Leave Management
The university offers a variety of paid and unpaid leave options, which depend on employee status. Employees eligible for leave benefits are those appointed for at least 20 hours per week for a minimum of four and a half months, excluding student employees.
The following pages outline the leave types available to eligible employees. All leave, whether paid or unpaid, must be pre-approved by the supervisor, except in emergencies where advance notice is not possible. In such cases, absences should be reported as soon as possible. Exempt staff should record their leave taken, while non-exempt staff should record both their hours worked and leave taken in Banner Self Service.
For any questions about leave options, please contact the HR Benefits Team at benefits@lamar.edu. Refer to the Attendance/Leave Policy for detailed information on each type of leave.
Leave Type
- Vacation Leave (Annual Leave)
Employees are eligible to use their vacation leave after completing six months of employment. The amount of leave they accrue depends on their length of state service. Below is a chart detailing the accrual rates:
Length of State Employment
Hours Accrued
Per MonthMax Hours to Carry Forward - Year to Year
Less than 2 years
8
180
2 but less than 5 years
9
244
5 but less than 10 years
10
268
10 but less than 15 years
11
292
15 but less than 20 years
13
340
20 but less than 25 years
15
388
25 but less than 30 years
17
436
30 but less than 35 years
19
484
35 years or more
21
532
Vacation Leave must be earned before it can be used. Employees must use their vacation leave within the fiscal year, or it will be carried forward to the next year, subject to the maximum carry-forward limits. Any excess leave beyond these limits will be converted to sick leave.
- Administrative Leave
The President can grant administrative leave normally limited to cases involving unusual or emergency situations, e.g., a death in the family, employment disability, inclement weather, or other emergencies or administrative requirements. The maximum administrative leave time granted in conjunction with a Long-Term Disability Claim will not exceed ninety (90) calendar days.
- Assistance Dog Training Leave
A state employee with a disability as defined by Texas Human Resources Code, Section 121.002, is entitled to a paid leave of absence not to exceed 10 working days in a fiscal year to attend a training program to acquaint the employee with an assistance dog that the employee will use. During this period, employees continue to accrue vacation and sick leave.
- Bereavement Leave
Employees can take up to 3 days of paid leave for a family member’s death. Additional days (up to 5) may be granted with approval from the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources. An employee’s family is defined as the employee’s spouse, as well as the employee’s and spouse’s parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and grandchildren.
- Blood Donation Leave
Employees are allowed paid time off to donate blood, with preapproval and supporting documentation required. This leave can be used up to four times a year.
- Compensatory Leave (Federal Overtime)
Overtime and compensatory leave policies ensure fair compensation for non-exempt employees who work beyond their standard hours. Non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a work week are entitled to compensatory time off at a rate of one and a half hours for each hour of overtime worked. Alternatively, if granting compensatory time off is impractical, employees may receive overtime pay at one and a half times their regular rate.
Employees can accumulate up to 240 hours of overtime credit, with certain exceptions for those in public safety or emergency response roles, who may accumulate up to 480 hours. Any overtime beyond these limits must be compensated with pay. Additionally, part-time non-exempt employees are paid at their regular rate for hours worked over their designated schedule and receive overtime pay for hours exceeding 40 in a work week.
For exempt employees, compensatory time or overtime pay is generally not accrued, but they may be granted compensatory leave at the institution’s discretion for hours worked beyond 40 in a week.
- Compensatory Leave (State Time)
State compensatory time is earned at straight time at the end of the work week when the total number of hours recorded as worked plus the total number of hours of paid time off or paid holidays exceeds 40 hours in one workweek. State compensatory time expires within 12 months of the week it was earned.
- Disaster Service Volunteer Leave
Certified Red Cross volunteers can take up to 10 days of paid leave per fiscal year for disaster relief services, with necessary approvals.
- Family Medical Leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at 果冻传媒 provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12-month period for specific family and medical reasons. These reasons include personal or family illness, childbirth, adoption, and certain military-related situations. During this leave, employees can maintain their health insurance and are guaranteed a return to their same or an equivalent job afterward.
- Foster Parent Leave
Foster parents can take paid leave to attend meetings related to the child in their care.
- Jury Duty Leave
Employees called to serve on a jury are granted time off without any deduction from pay or accrued leave, and they do not need to account for any compensation received for jury service. Employees are excused from work for the required period, but if released early and a reasonable amount of the workday remains, they are expected to return to work. Employees must provide their supervisor with a copy of the jury duty call and release certificates.
- Leave Without Pay (LWOP)
Leave Without Pay (LWOP) at 果冻传媒 requires supervisor and Vice President approval. Employees must exhaust all paid leave entitlements before LWOP is granted, except in disciplinary or workers’ compensation cases. LWOP is limited to 12 months and does not guarantee the same position upon return, only a similar one. Extended LWOP requests are typically limited to six months and require a written request. Employees on LWOP do not accrue vacation or sick leave and must pay full insurance premiums.
- Military Leave
Employees are entitled to 15 days (120 hours) of military leave per federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) for authorized training or duty. This leave is provided without loss of time, efficiency rating, vacation time, or salary. The 15 days do not need to be consecutive. Documentation is required.
- Organ/Bone Marrow Donor Leave
Employees can take up to 5 days for bone marrow donation and up to 30 days for organ donation, without salary deduction. Documentation is required.
- Parental Leave
Parental Leave is available to faculty and staff who are not eligible for Family Medical Leave (FML). This leave allows for up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of unpaid leave for the birth of a natural child or the adoption or foster care placement of a child under three years of age.
Parental leave must be taken within the 12 weeks following the birth or placement of the child. Employees are required to use all available applicable paid leave (such as sick leave, vacation leave, and compensatory time off) before taking unpaid leave. Sick leave can be used for medical necessities related to the birth or adoption.
- Parent/Teacher Conference Leave
Employees can use up to 8 hours of sick leave per fiscal year to attend their children’s school conferences.
- Sick Leave
Sick leave allows employees to accrue 8 hours per month to use for personal illness, injury, or to care for an immediate family member. Unused sick leave can be carried forward indefinitely, ensuring employees have the necessary time to recover or attend medical appointments without losing income.
- Sick Leave Direct Donation
This Sick Leave Direct Donation helps employees who have exhausted their sick leave to remain in paid status and recover from illness or injury. It can also be used to care for eligible family members. Donated hours can be used during the 160-hour waiting period for sick leave pool, after exhausting pool benefits, or for less severe conditions.
- Sick Leave Pool
The Sick Leave Pool is intended to support employees, along with their immediate families, who are dealing with catastrophic illness or injury. This program enables employees to voluntarily donate their accrued sick leave, which can then be accessed by eligible colleagues who have depleted their own leave. To be eligible, employees must have been with the university for at least one year and must have a minimum of 160 hours of absence due to the catastrophic condition. This leave type provides crucial support to employees during challenging health situations.
- Volunteer Firefighter/Emergency Medical Services Training Leave
Up to 5 days of paid leave per fiscal year for training. Additional leave for emergency responses may be granted. Documentation is required.