OFFICE OF EXECUTIVE POLICY AND PROGRAMS
OTHER LEAVE

THE LANGUAGE USED IN THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEE AND THE AGENCY. THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CREATE ANY CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS OR ENTITLEMENTS. THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE THE CONTENT OF THIS DOCUMENT, IN WHOLE OR IN PART. NO PROMISES OR ASSURANCES, WHETHER WRITTEN OR ORAL, WHICH ARE CONTRARY TO OR INCONSISTENT WITH THE TERMS OF THIS PARAGRAPH CREATE ANY CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT.

I. Leave with Pay

1. A. Administrative Leave
   
   Employees in FTE positions who are physically attacked while in the performance of official duties and suffer bodily harm as a result of the attack must be placed on administrative leave with pay rather than using sick leave. The period of administrative leave per incident may not exceed 180 calendar days.
   
   
2. American Red Cross Certified Disaster Service Leave
   
   An employee who is a certified disaster service volunteer for the American Red Cross may use up to 10 days of paid leave in a calendar year to participate in specialized disaster relief services with the approval of the Division or Office Director.
   
   
3. Blood Drive and Donation Leave
   
   Employees are permitted to participate in agency arranged blood drives during the employee's regular work hours at those times as may be determined by the agency without using accrued leave. State employees desiring to donate blood at a time other than an agency arranged volunteer blood drive must be excused from work during the employee's regular work hours for the purpose of making the donation without prejudice to the employee and no leave or makeup time may be required. Any employee desiring to donate blood shall notify his supervisor of the scheduled donation and the amount of time needed for the donation as far in advance as may be practicable. The supervisor may deny the employee's request for time to donate if the absence of the employee
   would create an extraordinary burden on the agency. In considering the employee's request, the agency shall take into consideration such factors as type of blood donation, workload, etc. The agency may, as a condition of approving the request, require the employee to provide documentation of the donation.
   
   
4. Bone Marrow Donor
   
   Any employee in a full-time equivalent (FTE) position who works an average of twenty (20) hours or more a week and who seeks to undergo a medical procedure to donate bone marrow may be granted paid leave of absences. The combined length of paid leave may not exceed forty (40) work hours unless a longer length of time is approved by the employer. Such leave may require verification by a physician for the purpose and length of each request.
   
   
5. Court Leave
   

   1. Any employee in a full-time equivalent (FTE) who is summoned as a member of a jury panel shall be granted court leave with pay, and any jury fees and travel payment shall be retained by the employee. Employees that are summoned to jury duty will be expected to work on any given day only the number of hours that, when added to the hours required to be at court, equal the normal workday for the employee.
      
      
   2. Any employee in a full-time equivalent (FTE) position subpoenaed as a witness shall be granted court leave with pay and may retain any witness fees or payment for travel if they do not receive any personal gain from the outcome of the litigation.
      
      
   3. Any employee in a full-time equivalent (FTE) position subpoenaed in the line of duty to represent the Governor’s Office or a State agency as a witness or defendant shall not be granted court leave with pay, and appearance in such cases shall be considered a part of the employee's job assignment. The employee shall be reimbursed for meals, lodging and travel expenses that may be incurred while serving in this capacity in accordance with existing guidelines.
      
      
   4. In no case shall court leave with pay be granted for court attendance when an employee is engaged in personal litigation. However, an employee may be granted annual leave or leave without pay in such cases with prior supervisory approval.
      
      
   5. Any day an employee is either excused or has completed service on a jury, the employee is expected to return to the job. Otherwise, the time the employee is either excused or has completed court service will be considered as unauthorized leave unless the employee requests and has approval for annual leave, or in the case of illness, sick leave.
      
      
6. Death in Immediate Family Leave
   
   

   1. Any employee in a full-time equivalent (FTE) position, upon request, shall be granted up to three (3) consecutive workdays of leave with pay on the death of any member of the employee's immediate family. Immediate family is defined as the spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, brothers, spouse of brothers, sisters, spouse of sisters, children, spouse of children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren of either the employee or the spouse.
      
      
   2. Each employee requesting leave due to death in the immediate family is required to submit an electronic e-leave request to his or her supervisor stating the name of the deceased and the relationship to the deceased on the form.
      
      
7. Military Leave (Short-term Military Training)
   
   All employees of the agency who are either enlisted or commissioned members of the South Carolina National Guard, the United States Army Reserve, the United States Air Force Reserve, the United States Naval Reserve, the United States Marine Corps Reserve, or the United States Coast Guard Reserve are entitled to leaves of absence from their respective duties without loss of pay, time, or efficiency rating for one or more periods not exceeding an aggregate of fifteen regularly scheduled work days in any one year during which they may be engaged in training or any other duties ordered by the Governor, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Treasury, or any other department or agency of the government of the United States having authority to issue lawful orders requiring military service.
   
   Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays may not be included in the fifteenday aggregate unless the particular Saturday, Sunday, or holiday to be included is a regularly scheduled work day for the employee involved. In the event any such person is called upon to serve during an emergency they are entitled to such leave of absence not to exceed thirty additional days. Any one year means either a calendar year or in the case of members required to perform active duty for training or other duties within or on a fiscal year basis the fiscal year of the National Guard or reserve component issuing the orders.
   
8. Voting Leave
   
   An employee who lives at such distance from the assigned work location as to preclude voting outside of working hours may be authorized a maximum of two hours of leave with pay for this purpose. An employee may not be granted election leave to work at the polls during elections. However, annual leave may be approved at the discretion of the supervisor.

II. Leave without Pay

1. For leave without pay for disability illness, injury, or maternity leave see Family Medical Leave Policy and the Furlough and Leave Without Pay Policy.
   
2. Military Leave (Long Term Military Leave of Absence)
   
   Every employee who on or after June 25, 1950 has been or shall be commissioned, enlisted, or selected for service in the Armed Forces of the United States shall be granted leave without pay beginning with the date of induction and ending ninety (90) calendar days after the date of separation from military service but in no event for a period longer than five (5) years from the date of entry into the Armed Forces of the United States. During such leave of absence, the employee shall be entitled to retain all seniority and efficiency rating. However, such time while on military leave without pay shall not count toward eligibility for merit salary advancement.
   
3. Educational Leave
   
   An employee is encouraged to schedule classes during off-duty hours, whenever possible. When a class cannot be scheduled during off-duty hours, the Office/Division Director may adjust the employee’s work schedule, if doing so will not interfere with normal efficient operations of the Office/Division. When a class cannot be scheduled during off-duty hours and the Office/Division cannot feasibly adjust the work schedule of the employee, the employee may be allowed to take annual leave or may be granted leave without pay in order to attend classes.

III. Hazardous Weather

1. The Governor has the sole authority to excuse employees of State government from reporting to work during extreme weather or other emergency conditions. The Governor shall issue a Declaration of Emergency stating that because of extreme weather or other specified emergency conditions, employees should not report to work. Unless such a Declaration of Emergency has been issued, all employees are expected to report to work.
   
2. The Declaration may be applicable to all employees in the entire state or only to those employees in one geographical region of the state or a combination of geographical regions. Non-essential employees who live or work within the region(s) specified in the declaration will not be expected to report to work. For each instance of a declaration of a state of emergency, the Governor may provide State employees with up to five days of leave with pay for absences from work due to a state of emergency for hazardous weather.
   
3. During a Declaration of Emergency, all essential and direct care services will be maintained. Office Directors shall identify essential employees by position, classification, or internal title and post a list thereof. No change of the essential employee roster should be authorized after the Governor's Declaration of any emergency.
   
4. Nothing contained in this section precludes the necessary, immediate evacuation of a facility by an individual in a supervisory capacity in the interest of personal safety.
   
5. The hazardous weather and emergency policy shall be applicable to all employees of the Governor’s Office.
   
6. "Emergency conditions" means circumstances that would expose State employees to harmful or unsafe conditions as determined by the Governor's Office.
   
7. Notification of Declaration of Emergency
   
   

   1. Normal Working Hours (Between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.)
      
      
      1. Upon notification by the Office of Human Resources that a decision for a closing has been made, it will be transmitted from the Human Resources Administrator or his/her designee to each Division and Office of the Governor’s Office.
         
         
      2. The Governor's Office will issue a statement to the news media concerning the release of State employees due to the emergency.
         
         
   2. Off-Duty Hours (Between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.)
      
      Between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. all Declarations of Emergency will be transmitted by the Governor's Office to the news media. Employees will assume an individual responsibility to respond in an appropriate manner to closings as they may be announced

Revised 8/04