Temporary Disability Leave

If you will be absent from work for more than two (2) weeks for a medical reason, you may apply for a Temporary Disability Leave. This type of leave is available for employees not yet eligible for a FMLA leave. A Temporary Disability Leave applies solely to your own need for medical or family leave, such as your health condition or the birth of a child. Your Application for Leave must be approved by the Vice President, Chancellor or Executive Dean.

While you are on Temporary Disability Leave, you must first use all of your available accrued sick leave allowance. When all of the sick allowance has been used, you have the option of using all or a portion of available, other accrued leave time. You cannot use sick leave allowance, wait a period of time, then begin using your other accrued leave time.

Your group insurance benefits will continue while you are on Temporary Disability Leave. In addition, as long as you are in pay status, you continue to accrue vacation time and sick allowance, and you are eligible to use such vacation time for sick leave.

Once you are out of pay status, having exhausted all of your sick leave allowance and requested vacation pay, if chosen, you no longer accrue vacation time and sick allowance. Also, you will be billed by the College for your portion of the insurance benefits costs. If you are out of pay status, contributions will not be made towards your retirement or Social Security.

To return to work, you must give your supervisor a statement from your medical provider stating that you are physically and mentally able to perform your job.

A Temporary Disability Leave cannot last longer than ninety (90) calendar days from the date you last worked. If you are still disabled after ninety (90) calendar days, you should request, on another Application for Leave of Absence, an Extended Disability Leave.

Extended Disability Leave

An extended disability leave is available if you are unable to return to work after completion of a temporary disability leave or family medical leave for your own serious health condition. To apply you must complete an Application for Leave of Absence - Extended Disability Leave at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the end of a temporary disability leave or family medical leave and include a doctor's statement projecting the length of time you are expected to be absent from work. The leave must be approved by your Supervisor, Human Resources Administrator and Vice President, Chancellor or Vice Chancellor/Dean.

You are not considered to be actively employed by the College during this leave and are not guaranteed a return to your job at the conclusion of an extended disability leave. In order to maintain necessary college operations, the College may determine it is necessary to fill your position.

Extended disability leaves will end thirty (30) calendar days from the first day you are out of pay status unless a claim for long term disability (LTD) benefits is pending. In this case the extended disability leave will end no later than the date notification is received on the determination of the claim. Pay status is defined by use of available accrued sick time. Available accrued vacation, or faculty release time may not be used during an extended disability leave. Extended disability leaves may not be taken on a reduced schedule or intermittent basis. You may continue your health insurance coverage while you are in pay status (utilizing available accrued sick time) or out of pay status for the period of the extended leave (not to exceed thirty (30) calendar days from the first day you are out of pay status) or awaiting determination on a pending LTD claim even if your position has been filled. You will be administratively terminated at the end of the extended disability leave period if you have not returned to work or if your position is filled, restructured, or deleted prior to the end of the extended disability leave period. You may initiate termination of your employment at any time during the extended leave period.

Once out of pay status, you will be billed for both your portion and the College portion of benefit costs. If you have enrolled for the Long Term Disability Insurance Plan and you know you will not be able to return to work at the end of a temporary or FMLA leave, it is to your advantage to submit the claim for disability benefits right away. The insurance carrier must process and make a determination on your claim for benefits. That process can take up to (6) six weeks. You will be responsible for the entire premium for Long Term Disability insurance until a determination is made by the carrier. If your application is approved you will be reimbursed retroactively to the effective date of LTD approval for the employee and college share of LTD premiums.

You are not considered to be actively employed by the College during this leave and are not guaranteed return to your job at the conclusion of an extended disability leave. However; if you are released to return to work during an extended disability leave and you have not been administratively terminated or you have not tendered your resignation you must provide a doctor's statement to document your ability to physically and mentally perform the essential functions of your job. This statement must be submitted to the Human Resources Office so written acknowledgment can be provided to you.

If you want to be considered for future employment the College will consider you for openings requiring your skills and experience providing you make application and qualify for the position.

Any unused accrued vacation time will be paid out at the end of the extended leave of absence or initiated termination.

Personal Leave

You may request a personal leave of absence to continue your education, extend a family or medical leave (FMLA) if additional time is needed, or for some other personal request not covered by other leave policies. You are not considered to be actively employed by the College during this leave and are not guaranteed re-employment to the same position you left or another position for which you are qualified when the leave ends. If, at the end of your leave, you are returned to the position you had at the time you took your leave your status with Ivy Tech will be the same as if you had not taken leave. In other words, your continuous years-of-service is bridged including your rate of vacation accrual. If your former position is not available and you apply for and are offered and accept another position, you are not guaranteed a return to the same status you had when you took your leave. Please contact your Human Resources Administrator for individual consideration.

Personal Leaves are unpaid.  Continuation of group insurance for yourself and any eligible dependents will be made available through COBRA. Employees with accrued vacation hours may request a one lump sum payout of accrued vacation hours at the beginning of the personal leave in an amount not to exceed the length of the personal leave.  You can read about extended benefits in the medical and dental sections. Vacation, faculty release, or sick leave allowance is not earned while you are on a Personal Leave.

The College wants to be as flexible as possible to your need for leave on a personal basis. We cannot guarantee re-employment for employees returning from a Personal Leave, but we will consider such an employee for job openings suitable to the employee's skills and experience. Employees are required to apply for available positions to ensure consideration.

Faculty Sabbatical

To provide professional renewal that reenergizes academic personnel and renews their commitment to student learning and to provide a richer learning environment for students, full-time faculty and academic administrative staff may apply for a one-semester sabbatical.  Details of the application process, approval, and expectations are provided in the Academic Policy and Procedures Manual (APPM) Policy 7.6.  If you have questions regarding a faculty sabbatical leave, please contact your regional Academic Vice Chancellor or Human Resources Administrator.    

Military Leave

The College complies with and supports the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA). USERRA applies to persons who perform duty in the "uniformed services" including service in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as well as the reserve components of each of these services. Uniformed Service includes active duty, active duty for training, inactive duty for training (such as drills), and initial active duty training, as well as the period for which a person is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine fitness to perform any such duty. If you are a member of the armed services or become a member you should inform the Human Resources Administrator so your rights under USERRA and the College's policies and procedures are handled appropriately in the event you need to be away from work for military service.

Notice of Military Service

Any employee entering any category of training or military service must provide advance written notification to their immediate supervisor and the Human Resources Administrator that they will be leaving their job for military training or service, unless giving such notice is impossible or is precluded by some military necessity. The cumulative length of absence for any employee taking military leaves may not exceed five (5) years.

Re-Employment Rights

An employee whose military service is from one (1) to thirty (30) calendar days must return to work at the beginning of their next regularly scheduled work period on the first full day after release from service (taking into account safe travel home plus an eight-hour rest period.) An employee who has served more than thirty (30) calendar days but fewer than one-hundred eighty (180) days must submit an application for re-employment within fourteen (14) calendar days of his or her release from military service. An employee who has served more than one-hundred eighty (180) days must make an application for re-employment and submit it within ninety (90) calendar days after completing military service. Any re-employment application may be in writing or oral, but must clearly indicate that the person is seeking to return to work after their service in the military. If an employee is discharged under other than honorable conditions, he or she will not be entitled to re-employment rights.

Pay for Military Service

A benefits-eligible employee whose need for military service is for the normal, annual, short-term training will receive their regular pay for fifteen (15) working days of leave during a calendar year. Longer periods of military service or normal, annual short-term training that extends beyond fifteen (15) days during a calendar year is without pay. However, an employee may choose to use vacation, or faculty release days.

Military Family Leave Act

Indiana law provides unpaid leave to the family members of military personnel on active duty. While the law allows for up to (10) ten days of unpaid leave per calendar year Ivy Tech will provide for up to (15) fifteen days of unpaid leave during one or more of the following periods:

To qualify as a family member, you must be the spouse, parent, grandparent, or sibling of the service person. Employees seeking leave must have been employed at Ivy Tech for at least (12) twelve months and have worked at least 1,500 hours during the (12) twelve month period immediately preceding the day the leave begins Employees may choose to substitute accrued leave time (other than sick leave) for the unpaid leave. The employee must provide to their supervisor and the human resources office written notice of a request for leave at least (30) thirty days prior to the requested leave unless the service person’s active duty orders are issued less than (30) thirty days prior to the requested leave.         

Although not required by the law, should the leave period result in non-payment of premiums for medical, dental, LTD, and Basic Life benefits the employee will only be responsible to pay the employee share of premiums. 

Re-employment to the position held (or an equivalent position) prior to the leave commencing is guaranteed unless a move to a different position is unrelated to the employee’s use of military family leave.