Income protection is provided to protect income and prevent loss of pay during personal and family illness, injury, or medical/dental appointments, personal emergencies that are not health related, and other special situations.

Part-time appointed staff
Part-time, appointed staff of 75% FTE or greater accrue a prorated amount of hours based on their specific FTE.

Hourly to appointed status
Hourly employees who are appointed to a biweekly position of 75% FTE or greater may be eligible to receive income protection earnings for their hourly service. To be eligible, one must be able to answer “yes” to both of the following questions:

• Has the employee worked on a continuous basis for a minimum of two weeks in the same department or occupational unit?
  
• Were the employee’s weekly work hours equal to or greater than those of the new appointed position?

For example, an employee filling a full-time position must have worked a 40-hour workweek; an employee filling a 75% FTE position must have worked a 30-hour or more workweek.

Eligible hourly employees receive income protection earnings equivalent to the status of the new appointed biweekly position. Full-time, hourly employees receive 3.7 hours for every 80 hours worked up to a maximum of eight weeks’ earnings (14.8 hours). Part-time, hourly employees of 75% FTE or greater receive a prorated amount of hours, based on their specific FTE.

For example, an hourly employee meeting the service requirement and appointed to a full-time biweekly position would receive 14.8 hours of income protection; the same hourly employee appointed to a biweekly position of 75% FTE equivalence would receive 11.2 hours of income protection

Transfers from academic appointments
Transfers from academic appointments to biweekly positions receive, at the time of transfer, four hours for each month of academic appointment.

When staff do not earn hours
Staff do not earn hours under the following circumstances:

• Leave of absence
• Absence without pay
• Temporary reduction in force
• Appointment of less than 75% FTE

Income protection time may be used to prevent loss of pay during personal and family illness, injury, or medical/dental appointments.

Members of the family include the following:

• Spouse as defined by Indiana law or same-sex domestic partner as qualified by the university’s Affidavit of Domestic Partnership
  
• An unmarried child at home including the child of the same-sex domestic partner
  
• Relatives of the employee, spouse or the same-sex domestic partner who are living with the employee
  
• Parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and relatives of the spouse or the same-sex domestic partner of the same degree who are solely dependent on the employee for emergency care

The amount of income protection time that may be used for any period of personal or family illness or injury is limited only by the amount of time accrued and the medical need to be away from work.

Supervisors may require confirmation of illness or injury through a licensed physician’s statement whenever any of the following apply:

• The employee has been absent three or more consecutive work days.
  
• There is a pattern of absenteeism.
  
• There has been disciplinary action for absenteeism during the prior twelve months.
  
• The supervisor has cause to believe that the absence is for a reason other than illness.

In determining whether there is a pattern of absenteeism, absences approved by the university as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or taken under the provision of the Family Medical Leave Act cannot be considered. This paragraph does not limit the university’s right to require a physician’s statement or other medical documentation to support a long-term absence, including FMLA, fitness to return to work, or continued ability to perform the assigned tasks, or to determine eligibility for other benefits or comply with any state or federal requirement.

Staff cannot “borrow” against future income protection earnings.

• Personal emergencies that are not health related.  These events will typically be unforeseen, will require immediate action, and are beyond the employee’s control.  Employees must notify the supervisor as soon as possible as to the reason and the expected time of return.

The employee may be required to provide documentation on the nature and circumstances of the absence

• Special situations that cannot be handled during the normal hours away from the job.  Examples are:  religious holidays not provided for in the university’s holiday plan, funeral arrangements, marriage arrangements, legal matters, real estate transactions, university class attendance, etc.

Requests must be made and approved in advance of usage. Departments are authorized to deny employees’ requests when the request is inconsistent with this policy and/or there is evidence the absence would cause an undue hardship upon the university in relations to the employees’ convenience or needs

• A Selective Service physical (staff may use a maximum of eight hours when orders require a physical exam).
  
• In conjunction with Worker’s Compensation.

Contact the Risk Management Department, 855-9758, for information about using sick time in conjunction with Workers’ Compensation. Also, see Policy 8.1, On-The-Job Injury

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