Personal Illness Leave
Family Medical Leave (FML) , Temporary Disability (TD), Accrued Leave Days, and Leave Pool may apply to personal illness leave for full-time employees, depending on your situation. All district leave policies run concurrently.
If you have worked for PISD less than 1 year, your leave will be provided by the Temporary Disability (TD) policy. If you have worked for PISD more than 1 year and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months, your leave will be provided by the Family Medical Leave (FML) and Temporary Disability (TD) policies.
If you are eligible for FML, it will begin when your doctor takes you off work. For all full-time employees, your Accrued Leave Days will start being used when your doctor takes you off work. When all your Accrued Leave Days have been used, your TD leave will begin.
If you do not have enough Accrued Leave Days to pay you for the time your doctor keeps you off work, you may use Leave Pool days, if you are a member. The Leave Pool days will pay you for the remainder of that time, subject to the maximum of 25 Leave Pool days in the fiscal year (maximum 75 days lifetime). Leave Pool days are not granted automatically; you must request them. Using Leave Pool days does not extend the length of your leave time.
You must remain off work until your doctor releases you as able to return to work. At that time, you must return to work on the next scheduled work day.
Restrictions ordered by your doctor:
If your doctor releases you to work but places restrictions or limitations on your activities, you must contact the Benefits department for assistance. If you are on TD leave only, you may not return to work with restrictions. TD policy requires that an employee return to regular duty, which means no restrictions. In all other situations, your restrictions must be reviewed prior to your return, to ensure that your campus/department can safely comply with the restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request leave for personal illness? You must contact Nancy Alexander in the Benefits and Risk Management Department – (469)752-4754 or nancy.alexander@pisd.edu. Nancy will help you with the leave process.
What if my absence is due to a workers’ compensation injury? You must coordinate your absence and medical certification through our workers’ compensation office – call (469)752-6391 or e-mail linda.pecot@pisd.edu. If you are eligible for FML, it will run concurrently with your time off for your workers’ compensation injury. Please contact our workers’ compensation office if you have questions regarding pay during your absence.
What papers and doctor’s notes do I need to turn in? The leave packet will contain the forms you need to submit. You will need to provide a doctor’s note certifying your need for personal illness leave. If your absence extends more than 30 days or beyond the time period specified in the original doctor’s note, you must provide updated doctor’s notes to our office. You must also provide a doctor’s note releasing you to duty, prior to your return. Please refer to the above section regarding any restrictions ordered by your doctor.
How do I record my absences? Your absences must be recorded as “Personal Illness” for the entire time your doctor keeps you off work.
May I do any work while on leave for personal illness? No, you may not perform any job duties on campus or at home while on leave, nor can your supervisor require you to. This might include grading papers, preparing lesson plans, supervising classes or athletic events, attending PDH training or parent/teacher conferences, and other job duties. This is for the district’s protection and also for your protection.
If I do not receive a paycheck, what will happen to my health plan benefits? If you do not receive a paycheck or if your paycheck is insufficient to make the premium deductions, you will receive an invoice for any premiums which are due. You will have 30 days in which to make payment. If payment is not received by the due date stated on the invoice, your health plan benefits will be cancelled, or if possible, you will be moved to a plan for employee only coverage that is completely covered by the district’s contribution. This may result in additional deductible or out-of-pocket costs. If your medical, dental, or vision benefits are cancelled while you are on FML, you may request to reinstate the coverage and resume premium payments when you return to work after your FML.
What if I am on leave the maximum length of time and am still not able to return to work? At that time, the process for termination of employment must begin (see policy DEC(Local) Expiration of Available Leave). You will be offered COBRA for any health plan benefits you have. If you are able to return to work in the future, you may apply for reemployment with the district at that time.
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