St. Johns County Administrative Code | Personnel
Full time County employees who have completed one (1) continuous year of employment with the Board of County Commissioners may elect to participate in a Sick Leave Pool to have access to a source of additional sick leave (up to a maximum of twenty five (25) days – days are in eight (8) hour increments) when their accrued sick and vacation leave hours are exhausted. Sick Leave Pool hours may only be used in cases of illness, accident, or injury to self.
Administration
The County Administrator shall be responsible for the administration of the Sick Leave Pool and may delegate general administration to the Human Resources Department. Human Resources will verify requests to use hours form the Pool and/or to inquire into alleged abuse of the use of the Sick Leave Pool. Additionally, Human Resources will ensure that all employees eligible for participation in the Sick Leave Pool are treated consistently and equitably according to policy.
Membership
- Participation in the Sick Leave Pool shall be voluntary.
- Participating employees shall sign a Sick Leave Pool Agreement as part of membership. Participating firefighters shall sign a Firefighter Sick Leave Pool Agreement as part of membership. Log in to NeoGov to access Sick Pool Agreement forms.
- Only eligible employees may join the Sick Leave Pool (see scope).
- Employees must have accrued a minimum of eighty (80) hours of sick and/or vacation leave to the Sick Leave Pool to become active members.
- Employees must donate a minimum of forty (40) hours of sick and/or vacation leave to the Sick Leave Pool to become active members. Firefighters must donate a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours of sick and/or vacation leave to the Sick Leave Pool to become active members.
- Leave hours contributed by a member to join or remain active in the Pool are forever forfeited.
- Members who use two hundred (200) Pool hours must contribute another forty (40) hours of sick and/or vacation to the Pool to renew membership.
- Former members may re-join the Pool at any time by meeting the membership criteria.
- Members may be required to donate additional hours to the Pool on an annual basis to maintain their membership.
Use of Pool Hours
- Members may be entitled to use Sick Leave Pool hours only after depleting all accrued sick leave and vacation leave.
- Members requesting Pool hours must not have worked for a minimum of five (5) continuous workdays due to illness, accident, or injury.
- Prior to authorizing the use of Pool hours, members, or someone on their behalf, must submit a licensed practitioner’s statement of the illness, accident, or injury to the Human Resources Department. Human Resources shall review the request and determine if the request shall be granted. HIPAA information shall be protected and not released to committee members.
- The maximum number of hours allowed to be used by each eligible member is 200 in a calendar year.
- Members shall not be approved to use Pool hours for anyone but self.
- Sick Leave Pool hours may not be used for absences related to Workers’ Compensation.
- Un-used Pool hours shall not be transferred or converted to cash upon the member’s transfer to a position not eligible for such benefit, transferred to another Constitutional office, upon retirement, separation (under any condition), or upon the members request to no longer participate in the Pool.
- Sick Leave Pool hours may not be used for intermittent leave.
- Substantiated abuse of the use of the Sick Leave Pool may result in the revocation of membership and repayment of hours withdrawn.