4000 Personnel

4100 General

4160 Leave and Vacation

4164 Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide an additional resource for Moffat County School District employees faced with either their own catastrophic illness or injury or a catastrophic illness or injury of an immediate family member.

Definition

• Catastrophic illness is the sudden onset of a devastating illness. This illness can be life threatening or can change the life of a person forever. The illness is generally associated with a poor prognosis. A person who is severely ill can be considered as catastrophically ill.
  

• Catastrophic injury is an extremely serious injury that may result in permanent disability, long lasting medical conditions, and/or a shortened life expectancy. It typically affects at least one system of the body and is very painful.
  

• Employees become eligible to take Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave 30 days from the first day of their contract.
  

• The employee must have exhausted all paid sick leave, paid vacation, and paid personal leave which is a available to him/her. After all paid leave, including Extended Sick Leave when applicable, has been exhausted, the employee will be required to take 10 days without pay before becoming eligible to receive Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave benefits.
  

• If an employee is covered by the group health insurance plan, the District shall maintain such coverage for the employee if he/she is granted an approved leave under this policy. Such coverage shall be maintained at the same level and under the same conditions as coverage would have been provided the employee if he/she were not on leave. The District reserves the right to seek reimbursement for this benefit in the event that an employee elects not to return to work.
  

• To be eligible for Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave, employees are expected to return to work when released by doctor.
  

• The Catastrophic Illness Leave or Injury Policy will not be available to employees who have a Supplemental Employment Contract.
  

• Applications for Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave will be reviewed by a committee comprised of the director of personnel, the finance director, the benefits manager, the school nurse, and the MCEA president or designee. The above committee members will select one licensed and one classified employee to serve on the committee.
  

• The committee will decide to approve or deny the request for Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave based on consensus of the committee or a majority vote, if needed. Submitting an application does not constitute approval of the request. All or a portion of the time requested may be granted or denied by the committee.
  
  
• The applicant for Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave must submit a request in writing. All requests must be accompanied by a physician’s statement which verifies catastrophic illness or injury of the employee or employee’s immediate family member, or the need for the employee to provide intensive care for the immediate family member. Immediate family members are defined as son, daughter, foster or adopted child, stepchild, legal ward; or a spouse.
  

• The District may, at its discretion and expense, require a second opinion. The District will designate the second provider.
  

• Employees shall be eligible for up to 60 days of Catastrophic Illness Leave or Injury as determined by the Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave committee.
  

• No more than 60 days of Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave, or a combination of 15 Extended Sick Leave days and 45 Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave days will be granted to an employee in a 365 day period.
  

• The Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave committee will approve allotments not to exceed 15 days at a time. A new request must be submitted to the Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave committee for days in excess of 15 days.
  

• Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave may be taken on an intermittent or reduced schedule if medically necessary only if the arrangement is agreed upon by the District. If the leave is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, employees are required to make a reasonable effort to schedule the treatment so as not to disrupt unduly the operations of the District by providing 30 days notice or as soon as reasonably possible. Intermittent leave will be approved in allotments not to exceed 15 days at a time. A new request must be submitted to the Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave committee for days in excess of 15 days.
  

• Spouses who are both employed by the District shall be eligible for a total of 60 days of Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave, (rather than 60 days each) in a 365 day period.
  

• A written application for Catastrophic Illness or Injury Leave must be submitted to the Personnel Department. Application forms are provided by the district.
  

• The application must be accompanied by a physician’s statement, on forms provided by the district, that documents that a catastrophic illness or injury exists, and estimates the length of the illness or injury.
  

• The recipient receives any type of disability pay.
  

• The recipient terminates employment with the District, or is terminated by the District.
  

• The need no longer exists (based on physician’s recommendation).
  

• Total number of days granted by the committee have been exhausted.
  

Moffat County School District RE-1 Policy 4164