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Human Resources
University of Mississippi

Major Medical (sick) Leave

When it comes to taking time away from work, nobody likes to be sick. The University of Mississippi provides you with leave time to properly care for yourself and your loved ones.  We hope that you will be a healthier and happier employee!

Major medical leave provides employees time off for personal illness, medical appointments, or to care for sick members of their immediate family.

University faculty and staff employed in benefit eligible positions will accrue major medical (sick) leave each month.  Major medical leave shall be used when an employee is absent from work for their own injury or illness or to care for an immediate family member (spouse, parent, stepparent, sibling, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, son- or daughter-in-law, father- or mother-in-law, or brother- or sister-in-law) with an injury or illness.

Personal (1st day sick and vacation) leave, compensatory leave, or leave without pay must be used as “first day illness” before major medical may be used.

Full Time Employee

A full-time staff member must use 8 hours of personal (vacation) leave, compensatory leave, or leave without pay.

Example:  An staff member’s regular work schedule is 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

The employee does not work on Monday and Tuesday.  Monday will be coded as 8 hours first day illness and Tuesday 8 hours major medical leave.

The employee if off 4 hours on Monday and all day Tuesday.  Monday they will code 4 hours first day illness.  Tuesday is coded as 4 hours first day illness and 4 hours major medical leave.

Part-time Employee

A part-time staff member will use leave based upon employment percentage.

Example:  An staff member’s is employed 50% time with a regular work schedule of 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

The employee does not work on Monday and Tuesday.  Monday will be coded as 4 hours first day illness and Tuesday 4 hours major medical leave.

The employee if off 2 hours on Monday and all day Tuesday & Wednesday.  Monday they will code 2 hours first day illness.  Tuesday is coded as 2 hours first day illness and 2 hours major medical leave and Wednesday is 4 hours major medical leave.

Monthly Accrual Rates for Full-time Employees

12-Month Employees 9-Month Faculty
Continuous Service Monthly Accrual Rate Continuous Service Monthly Accrual Rate
1 month to 3 years 8 hours 1 month to 3 years 13.33 hours
37 months to 8 years 7 hours 37 months to 8 years 14.20 hours
97 months to 15 years 6 hours 97 months to 15 years 15.40 hours
Over 15 years 5 hours Over 15 years 16.00 hours

Nine-month contracted faculty accrue leave for the months of August – April.

A newly hired faculty or staff member must be employed at least 15 days in their first month to be eligible for accrual during that month. Part-time employees will accrue leave on a prorated basis.

To receive an accrual, an employee must be active in SAP on the last calendar day of the month.  Leave will be available for use the first day of the following month and will be noted on the first pay stub or online payroll slip of each month.

Example:  An employee is actively employed on January 31st.  Leave will update in SAP and become available for use on February 1st; however, accrued hours will not be noted on the pay stub until February 15th.

To learn more about the accrual rates and guidelines concerning approval of leave time and when major medical leave should be taken, refer to the  Major Medical Leave-12-Month Employees policy (HRO.BE.600.030) or the Major Medical Leave-9-Month Employees policy (HRO.BE.600.040).

For assistance, contact a member of the Benefits team, Department of Human Resources, 662-915-7431.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • When must I provide medical certification?

Absences in excess of 32 hours require certification by an attending medical care provider.  A department has the discretion to request medical certification for an absence of any duration.

  • May I use major medical leave intermittently?

An employee who has a chronic medical condition may use major medical for regularly scheduled visits to a doctor’s office or hospital once certification from a medical care provider is received by Human Resources.  Eight (8) hours first day illness (prorated for part-time employees) must be used prior to utilization of major medical leave.  This provision also applies to employees who are caring for an immediate family member with chronic condition.  (Medical Certification Form)

An email will be provided to the employee and their supervisor or department head/chair confirming receipt of medical certification and approval for use of intermittent medical leave.

  • How do I use leave?

A timesheet must be processed each pay period to reflect the use of leave.  Faculty and staff will process timesheets via myOleMiss, under HR Tools.

  • I am an exempt (salaried) employee. If I am off work a full day, may I use a partial day of leave?

When an exempt (salaried) employee is off work for an entire workday, they must have sufficient accrued leave to cover for all hours not worked.  If there are insufficient hours, the department must process a Form 3 to place the employee on leave of absence without pay for this time. Human Resources will manually reduce wages for unpaid hours. The Form 3 must be received by Human Resources before the last day of the pay period in which the unpaid day occurs.

Example #1:  A full-time employee is off work for a full day but only has 6 hours of accrued leave, the entire day will be unpaid.

Example #2:  A full-time employee works 3 hours but has 5 hours of accrued leave.  In this scenario the employee may use 5 hours of leave because these hours combined with working time is equivalent to an 8 hour workday.

  • Do I have to use leave time?

Yes.  Employees who have accrued leave must use hours when absent from work.

  • What happens if I am certified to be away from work for a medical absence and exhaust accrued medical leave?

Twelve month employees who exhaust major medical leave, will use accrued compensatory hours and personal leave for subsequent absences.  If all accrued leave is exhausted, the employee will be placed on a leave of absence without pay.

Nine-month faculty who exhaust major medical leave, will be placed on a leave of absence without pay.

It is critical  for a department to immediately process a Form 3 to place an exempt (salaried) employee on “Leave of Absence Without Pay” status if the employee has exhausted leave to prevent the employee from being overpaid. The Form 3 must be received by Human Resources before the last day of the pay period in which the unpaid day occurs.

  • As a 9-month faculty member, do I use major medical leave during the summer?

Nine-month faculty members will only use major medical leave for absences during the academic year as this is the contract period.  Leave should not be used during the summer months or spring recess.

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