Catastrophic Leave

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 (Staff) or How to Request a Leave of Absence (Faculty).
The illness or injury must totally incapacitate you from work. Verification from a physician must be provided on Form OHRS 30-79 (.doc). Conditions which are short-term by nature, including cold, flu, or minor injuries, are not generally deemed catastrophic.
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.

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:

Bargaining/Administrative Unit	Max. Hours	Bargaining/Administrative Unit	Max. Hours
Unit 1 - Physicians	16	Unit 6 - Skilled Crafts	40
Unit 2 - Health Care Support	40	Unit 7 - Administrative/Clerical Support	40
Unit 3 - Faculty	40	Unit 8 - Public Safety	16
Unit 4 - Academic Support	40	Unit 9 -Technical Support	40
Unit 5 - Operations/Support Services	40	MPP - Management/Confidential	40
		R11 - Teaching Assistants Only	16

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 (.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 (.doc), 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.
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 (.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.

Page Description

Benefits Administration

Leave of Absence Programs