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Revision date of this archived policy: July 11, 2002

Note: This is not a current version of the policy. View current version. »

80.1 Policy
  80.1.1 The University of Kentucky provides vacation with pay to any regular full-time or half-time staff employee. Vacations are to be scheduled at times that are convenient to the department with due consideration given to the staff employee's preference.
  NOTE: The University encourages a staff employee to schedule at least five (5) days of the annual vacation allowance in succession, thereby resulting in at least one full week of meaningful time off.
  80.1.2 Vacation Allowances
    80.1.2.1 Regular full-time staff employees in the following employee category groups and employed on or after 07/01/83 are provided annual vacation allowances as follows:
      80.1.2.1.1 Any administrative and professional staff employee earns vacation with pay at the following rates:
        80.1.2.1.1.1 Fifteen (15) days each year during the first five (5) years of continuous service.
        80.1.2.1.1.2 Twenty (20) days each year during the sixth (6th) year and each year of continuous service thereafter.
      80.1.2.1.2 Any office and clerical, service and maintenance, or technical and scientific staff employee earns vacation with pay at the following rates:
        80.1.2.1.2.1 Ten (10) days each year during the first three (3) years of continuous service.
        80.1.2.1.2.2 Fifteen (15) days each year during the fourth (4th) through the ninth (9th) year of continuous service.
        80.1.2.1.2.3 Twenty (20) days each year during the tenth (10th) year and each succeeding year of continuous service thereafter.
    80.1.2.2 Any regular half-time staff employee, employed on or after 07/01/83 shall be provided annual vacation allowances as listed under 80.1.2.1 within this policy, in proportion to the percentage of time worked per week compared to the departmental normal work week. In cases where the scheduled work week is not consistent throughout the year, the pro rata percentage to full-time shall be calculated on an annualized basis. The principle governing pro rata percentages under this policy is to provide, within reasonable limits, an equitable allocation of paid vacation time for an eligible employee who is not full-time but who works half-time or more.  
    80.1.2.3 Any regular full-time or half-time staff member employed before 07/01/83 shall receive vacation leave in accordance with the policy in effect at the time of that employee's employment (see 80.4) as long as that employee has not been involved in any personnel action (i.e., promotion, demotion, transfer, etc.).
      80.1.2.3.1 Any personnel action which takes place on or after 07/01/83 and which does not result in the employee's changing position status (exempt remains exempt or nonexempt remains nonexempt) shall result in the employee's receiving vacation leave in accordance with 80.1.2 except that the employee shall not receive a reduction in vacation leave allowance.
      80.1.2.3.2
 
Any personnel action which takes place on or after 07/01/83 and which results in the employee's changing position status (nonexempt to exempt or exempt to nonexempt) shall result in the employee's receiving vacation leave in accordance with 80.1.2.
    80.1.2.4 A regular full-time or half-time employee transferring from one department to another shall carry into the new department previously accumulated vacation leave. When a staff employee transfers from one department to another, benefit plans and programs are governed by the classification of the new position.
80.2 Delegation
  80.2.1 The department head shall be responsible for scheduling vacations to allow for adequate staffing to meet the departmental work load. This scheduling may specify periods during which some or all employees may not take vacation leave.
  80.2.2 The department head shall be responsible for maintaining current, complete, and permanent records of vacation accumulation, current balance available for use and future accrual changes for an employee within the department. These records shall be available for review by the employee, the Director of Human Resource Services or designee, or other authorized University officials as necessary. Unless approved by the Director of Human Resource Services or designee, this information shall be maintained on the University Absence Record Form (see 80.5.1 within this policy).
80.3 Procedure
  80.3.1 Accrual and Recording
    80.3.1.1 The annual vacation allowance shall be earned and accrued on the basis of one-twelfth (1/12) of the annual allowance per month.
      80.3.1.1.1 An employee, whose employment date is on or before the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of the month shall accrue vacation for that month. Vacation allowance for an employee whose employment date is the sixteenth (16th), or after, of the month accrues vacation beginning the following month.
     
 
80.3.1.1.2
An employee separating from employment on or before the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of the month shall not accrue vacation for that month.
      80.3.1.1.3 An employee accrues vacation while in a pay status, excluding long term total disability.
      80.3.1.1.4 An employee shall be in a pay status one half or more of the work days in a month to earn vacation accrual for that month.
      80.3.1.1.5 An employee has no entitlement to use accrued vacation until new staff employee orientation is successfully completed.
      80.3.1.1.6 An employee transferring from one department to another will carry into the new department the previously accumulated vacation leave. Benefits eligibility is governed by the classification of the new position.
  80.3.2 Use of Vacation Leave
    80.3.2.1 Vacation requests shall be approved in advance by the department head.
    80.3.2.2 Vacation leave may only be taken after it has been earned (after the fifteenth of each month) and with department head's approval.
      80.3.2.2.1 A new employee is eligible to use vacation leave following successful completion of the orientation period .
    80.3.2.3 Official University holidays are not counted as vacation leave.
  80.3.3 Disposition of Unused Vacation Leave
    80.3.3.1 An employee shall forfeit vacation leave, accrued and available June 30 of any year, if such leave accrual is not used prior to September 30 of the following calendar year. This allows fifteen (15) months following the close of any fiscal year for use of the balance as of the end of that fiscal year.
    80.3.3.2 Unused vacation leave shall not be paid as extra pay for any reason other than terminal vacation pay (see HRP&P 81.0: Terminal Vacation Pay).
80.4 Prior Policies
  80.4.1 The annual vacation accrual policies for employees hired prior to 07/01/83 were as follows:
    80.4.1.1 Personnel employed prior to 11/01/61 and in continuous employment with the University since that date were eligible for vacation allowance of four (4) weeks plus two (2) days.
    80.4.1.2 Personnel employed between 11/01/61 and 6/30/83 were eligible for vacation leave with pay as outlined below:
      80.4.1.2.1 Administrative staff personnel: four (4) weeks plus two (2) days annually.
      80.4.1.2.2 Professional employees:
  1. Fifteen (15) days each year for the first five (5) years of continuous service;
  2. Twenty (20) days during the sixth (6th) year and each succeeding year of continuous service thereafter.
      80.4.1.2.3 Office and clerical, technical and scientific, and service and maintenance employees:
  1. Ten (10) days each year for the first three (3) years of continuous service;
  2. Fifteen (15) days each year during the fourth (4th) through the ninth (9th) years of continuous service; and
  3. Twenty (20) days during the tenth (10th) year and each succeeding year of continuous service thereafter.
    80.4.1.3 Personnel employed between 11/1/61 and 05/14/86 are eligible for vacation with pay as outlined in the following schedule:
      80.4.1.3.1 Health professionals (0900 series) employees:
  1. Fifteen (15) days each year for the first five (5) years of continuous service;
  2. Twenty (20) days during the sixth (6th) year and each succeeding year of continuous service thereafter.
  80.4.2 Regular full-time staff employees employed on or after 05/15/86 but before 07/01/97 in the health professional category (0900 series) were provided annual vacation allowances as follows:
    80.4.2.1 Ten (10) days each year during the first three (3) years of continuous service.
    80.4.2.2 Fifteen (15) days each year during the fourth (4th) through the ninth (9th) year of continuous service.
    80.4.2.3 Twenty (20) days each year during the tenth (10th) year and each succeeding year of continuous service thereafter.
    80.4.2.4 Effective 07/01/97 the health professional (0900 series) was moved to the professional staff category. On that date, those employees become eligible for annual vacation allowances set out in 80.1.2.1.
80.5 Forms
  80.5.1 Absence Record Form