Human Resources

Leave Policies for Civil Service Employees

Annual and Sick Leave

All permanent, probational, provisional, and job appointed employees earn annual and sick leave.  Restricted and  ‘Transient' appointees are ineligible to earn leave.  The amount of annual and sick leave earned is based on an employee's number of years of full-time state service.  An equal amount of each type is creditable at the end of each pay period as follows:

Years of Service Approximate Days Per Year
0-3 years 12 days
3-5 years 15 days
5-10 years 18 days
10-15 years 21 days
15 and above 24 days

Employees do not earn annual or sick leave while on leave with out pay. Any hours of unused sick and annual leave held by an employee at the end of a calendar year are carried forward to the next year. There is no maximum limit on the amount of leave that can be accumulated.

Annual leave is provided primarily for vacations and handling personal affairs. It must be applied for and can only be used when approved by your supervisor. Leave is applied for, using a leave application form.

Sick leave is provided when an employee is prevented from performing duties because of a personal illness, medical, optical or dental appointment. Employees are required to file a leave request stating the cause of the absence and the amount of time absent.

When circumstances require an employee to become absent from work for an extended period of time due to illness or other personal related matters, that employee may be covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if he/she has been employed for 12 months and has worked at least 1250 hours during the preceding 12 month period. The same categories of annual leave, sick leave or leave without pay will be applied. 

Upon separation from state service, employees are paid the value of any accrued annual leave up to a maximum of 300 hours. Annual leave in excess of 300 hours and all sick leave will be recorded as part of the employment record and will be re-credited if re-employed in state service within five years of separation. Any re-credit of leave is not applicable if your last separation was a dismissal for cause or resignation in lieu of disciplinary action.

Leave Without Pay

An employee may request leave without pay after all applicable annual and sick leaves are exhausted. When used in conjunction with annual leave, leave without pay must be requested in advance and granted only after annual leave is exhausted. When used in conjunction with an illness, an employee may request leave without pay after all sick and annual leave is exhausted. The employee may be required to provide medical certification that includes the expected date of return. An employee may also request leave without pay for educational course work when paid education leave is inapplicable.

Civil Leave

Civil Leave is used for performing jury duty and for appearing as a witness before a court, grant jury or a public body for commission, provided the employee is not the plaintiff or defendant.  The employee must furnish a copy of the court summons when requesting such leave. Civil Leave also applies when an employee performs emergency civilian duty.

Funeral Leave

To assist employees through periods of bereavement following the death of a relative, employees with permanent or probational status may be granted up to two days of funeral leave to attend funeral services of immediate family members. Immediate family members include: 

  • Husband/Wife
  • Father/Stepfather
  • Mother/Stepmother
  • Sister/Stepsister/Brother/Stepbrother
  • Daughter/Stepdaughter/Son/Stepson
  • Mother-in-law/Father-in-law/li>
  • Grandfather/Grandmother/Grandchild (of employee)

Probational or permanent employees will be allowed time off without the loss of pay, annual leave or sick leave. Annual leave may be approved in accordance with normal policy to attend the services of other relatives and friends or to extend funeral leave beyond the time allowed.

Special Leave

Civil Service Exam

An employee will be granted special leave to participate in a Civil Service examination on a regular work day not to exceed six examinations per year or to participate in a Licensing Board Examination necessary to retain a position or for employment. Supervisor may request proof of the exam taken by the employee.

Inclement Weather

Special leave will also be granted in cases of natural emergencies or local conditions such as civil disorders, floods, hurricanes and closures authorized by the Governor. In the event of inclement weather emergency for the area, the Chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center will announce the weather emergency and may recommend closure. Those essential employees who work during the emergency closure will earn overtime under regular holiday pay rules.

Voting Leave

A probationary or permanent employee may be granted time off without loss of pay, annual leave or sick leave when voting in a primary, general or special election that falls on a scheduled work day. University employees whose scheduled workday is between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on an election day, and who are unable to vote prior to or after their workday may be allowed, upon request of the employee and approval of the department head, time off with pay for voting in accordance with the following schedule:

Voting Residence Within:

0-30 mile radius of the campus: 2 hours of leave

31-60 mile radius of the campus: 4 hours of leave

61 or more miles radius of the camous: 1 day

Education Leave

Full-time (100% FTE) employees who have been employed at least one year in a permanent position and with approval from their supervisor may enroll for job-related courses from an educational institution for up to 6 hours per semester. Only three clock hours per week of the approved job-related courses may be taken during the scheduled workday without charge to annual leave.  An employee may also be eligible to receive full tuition exemption.  Continued participation in this tuition exemption program will be based on making satisfactory progress as determined by the employee's supervisor.  Satisfactory progress shall generally be interpreted to include completion of the course with a passing grade.

Military Leave

If a permanent, probationary, or job appointed employee is serving as a member of a Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States, the employee shall be granted military leave with pay not to exceed 15 working days for each tour of duty in one calendar year.  Beyond the 15 days of military leave, employee may elect to be placed on leave without pay or annual leave.  Advance notice must be given to the appointing authority by providing a copy of the military orders to report to duty, except when such notice is either precluded by military necessity or otherwise impossible or unreasonable.  Please refer to Military Preparedness on the Human Resources Management web-site for related policy information.

Holiday Leave

The holiday leave schedule is provided each year from the LSU Systems President's Office.  The Holiday Schedule is posted on-line under Attendance and Leave.  A probational, provisional, job appointee or permanent employee does not receive holiday benefits while on leave without pay.

Workers' Compensation

When an employee is absent from work due to disabilities for which he/she is entitled to Workers' Compensation, the employee must use sick and annual leave. The employee must endorse his/her workers' compensation supplemental benefit check over to the University.  The employee will be re-credited with an amount of leave equivalent to the value of the workers' compensation check.

In the event an individual receiving workers' compensation payments and/or reimbursements of sick or annual leave payments should accept other employment, the workers' compensation payments, sick or annual leave payments may not be continued, depending upon the circumstances and in accordance with the law.