Donated leave credits are used to cover a staff/faculty member's absence due to a catastrophic illness/injury, or to care for an immediate family member who has suffered a catastrophic illness/injury.

Who is eligible to receive Catastrophic Leave donations?

To be eligible for Catastrophic Leave, the following requirements must be met:

• Staff/faculty must be eligible to earn vacation and/or sick leave. Available balances can be checked through the CSUN portal www.csun.edu > myNorthridge > Human Resources/Employee > View My Absence Balances.
• The staff/faculty member must be on an approved Leave of Absence.  Go to How to Request a Leave of Absence, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/leave-request.htm.
• The illness or injury must be totally incapacitating and expected to last more than 15 calendar days. Verification from a physician must be provided on Form OHRS 30-79, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/forms/ohrs3079.doc.
• If eligible, the applicant must be approved for Non-industrial Disability Insurance (NDI), Industrial Disability Leave (IDL) or Temporary Disability (TD) benefits.
• The applicant must have exhausted all accrued sick, vacation, personal holiday, and CTO credits.  Please refer to the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement at http://www.calstate.edu/LaborRel/Contracts_HTML/contracts.shtml.

Who may donate sick/vacation time?

• Staff and faculty members may donate sick leave or vacation credits to an eligible CSUN staff/faculty member. 

What are the limits for donating leave time?

• Leave donations are subject to Collective Bargaining Agreements. Current contracts delineate the following donation limitations per fiscal year:

• To donate leave time, complete OHRS Form 1-8, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/forms/pledge.dot, and submit it to Payroll, Mail Code 8228, University Hall 165.
• Donations to a staff or faculty member are limited to vacation or sick time. Donations to a staff or faculty member’s immediate family is limited to vacation time only.
• Leave credits donated but not used by the injured/ill employee will be credited back to the donor. 

What happens once a Catastrophic Leave Donation has been submitted?

• After receipt of Form OHRS 30-79, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/forms/ohrs3079.doc, the Office of Human Resources, Benefits Administration will verify eligibility and notify the applicant’s department and Payroll Administration.
• The recipient’s department will solicit leave credit donations on his/her behalf.  The Office of Human Resources, Benefits Administration will assist the department with the solicitation process as needed.

How are Catastrophic Leave donations credited and tracked?

• Individuals wishing to donate vacation/sick time complete form OHRS 1-8, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/forms/pledge.dot, and submit it to Payroll Administration.  Once donations have been pledged, the donor may not rescind the pledge.  
• Once the donor’s time has been utilized, the donor and the department timekeeper are notified via email by Payroll Administration of the usage. 
• During the solicitation process, Human Resources regularly updates both the injured/ill party and the party’s department on the number of days which have been covered by donations.

Under what circumstances may I use Catastrophic Leave donations to care for a family member?

• The term “immediate family member” is defined in the sick leave provisions of the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement, http://www.calstate.edu/LaborRel/Contracts_HTML/contracts.shtml.
• The staff/faculty member must be on an approved Leave of Absence.  Link to How to Request a Leave of Absence.
• The employee must have exhausted all his/her accrued vacation, personal holiday, CTO, and sick leave credits, which may be used for family care in accordance with the appropriate collective bargaining agreement.
• Form OHRS 30-79, http://www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/benefits/forms/ohrs3079.doc, must be completed by the family member’s physician and submitted to Benefits Administration, Human Resources, University Hall 165, Mail Code 8229.

What are the limits for use of Catastrophic Leave?

• Donated leave shall normally not exceed the amount necessary to continue pay for three months, calculated from the first day of catastrophic leave use. 
• The President or designee may approve up to an additional three months for exceptional situations, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Donated time may not be used beyond a temporary staff or faculty’s appointment expiration date.

Where can I get more information?

• Contact Laurie Gold-Brubaker at x 3809 or (818) 677-3809.