donations.

Employees can be terminated by operation of law, rule or regulation, even if they have received donations which would carry them on the payroll beyond the termination date. (Examples include retrenchment, non-renewal, termination of temporary employment, and termination under Article XIV, Title C of the Polices of the Board of Trustees.)

Eligibility to Receive Donated Leave

In order to receive donated leave credits, an employee must meet the following eligibility criteria:

must be employed in a participating bargaining unit.
must be employed in the same department or agency as the donor OR be a family member of an eligible donor in another agency.
be subject to the attendance rules or otherwise eligible to earn leave credits. UUP employees must be a calendar year or college year employee to accrue vacation leave credits.
be absent due to a non-occupational personal injury or disability for which medial documentation satisfactory to management is submitted.
have exhausted all leave credits.
be expected to continue to be absent for at least two biweekly payroll periods following exhaustion of leave credits or sick leave at half pay.
must not have had any disciplinary actions or unsatisfactory performance evaluations within the last three years.

The Human Resource Management/Payroll Office of the employing campus is responsible for verifying medical documentation, reviewing eligibility requirements, approving and processing donations, confirming employee acceptance of donations, and transferring credits.