Jefferson County, MO Time Off Benefit Policies

New Year's Day	First day of January
Martin Luther King Day	Third Monday of January
Lincoln's Birthday	12th day of February
Presidents' Day	Third Monday of February
Truman's Birthday	Eighth day of May
Memorial Day (observed)	Last Monday in May
Juneteenth	Nineteenth day of June
Independence Day	Fourth day of July
Labor Day	First Monday in September
Columbus Day	Second Monday in October
Veterans Day	11th day of November
Thanksgiving Day	Fourth Thursday in November
Friday following Thanksgiving Day	Fourth Friday in November
Christmas Day	25th day of December

When any of the County-observed holidays fall on a Saturday or a Sunday, the preceding Friday or the following Monday will be recognized as a paid holiday.

The County Executive, with the concurrence of the County Council, may designate additional holidays to be observed as paid holidays for eligible County employees.

Eligibility Requirements.

All full-time regular employees are eligible to receive holiday pay. Regular part-time employees will receive holiday pay only for those holidays that fall on one (1) of their regularly scheduled workdays. Part-time employees will be compensated for the number of hours they would have normally worked on the regularly scheduled workday. Seasonal and temporary employees are not eligible for holiday pay.

Employees are required to work their regularly scheduled hours the day preceding and the day following a holiday in order to receive holiday pay. A scheduled vacation day or any other paid day off, in accordance with standard personnel policy, is considered a day worked for purposes of holiday pay eligibility. Failure to obtain advanced supervisor approval of a paid day off may result in forfeiture of holiday pay.

[Ord. No. 22-0184, 3-16-2022]

Should a County-observed holiday occur during an employee's vacation, the employee will not be charged for vacation on that holiday.

Employees on unpaid leave at the time of a holiday shall not be paid for the holiday.

Work On A Holiday.

Exempt Employees. Exempt employees who work on a holiday will receive an alternate day off, in lieu of taking the holiday, at a time determined by his/her elected or appointed County Officer.

Non-Exempt Employees. Non-exempt employees required to work on a holiday will receive holiday leave time for the hours worked on the holiday at a time determined by his/her elected or appointed County Officer. Holiday leave time will be kept separately from annual leave and other compensatory time off. Holiday leave time will be used before annual leave or other compensatory time is taken.

Upon termination of employment, an employee will be compensated for accrued holiday leave time.

Procedure.

On or about November 1 of each year, the Human Resources Manager will prepare the holiday schedule for the next calendar year. The schedule will list the actual days on which each holiday will be observed.

The holiday schedule will be forwarded to the Director of Administration for review and approval.

In mid-December of each year, the Human Resources Manager will distribute the holiday schedule to all employees.

Section 120.150 Annual Leave.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 15-0302 §§ 1 — 3, 6-23-2015; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018; Ord. No. 23-0484, 11-27-2023]

Policy.

Jefferson County grants paid annual leave (vacation) to eligible employees based on several factors, including length of continuous service and active employment during the year. All full-time regular employees (excluding elected officials) are eligible to earn paid annual leave.

Calculation. For the purpose of calculating earned annual leave time, each employee's full-time anniversary date of hire is considered the annual leave year. The amount of annual leave an employee is entitled to earn depends upon the employee's length of service with the County as of his/her anniversary date each year.

Annual Leave Entitlement. For full-time regular employees:

Years of Service	Annual Leave
During year 1	4 hours per pay month
During year 2 through year 7	8 hours per pay month
During year 8 through year 14	12 hours per pay month
During year 15 through year 19	16 hours per pay month
During year 20 and each year thereafter	Add 8 hours per year up to a maximum of 240 hours annual leave per year

An employee will continue to earn annual leave during a period of paid leave. An employee will not earn annual leave during a pay month in which the employee was on leave without pay for more than fifteen (15) calendar days.

Annual leave compensation will be computed at the employee's base salary at the time vacation is taken.

A previous employee of Jefferson County, who worked at least three (3) years of continuous full-time employment for the County and is rehired, may be credited with one (1) year of service and granted annual leave in the appropriate amount. No credit is given for previous service less than three (3) years.

Employees may not maintain a monthly balance in excess of the annual entitlement for the current anniversary year. Only by an exception basis and with the written consent of the Director of Administration is annual leave carryover allowed. Carryover approved by the Director of Administration must be taken during the anniversary year in which it was granted, or within a time period specified by the Director of Administration, whichever is less. Annual leave in excess of the amount of entitlement for the current year not taken will be forfeited, unless carried over by written consent of the Director of Administration.

Annual leave may be taken any time during the year with the advance approval of the elected or appointed County Officer based on departmental needs.

Upon termination from County employment, an employee will be compensated for unused annual leave.

Procedure.

Employees are required to discuss their annual leave plans with their department official and to obtain approval in advance of taking any annual leave.

Employees must request time off through the time off request function in the automated payroll system, subject to supervisor approval.

Employees may not take days without pay if there are accruals available to them in their vacation bank.

Section 120.160 Sick Leave.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 15-0302 §§ 1 — 3, 6-23-2015; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

Policy.

Full-time regular employees (excluding elected officials) shall earn and accrue sick leave benefits at the rate of eight (8) hours per pay month up to a maximum of nine hundred sixty (960) hours.

An employee will continue to earn sick leave during a period of paid leave. An employee will not earn sick leave during a pay month in which the employee was on a leave without pay for more than fifteen (15) calendar days.

An employee may use sick leave only for a bona fide illness, injury, pregnancy, or for medical, dental, or psychiatric examination or treatment.

Loss of work time due to illness in the immediate family of an employee, which requires the personal care and attention of the employee, may be charged against the accumulated sick leave of the employee. The term "immediate family" (or step) shall mean children, spouse, parents, grandparents, grandchild, brother or sister, and parents of the employee's spouse. Unusual cases will be handled on an individual basis by the Director of Administration.

Sick leave exceeding three (3) consecutive days or sick leave that is extended and is subject to a short-term disability will require a physician's certification stating that the employee cannot perform the essential duties of the job. The County reserves the right to initiate a leave if the employee is unable to perform the essential duties of the job.

Upon termination from County employment, an employee will not be reimbursed for unused sick leave except when the employee retires after the age of fifty-five (55) and the employee is a vested employee. An employee is vested after five (5) years of continuous employment with the County. Vested, retiring employees will be compensated for unused sick hours at a rate of fifty percent (50%) of accrued sick hours at the date of termination of employment. This provision applies only to employees hired before June 6, 2006. Employees hired after the effective date of this policy will not be reimbursed for unused sick leave upon termination for any reason.

Procedure.

Employees are expected to call in on each occasion of absence from work. The employee shall contact the County in accordance with departmental procedure, as approved by the Director of Administration, giving as much notice as possible, but no later than the start of their regularly scheduled shift. Employees should understand that calling in, by itself, does not justify an absence.

It is the responsibility of the elected or appointed County Officer and, if necessary, the Human Resources Manager to determine that absence from work is due to actual illness or injury.

Employees may be required to furnish a doctor's certification to support their absence and/or verifying the fitness to return to work.

Excessive absenteeism is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

The elected or appointed County Officer must verify records of the use of each employee's sick leave and verify the accuracy as reported on the employee's monthly time record.

Sick leave absences during the employee's final thirty (30) calendar days of employment shall be reviewed by the Director of Administration, in consultation with the elected or appointed County Officer, who may deny or rescind the paid sick leave for absences longer than three (3) consecutive workdays without a physician's statement, or for unexplained absences that are not consistent with the employee's prior attendance record.

Employees shall not have the option to take a sick day unpaid if they have accruals available to them in their bank.

Section 120.170 Family And Medical Leave.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

Policy.

It is the policy of Jefferson County to provide eligible employees with an unpaid leave of absence in accordance with the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993,[1] as revised effective January 16, 2009, and applicable State laws for the following circumstances:

The birth of a child or the placement of a child for adoption or foster care and in order to care for the child;

To care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition;

The employee's own serious health condition that renders the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his/her position.

A qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that an employee's spouse, son or daughter or parent is on active duty or is called to active duty in support of a contingency operation as a member of the National Guard or Reserves.

The employee is the spouse, son or daughter, parent or next of kin of a covered service member with a serious injury or illness.

[1]

Editor's Note: See 29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.

Jefferson County reserves the right to designate any qualified absence of an employee as family and medical leave to be counted against the twelve (12) weeks [or up to twenty-six (26) weeks of military caregiver leave] of leave with or without a request from the employee. The employee will be notified in writing of any such designation.

Definitions. As used in this Section, the following terms shall have these prescribed meanings:

CHILD

A biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, legal ward, or a child of an employee standing in loco parentis (in place of a parent), who is under eighteen (18) years old or older than eighteen (18) years if incapable of self-care because of a serious health condition.

MILITARY CAREGIVER LEAVE (ALSO KNOWN AS "COVERED SERVICE MEMBER LEAVE")

To care for an ill or injured service member with a serious illness or injury incurred in the line of duty on active duty, including veterans who are undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy for serious injury or illness that occurred any time during the five (5) years preceding the date of treatment.

NEXT OF KIN

The closest blood relative of the injured or recovering service member.

PARENT

Biological parent or individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a child.

QUALIFYING EXIGENCY

Includes:

Issues arising from a covered military member's short-notice deployment. Short-notice deployment is a call/order to active duty seven (7) days prior to the date of deployment. Leave is limited to seven (7) calendar days beginning on the date the military member is notified of deployment.

Military events and related activities such as official ceremonies, programs or events sponsored by the military or family support or assistance programs, and informational briefings sponsored or promoted by the military service organization or the American Red Cross.

Certain child-care and related activities arising from the active duty or call to active duty status of a covered military member, such as arranging for alternative child care, providing child care on a non-routine, urgent, immediate-need basis, enrolling or transferring a child into a new school or day-care facility, and attending certain meetings at school or a day-care facility, if necessary, due to circumstances arising from the active duty or call to active duty of the covered military member.

Making or updating financial or legal arrangements to address a covered military member's absence.

Attending counseling provided by other than a health care provider for oneself, the covered military member or the child of the covered military member, the need for which arises from the active duty or call to active duty status of the covered military member.

Attending certain post-deployment activities, including attending arrival ceremonies, reintegration briefings and events, and other official ceremonies or programs sponsored by the military for a period of ninety (90) days following the termination of the covered military member's active duty status and addressing issues arising from the death of a covered military member.

Any other event that the employee and employer agree is a qualifying exigency.

SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION

An illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, or continuing treatment by a health care provider lasting three (3) or more days.

SPOUSE

A husband or wife as defined or recognized under State law for purposes of marriage, including common law marriage in states where it is recognized.

Eligibility. To be eligible for a leave under Jefferson County's family and medical leave policy, an employee must be employed by the County for at least twelve (12) months, or fifty-two (52) weeks, at the time the leave commences. Employment need not be consecutive weeks. However, the employee must have completed at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours of service with Jefferson County during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the leave commencement date. Employees that are not eligible for family and medical leave may apply for a general leave of absence.

Duration.

Leaves may be taken for up to twelve (12) workweeks during any rolling twelve-month period measured backward from the date an employee requests leave. Where two (2) spouses are both employed by the County, their aggregate leave will be limited to twelve (12) workweeks during any rolling twelve-month period, except in the case of their own serious health condition, or to care for their spouse or child with a serious health condition, in which case both spouses will be eligible for the full twelve (12) weeks of leave during a rolling twelve-month period.

An eligible employee may take up to a total of twenty-six (26) weeks for military caregiver leave during a single rolling twelve-month period. Approved leave already taken under FMLA will be deducted from the total of twenty-six (26) weeks available annually.

Notification. Employees requesting leave that is foreseeable must provide the County with thirty (30) days' advance notice of leave. When the leave is not foreseeable, such as the birth of or a placement of a child or treatment of a serious health condition, and begins in less than thirty (30) days from the commencement of leave, notification must be made as soon as practicable.

Intermittent Leave.

Employees may take leave to care for a child, spouse, or parent with a serious health condition or for the employee's own serious health condition on an intermittent basis or on a reduced schedule leave.

Employees requesting leaves for these purposes must make a reasonable effort to schedule the treatment, either for themselves or for their child, spouse, or parent, so as not to unduly disrupt the County's operations. The employee should endeavor to secure the approval of his/her own or covered family member's health care provider to reasonably schedule the treatment to avoid such disruption.

If an employee requests intermittent or reduced schedule leave that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, the County may require the employee to transfer temporarily to an alternative position of equal status for which the employee is qualified to better accommodate the recurring periods of leave. Employees transferred in such circumstances will receive pay and benefits equivalent to that of their regular position.

Certification.

For A Serious Health Condition.

(1)

Employees requesting leave for their own or a covered family member's serious health condition will be required to provide medical certification to substantiate their leave request. Certification must be provided to the County thirty (30) days in advance of the onset of the leave or as soon as practicable.

(2)

The County reserves the right to have an employee or covered family member examined by a health care provider of its choice for a second opinion, at any time, at its discretion. The County will pay for any such second opinion examination.

(3)

In the event a conflict exists between the medical opinion of the employee's or covered family member's health care provider and that of the County in the second opinion examination, a third examination will be required to be performed by a health care provider mutually agreed upon by the employee and the County, and paid for by the County. In such instances, the opinion of the third health care provider will be final and binding on the County and the employee.

(4)

Employees may be required to provide additional medical certification to substantiate the continuing necessity of the leave. Certification may be required as often as every thirty (30) days throughout the duration of the leave.

Qualifying Exigency For Military Leave. Requests for exigent leave must be supported by certification submitted by the employee.

(1)

A complete and sufficient certification to support a request for FMLA leave due to a qualifying exigency includes written documentation confirming a covered military member's active duty or call to active duty status in support of a contingency operation. A complete and sufficient certification also includes any available written documentation which supports the need for leave. Such documentation may include a copy of a meeting announcement for informational briefings sponsored by the military, a document confirming an appointment with a counselor or school official, or a copy of a bill for services for the handling of legal or financial affairs.

(2)

If leave is requested to meet with a third party (such as to arrange for child care, to attend counseling, to attend meetings with school or child-care providers, to make financial or legal arrangements, to act as the covered military member's representative before a Federal, State, or local agency for purposes of obtaining, arranging or appealing military service benefits, or to attend any event sponsored by the military or military service organizations), a complete and sufficient certification includes the name, address, and appropriate contact information of the individual or entity with whom the employee is meeting (i.e., either the telephone or fax number or e-mail address of the individual or entity).

Military Caregiver Leave. A complete and sufficient certification to support a request for FMLA leave due to a covered service member's serious injury or illness includes written documentation confirming that the covered service member's injury or illness was incurred in the line of duty on active duty and that the active service member is undergoing treatment for such injury or illness. The certification must be issued by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) health care provider who is either a United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) health care provider, a DOD Tricare network authorized private health care provider, or a DOD non-network Tricare authorized private health care provider to verify that the service member is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in outpatient status, or is on temporary military retired list for a serious injury or illness.

Use Of Accrued Leave Time. Employees shall be required to use all available paid time during their FMLA absence. The employee will receive his/her paid leave, and the leave will also be considered protected FMLA leave and counted against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement. The remainder of the FMLA leave, if any, will be unpaid leave unless the employee is able to receive any statutory benefits in accordance with applicable State law and the terms of each respective benefit plan.

10.

Benefit Continuation During Leave. Group health insurance will continue while an employee is on leave at preleave benefit and premium contribution levels. If the leave is unpaid, the employee will be required to pay his/her regular premium contribution, if any, for the coverage to continue. Benefits that operate on an accrual basis (annual leave, sick leave) will not accrue during a pay month in which the employee was on unpaid leave for more than fifteen (15) calendar days. An employee's eligibility for qualified benefits (pension, 457 contribution plan, etc.) will be governed according to the terms of each respective benefit plan.

11.

Return To Work. Employees will be required, at least once every thirty (30) days while on leave, to contact their elected or appointed County Officer to report on their status and intentions with respect to returning to work. Before being permitted to return to work from a leave for the employee's serious health condition, the employee will be required to provide certification from his/her health care provider that he/she is able to return to work and perform all essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

12.

Reinstatement After Leave.

Eligible employees taking leave under this policy will be reinstated to their former position or to a position of equal status with equivalent benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. No employee is entitled under this policy to any right, benefit, or position other than that to which the employee would have been entitled had he/she not taken leave.

The County also reserves the right to deny leave reinstatement to key employees, where such denial is necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the County's operations. "Key employees" are defined as the highest paid ten percent (10%) of the employees employed by the County within seventy-five (75) miles of the facility at which the employee is based.

Key employees will be notified of the County's intention to deny leave as soon as a determination is made. In the event such notice is given to a key employee already on leave, the employee will be offered the opportunity to terminate his/her leave and immediately return to work. In the event that the key employee decides not to return to work, he/she will remain on leave for the balance of the leave period and then be terminated.

If an employee is unable to return to work after his/her FMLA leave expires due to his/her own serious health condition, and the employee has exhausted his/her accrued paid vacation, sick and compensatory time, the employee may file a request for general leave of absence. Employees will only be reinstated at the end of the general leave if a position is available for which the employee is eligible, with or without reasonable accommodation. If the leave request is denied or no request for general leave is made, the employee will be considered as having resigned as of the last day of the approved FMLA leave.

An employee who does not return from family and medical leave for any reason other than his/her own serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform all essential functions of his/her position with or without accommodation and has exhausted all other paid leave may file a request for a general leave of absence. If the leave request is denied or no request for general leave is made, the employee will be considered as having resigned as of the last day of the approved leave.

Procedure.

The Human Resources Manager coordinates FMLA certifications and procedures. An employee requesting a leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Policy must notify his/her elected or appointed County Officer as soon as practicable of the need for leave and complete the request forms available in Human Resources.

An employee requesting leave for his/her own serious health condition, a covered family member's serious health condition or military caregiver leave must provide medical certification to substantiate his/her leave request prior to approval. These forms are available from the Division of Human Resources.

Employees requesting leave for a qualifying exigency due to a military member's deployment must be supported by certification. These forms are available from the Human Resources Manager in the Department of Administrative Services.

The employee will return the completed request form and medical or qualifying exigency certification forms to Human Resources.

Human Resources will determine if the leave qualifies as family and medical leave under the County's policy. The employee will be notified in writing of the determination, and the employee's supervising elected or appointed County Officer will be notified. The County may deny the commencement of requested FMLA leave if the employee fails to provide adequate or timely certification.

An employee may appeal the decision of the Human Resources Manager to the Director of Administration. The decision of the Director of Administration shall be final.

If the leave qualifies as family and medical leave, the employee must make arrangements with the Division of Human Resources for the copayment of any group health insurance benefits. If the leave does not qualify as family and medical leave, the employee may request a general leave of absence.

Prior to commencement of the leave, or as soon after as is practicable, the employee's elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form placing the employee on leave of absence status at the commencement of the leave and forward it to the Division of Human Resources for processing.

An employee returning to work at the end of a leave of absence for his/her own serious health condition will provide certification from his/her health care provider that he/she is able to return to work and perform all essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

10.

The elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form removing the employee from leave of absence status at the end of the leave, attach the return-to-work certification, and forward it to Human Resources for processing.

11.

FMLA, when identified, runs concurrently with other forms of leave, paid or unpaid. When employees have accrued or earned leave time, absences qualifying for family medical leave shall be designated as FMLA and run concurrently with paid leave.

12.

A copy of all documentation of the leave will be placed in a confidential medical file.

Section 120.180 General Leave Of Absence.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

Policy.

Elected or appointed County Officers may recommend a leave of absence without pay for approval by the Director of Administration based on departmental need. A leave of absence normally will not be granted for periods in excess of twelve (12) months. Notice of a grant for leave of absence without pay will be made a part of the employee's personnel file.

For a leave of absence without pay due to the employee's own serious health condition, not covered by FMLA, the employee will be required to furnish a doctor's statement attesting to the employee's inability to perform the essential requirements of his/her position with or without accommodation and the estimated time of recovery. The employee will be required to exhaust accrued sick and annual leave and any unused comp time prior to being granted a general leave of absence, whether for the employee's own serious health condition or other purposes.

Employees will be required, at least once every thirty (30) days while on leave, to contact their elected or appointed County Officer to report on their status and intentions with respect to returning to work. Before being permitted to return to work from a leave for the employee's own serious health condition, the employee will be required to furnish certification from his/her health care provider that he/she is able to return to work and perform all essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Without proper medical necessity, as certified by the employee's doctor, an employee granted leave without pay for pregnancy, not covered under FMLA, will return to work within sixty (60) calendar days after delivery.

Benefits that operate on an accrual basis (annual leave, sick leave) will not accrue during a pay month in which the employee was on unpaid leave for more than fifteen (15) calendar days. An employee's eligibility for qualified benefits (pension, 457 contribution plan, etc.) will be governed according to the terms of each respective benefit plan.

Employees will only be reinstated at the end of a general leave if a position is available for which the employee, in the County's opinion, is qualified, with or without reasonable accommodation.

An employee who is not reinstated at the expiration of the leave will be terminated.

Procedure.

An employee requesting a general leave of absence must notify, in writing, his/her elected or appointed County Officer as soon as practicable of the need for leave and complete the request forms available from the Human Resources Manager. An employee requesting leave for his/her own serious health condition must also provide medical certification to substantiate his/her leave request prior to approval.

Prior to commencement of the leave, or as soon after as is practicable, the Human Resources Manager will notify the employee of the acceptance or denial of the general leave request.

The employee's elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form placing the employee on leave of absence status at the commencement of the leave and forward it to the Human Resources Manager for processing.

The employee's elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form removing the employee from a leave of absence status and attach the return-to-work certification, if applicable. If the employee does not return from leave of absence at the expiration of the leave or if no position is available, the elected or appointed County Officer will also note that on the employee status change form as reason for termination and forward the form to Human Resources for processing.

A copy of all documentation of the leave will be placed in the employee's personnel file or in a confidential medical file.

Section 120.190 Jury And Witness Duty.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018; Ord. No. 23-0484, 11-27-2023]

Policy.

The County will reimburse full-time and part-time regular employees their base salary for scheduled hours of work when they are summoned to jury duty or subpoenaed as a witness as outlined in Section 120.190(A)(2) and (A)(3). All other employees summoned to jury or witness duty will be given the necessary time off without pay.

Full-time and part-time regular employees will be granted paid time off for testifying under subpoena as a witness in criminal court, responding to questioning by a police agency, or attending a deposition hearing as a witness in a criminal case.

All employees summoned to court for participation in civil court actions, other than as a juror, will not be granted paid time off. No paid time off will be granted to any employee where the employee is a defendant in a criminal case. Employees may be permitted to utilize accrued annual leave time for court participation in civil court actions.

If the employee receives payment for serving as a juror or giving testimony or deposition, reimbursement for time off will supplement the payment equal to the amount of the employee's regular base salary.

Procedure.

On the next workday following the date of receipt of a summons to serve on a jury or a subpoena to appear as a witness, the employee will present the summons or subpoena to his/her elected or appointed County Officer. The employee will then complete an appropriate time off request electronically in the payroll system indicating jury duty as the reason for the request.

After the period of jury duty is completed, the employee must furnish his/her elected or appointed County Officer with written proof of having served on a jury or as a witness for the time claimed. This documentation will be forwarded to Human Resources for file purposes.

Employees will not keep any pay received for serving as a juror or giving testimony in a deposition. The employee will contact the Payroll Specialist upon completion of jury duty and furnish the documentation needed for reimbursement of the time off.

Section 120.200 Bereavement Leave.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

Policy.

An employee will be granted a maximum of three (3) days' paid leave in the event of a death in the employee's immediate family.

Immediate family (or step) for the purpose of this policy includes spouse, parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or any legal dependent as defined by the Internal Revenue Code.

Employees will be granted one (1) day off from work without loss of pay in the event of the death of an employee's aunt, uncle, or spousal siblings (brother-in-law and sister-in-law).

If a death occurs while an employee is on vacation, the employee will not be charged annual leave time for those days used as bereavement leave.

The County reserves the right to handle unusual cases on an individual basis at the discretion of the Director of Administration after consulting with the elected or appointed County Officer.

Procedure.

The employee will notify his/her elected or appointed County Officer immediately of the death in the family and the days he/she will need for bereavement. The employee or supervisor will then complete a time off request electronically in the payroll system indicating bereavement as the reason for the request.

Section 120.210 Time Off To Vote.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1, 9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

It is the policy of Jefferson County to comply with all State election law requirements with respect to providing employees, when necessary, time off to vote.

If an employee has three (3) consecutive hours either between the opening of the polls in his/her community and the beginning of the workday or between the end of the workday and the closing of the polls, the employee will be deemed to have sufficient time outside his/her normal working hours in which to vote.

If an employee has fewer than three (3) consecutive hours outside of normal working hours, the employee may take off as much working time as will give the employee the three (3) consecutive hours to enable him/her to vote.

For non-exempt employees, not more than one (1) hour of working time taken will be paid, and the time will be taken only at the beginning or end of the employee's workday as designated by the employee's department official.

Employees requiring working time off to vote will be required to notify the County not less than two (2) working days before the day of the election.

Section 120.220 Military Leave Of Absence.

[Ord. No. 11-0218 §§ 1 — 2, 6-28-2011; Ord. No. 13-0364 § 1,9-9-2013; Ord. No. 18-0507, 12-10-2018]

Policy.

It is the policy of Jefferson County to provide leaves of absence for employees who serve in the United States Armed Forces and to reservists and National Guard members. Leave will be granted for:

Active duty;

Training; or

To meet military-related obligations, such as reporting for periodic physical fitness examinations.

Jefferson County will provide a military leave of absence, with pay and any other rights or benefits to which they may otherwise be entitled, to employees who are members of the National Guard or of any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States for all periods of military service during which they are engaged in the performance of duty or training for a period not to exceed a total of fifteen (15) calendar days in any Federal fiscal year.

The County will grant unpaid leaves of absence for extended periods of military service up to five (5) years in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws.

All County benefits received by an employee taking military leave (paid or unpaid) will be continued by the County, on the same terms and conditions as if the employee were not on leave, for a period of up to thirty-one (31) days.

A returning veteran must meet the following criteria to be eligible for reemployment:

He/she must have been a regular employee of the County who left employment for the purpose of entering active military duty or training, inactive duty for training, full-time National Guard duty, or to undergo a fitness-for-duty examination.

The employee or an officer of the service must have provided the County with advance written or verbal notice of the military service, unless giving notice is precluded by military necessity.

The cumulative length of the absence for military service must not be longer than five (5) years.

He/she must have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions.

The employee must notify his/her elected or appointed County Officer within the proper time frame of the intent to return.

The employee must comply with the County's requests for documentation to establish any of the above criteria.

Application For Reemployment.

Federal law requires, as a condition of reinstatement, that veterans apply for reemployment within ninety (90) calendar days of the date they are unconditionally released from military service if the period of service is more than one hundred eighty (180) days.

Persons who provide uniformed service for more than thirty (30) but less than one hundred eighty-one (181) days must submit an application for reemployment within fourteen (14) days of completing their stint of service.

Individuals performing uniformed service of less than thirty-one (31) days must provide the County notice of an intent to reapply for employment no later than the beginning of the first full regularly scheduled work period that starts at least eight (8) hours after the person has been safely transported from the place of uniformed service. If reporting by that time is impossible or unreasonable through no fault of the individual, he/she must report as soon as possible after the eight-hour period. The same rule applies to persons required to report for examinations to determine the person's fitness to serve in the uniformed service.

An employee who is re-employed after a military leave of one hundred eighty-one (181) days or more may not be discharged without cause for one (1) year after the date of reemployment. An employee who is re-employed after a military leave of thirty (30) days but fewer than one hundred eighty (180) days may not be discharged without cause for six (6) months after the date of reemployment. Employees who are re-employed after military leave of fewer than thirty (30) days are not protected from discharge without cause.

An employee who fails to report to work or to reapply for employment within the appropriate time frame will be considered as having resigned as of the last day in which he/she would be eligible to reapply for employment.

Procedure.

Employees requiring a military leave of absence are required to submit copies of relevant military orders to their department official as soon as practicable. A copy of the military orders will be forwarded to the Human Resources Manager for the employee's personnel file.

Prior to commencement of the leave, or as soon after as is practicable, the employee's elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form placing the employee on military leave of absence status and forward it to the Human Resources Manager for processing.

To receive military training pay, the employee must present his/her endorsed military pay voucher or check to the Payroll Specialist for up to the first two (2) weeks of the military training period.

An employee returning to work at the end of a military leave of absence must notify his/her elected or appointed County Officer within the proper time frame of the intent to return. The employee must comply with the County's requests for any documentation needed to determine eligibility for reemployment.

The elected or appointed County Officer will complete an employee status change form removing the employee from military leave of absence status and attach all documentation. If the employee fails to return to work or to reapply for employment within the appropriate time frame, the elected or appointed County Officer will also note that on the employee status change form as reason for termination and forward the form to Human Resources for processing.

A copy of all documentation of the leave will be placed in the employee's personnel file.