The Sick Leave Pool Program is intended to assist eligible Harris County (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. Employees who have at least 48 hours of combined sick and vacation leave; the donation cannot cause the employee’s combined sick and vacation leave balance to fall below 40 hours;
3. Donations to the Pool are strictly voluntary; however, to be eligible to use Catastrophic Leave from the Pool, employees must donate a minimum of 8 hours of sick and/or vacation leave (and a maximum of 40 hours) to the Pool during the registration period (August 24, 2024 – September 20, 2024);
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 medical certification to their department's HR liaison. The HR liaison should obtain the Department Head’s approval and email the completed form and FMLA 456A medical certification to SickLeavePool@harriscountytx.gov:
1. Employee has been continuously employed by Harris County as a Regular Position (full-time) employee for at least 12 months immediately preceding the withdrawal;
2. Employee has been absent on a continuous Family Medical Leave (FMLA) for at least 10 continuous workdays;
3. Employee has a Catastrophic Injury or Illness as described in the Sick Leave Pool Policy;
4. Employee has exhausted all available accrued paid leave and compensatory time;
5. The maximum amount of Catastrophic Leave that can be given to an employee in a rolling twelve (12) month period is the lesser of:
• The number of hours needed to cover the employee's absence due to the Catastrophic Injury or Illness;
• Sixty (60) workdays (480 hours) for employees who donated to the Pool for the fiscal year;
• Twenty (20) workdays (160 hours) for employees who did not donate to the Pool for the fiscal year, or;
• One-third of the total amount of time in the Pool.
6. Employees' eligibility for leave from the Pool ends when they receive Workers' Compensation indemnity benefits, long-term disability benefits, Social Security disability benefits, or any other supplemental benefits;
7. Leave used from the Pool will count towards the employee’s available FMLA entitlement.