Sick Leave Pool Program

On July 28, 2020, Commissioners Court approved the Sick Leave Pool Program to assist eligible Harris County employees who are experiencing a hardship due to their own catastrophic injury or illness and have exhausted all accrued paid leave.

Donation Eligibility Requirements

1. Employee has been continuously employed by Harris County as a Regular Position (full-time) employee for at least 12 months;
2. Donations to the Pool are strictly voluntary; however, to be eligible to use Catastrophic Leave from the Pool, employees must have donated a minimum of 8 hours of sick and/or vacation leave (and maximum of 40 hours) to the Pool during the registration period (February 1, 2022 – February 28, 2022) to be eligible for leave from March 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023;
3. The donation cannot cause the employee's combined sick and vacation leave balance to fall below 80 hours;
4. Time donated to the Pool is irrevocable. Employees cannot designate time to any particular employee. Enrollment in the Program and donation to the Pool is not a guarantee that an employee will receive any Catastrophic Leave from the Pool;
5. Employees who end employment with the County for any reason may voluntarily donate up to 80 hours of combined sick and vacation by sending an email to SickLeavePool@harriscountytx.gov to request a donation form.

Withdrawal Eligibility Requirements

Employees that meet the following eligibility requirements can request leave from the Pool by completing a Harris County Sick Leave Pool Withdrawal Request Form and submitting the form with a completed FMLA Form 456A to their department's HR liaison. The HR liaison should obtain department head approval and then email the completed form and FMLA certification to SickLeavePool@harriscountytx.gov:

1. Employee is in a Regular Position and has been continuously employed by Harris County for at least 12 months;
2.  Employee has donated a minimum of 8 hours of sick and/or vacation leave (and maximum of 40 hours) to the Pool during the registration period (February 1, 2022 – February 28, 2022);
3. Employee has a Catastrophic Injury or Illness as described in the Sick Leave Pool Policy;
4. Employee has been absent for at least 10 continuous workdays;
5. Employee has exhausted all available accrued paid leave and compensatory time;
6. Employees' eligibility for leave from the Pool ends when they become eligible to receive Workers' Compensation indemnity benefits, long-term disability benefits, Social Security disability benefits, or any other supplemental benefits.