Human Resources

4.0 Leave Time

4.0.1 Calculating Leave Time – All Employees

All leave time benefits are based on full-time employment and are pro-rated for employees who are regularly scheduled to work less than full-time but more than half time. Part-time employees who work less than half-time and other classifications of employees (see Section 2.3) are not eligible for leave time benefits. Vacation, sick and personal leave time benefits will be indicated on pay stubs when earned. Sick and vacation leave time benefits are accrued monthly and are posted to employee payroll records on the first of the month following accrual. Personal time is accrued as outlined in Section 4.3 of these policies. Employees are responsible for monitoring their leave time balances. Employees may not use leave time benefits which have not been accrued.

During the introductory employment period, new employees may utilize holiday leave as it is accrued. Vacation and sick leave may be used after the employee has completed three full, consecutive months of employment. Personal days are not accrued until an employee has completed at least six months of employment.

Employees who change employment status from non-benefits-eligible to benefits-eligible will begin accruing sick and vacation leave the month following their status change. Vacation and sick leave may be used after the employee has completed three full, consecutive months of benefits-eligible employment. Holiday leave may be taken as it accrues.

Leave time benefits will be paid consistent with an employee’s established weekly scheduled hours. Part-time employees may not request to be paid leave time benefits when such a request would result in payment for more hours than normally scheduled.

Pre-planned and approved absences will be paid interchangeably from available vacation, personal, and holiday balances. When leave time benefits are not available, time off requests may or may not be approved at the discretion of the supervisor. When requests are approved for employees with no leave time benefits, the employee will not be paid. Leave time benefits taken in excess of available hours will be deducted from the employee’s paycheck.  Payment of leave time benefits for employees who qualify for and take Family Medical Leave, (FMLA), are outlined in Section 4.8.4 of these policies.

4.0.2 Calculating Leave Time – Non-Exempt Employees

When a non-exempt employee is absent from work for full or partial days and leave time benefits are available, the employee must be paid from the appropriate available balances. When no leave time balances are available the employee will not be paid.

4.0.3 Calculating Leave Time – Exempt Employees

When an exempt employee is absent for a half day or longer (4 hours or longer if scheduled for an 8 hour day) they must use appropriate available leave time balances to cover the absence. 

Exempt employees who are absent from work for less than a half-day (up to 4-hours, if scheduled for an 8 hour day), are expected to fulfill the requirements of their jobs by completing all duties as assigned.

In compliance with MA laws, when an exempt employee is absent for less than a full-day and does not have sufficient accrued time to cover the absence, they will be paid for the full day but are expected to fulfill the requirements of their jobs by completing all duties as assigned.   If leave time balances are not available to cover a full day or longer absence for exempt staff, the employee will not be paid for the time off.

4.0.4 Process for Requesting Leave Time

Unscheduled staff absences create hardships for consumers and a burden for co-workers covering shifts during these absences. To minimize these disruptions, all employees are expected to schedule absences in advance. Frequent unscheduled absences which negatively impact job performance or the needs of the Organization, are grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Requests for vacation leave must be made in writing at least two weeks before the beginning of the leave period. Every effort will be made to honor requests for leave time. However, use of vacation and personal time is contingent upon scheduling needs of the Organization, and must have the prior approval of the Program Director/Manager, or designated Senior Manager, or designee.

All employees are expected to work the full shift to which they are assigned. Any employee who wishes to utilize leave time benefits for all or part of a day must obtain permission to do so from his/her supervisor.

A full day of work is defined as the number of hours an employee is normally scheduled to work in one day. For example, eight hours is considered to be a full day of work for a full-time employee who works eight hours in one day. Six hours is considered to be a full day for a part-time employee who works 6 hours in one day.

4.0.5 Part-time Employees Working in More Than One Position

Benefits-eligible employees who work in more than one position under the direction of more than one Program Director/Manager will have their leave time benefits tracked separately for each position. Leave time benefits will be credited and available for use separately for each position prorated consistent with the FTE for each position. Employees may only use the leave time benefits that is available to them in each specific position.

If a part-time employee is hired to work in an additional position, accrued leave time benefits will remain with the part-time position where the benefits were earned. However, all subsequent leave time benefits will be divided consistent with the FTE of each position. If a part-time employee leaves a part-time position to assume a new part-time position, the accrued leave time benefits will follow the employee to the new position consistent with the FTE’s of the position.

Employees who reduce their hours in one position in order to accommodate a new, additional Riverside position will have their leave time benefits reduced in accordance with the new FTE of their position. Any loss of vacation time will be compensated to the employees in the payroll following the transfer.

Generally, employees working in two or more positions must schedule vacations from all positions during the same time period. Vacation time from each position will be paid from available leave time balances for each position. Employees working in more than one position who wish to take time off from only one position on a limited basis to address family, personal or other matters may do so with the approval of their supervisor for that position.

4.0.6 Rehired Employees with at least 3 years tenure

Employees who are rehired within 12 months of termination and have worked for Riverside at least 20 hours a week for three or more years are immediately eligible upon rehire to accrue vacation time at the same rate as upon termination.  In addition, unused sick time is credited to the employee upon rehire and both accrued vacation and sick time is immediately available for use.  Unused personal time is not credited to the employee and will accrue as if the employee is a new hire.      

 

4.1 Sick Leave

4.1.1 Overview of Using Sick Leave Benefits

Sick Leave benefits may be used for a personal illness or incapacity which prohibits the employee from performing their job duties, including absences due to exposure to contagious disease, that according to public health standards, would constitute a danger/hazard to the health of others.  Sick time may also be used for appointments for medical or dental treatment when it is impossible to arrange such appointments during non-work hours.  Sick time may also be used to care for an immediate family member who is ill or incapacitated or to assist them in attending medical or dental treatments as identified above. Immediate family member is identified as a spouse, partner, child or parent/guardian. This does not include in-laws, siblings or grandparents. 

Once sick leave balances are exhausted, vacation, personal, holiday, or earned time benefits may substitute for sick leave with the Manager’s approval only. 

At his/her discretion, a supervisor may require an employee to provide verification of illness from a physician or other qualified health practitioner. A supervisor may also request documented medical clearance prior to an employee's return to work following an illness. Riverside will monitor the use of sick leave to assess whether it is being taken appropriately, or whether employees are unable to satisfy the requirements of their positions due to frequent or extended absences.

4.1.2 Sick Leave Accruals

Full-time employees earn sick leave benefits at a rate of eight hours per month and may accrue to a maximum of 320 hours. Sick leave benefits and allowable maximums are prorated for part-time employees. New employees will accrue sick leave after one full calendar month of employment and may begin using sick leave after three full calendar months of employment. Sick leave balances are not paid upon termination.

4.1.3 Process for Requesting Sick Leave Time

To ensure adequate coverage, an employee must report impending absences directly to his/her supervisor or designee. Staff in programs operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, must call-in their absence at least 8 hours in advance of their scheduled start time. All other staff must call-in their absence within 15 minutes of their scheduled start time. Divisions/Departments reserve the right to implement site specific procedures for reporting absences which are made available in writing to staff. Absences that are not reported in accordance with written policy will be considered unexcused. Non-exempt employees will not be allowed to apply paid absence benefits to unexcused absences, and those absences will be unpaid. Failure to give appropriate notice may also result in disciplinary action.

4.2 Vacation Leave

Full-time employees earn vacation leave as follows. The accrual rate is prorated for eligible part-time employees:

Employees who are required to be available on an on-call basis, and who carry a pager provided by Riverside, may accrue up to one week of additional vacation leave per year. The additional leave earned is prorated for part-time on-call status. No employee may earn more than five weeks of vacation leave in one fiscal year (See Section 2.4.3 for further details).

Vacation leave may be used after the employee has completed three full, consecutive, months of employment. Employees will be paid for any unused vacation time upon termination.

4.2.1 Vacation Carryover

Riverside believes that all employees should take time away from work and encourages all employees to use vacation leave each year. As such, no more than 120 hours of accrued vacation leave, pro-rated for eligible part-time staff, may be carried beyond August 31st of each year. Therefore, employees should plan their vacation time, in conjunction with their manager, so that no time is lost as a result of carryover issues.

4.2.2 Former Employees - Credit for Past Employment

Former employees of the Organization who are re-hired within seven years of their termination, may receive credit for their past employment in determining vacation accrual rates. Each full year of employment when the employee worked at least twenty hours per week will be counted as one year in determining the time employed (Section 4.2). Former employees whose prior employment with the organization lasted less than one full year will receive no credit. Six months of continuous re-employment must be completed before the credit is counted.

4.3 Personal Leave

A maximum of four personal days (32 hours), prorated for part-time employees, will be granted each fiscal year. Employees, who have been employed for at least six months prior to the beginning of the fiscal year, will accrue four personal days on July 1^st and may use personal days once they have been accrued. Employees who have been employed for less than six months at the beginning of a fiscal year will accrue and may use only a portion of their yearly personal day allotment as outlined below:

Personal leave may be used at the employee's discretion subject to the approval of the Program Director/Manager or his/her designee. Personal leave may not be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next. Personal leave is not payable upon termination.

4.4 Holiday Leave

Riverside observes the following eleven (11) holidays:

Holidays which fall on Saturday are observed on the preceding Friday; holidays which fall on Sunday are observed on the following Monday.

Employees receive eight hours of paid leave, prorated for part-time staff, as each holiday occurs regardless of the number of scheduled hours. If an employee is scheduled to work on a holiday, alternate time off must be scheduled by the Program Director/Manager, or designee. If an employee is sick, on vacation or on a personal leave when a holiday occurs, s/he will be paid eight hours (based on a full-time FTE) of holiday time for that day in lieu of sick, vacation or personal time. If time off exceeds the maximum allowable holiday time earned, s/he will be paid for the additional hours out of sick, vacation or personal balances as appropriate. Holiday time not used within sixty days will be forfeited. Available holiday time is paid upon termination.

4.5 Earned Time—Emergency Service Staff Only

Benefits-eligible emergency service staff who work twelve-hour shifts accrue earned time in place of vacation, holiday and personal leave. Full-time staff accrue at the following rate, prorated for part-time staff:

Use of earned time is contingent upon the scheduling needs of the Organization and must have the prior approval of the Program Director or designee. Requests must be made in writing at least four weeks, or one schedule cycle, prior to the beginning of the leave period, whichever is greater. Requests for time off equal to one shift or less should be made in writing at least one week in advance.

No more than 108 hours of accrued earned time, prorated for eligible part-time staff, may be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next. Under special circumstances, waivers to this policy may be granted upon written approval of the Program Director, Division Director, and Vice President of Planning and Development.

Earned time is accrued after one full calendar month of employment and may be used after 3 full calendar months of employment. Upon termination, emergency service staff will be paid the balance of their earned time accrual.

4.6 Leave Accrual Maximums

When an employee reduces his/her weekly scheduled hours, sick and personal time balances will be prorated consistent with the limit for the new scheduled hours. For example, an employee regularly scheduled to work twenty hours per week will have a maximum allowable balance of 160 hours for sick leave benefits. The same employee will have a personal leave time maximum of 16 hours. Vacation or earned time in excess of the new limits is paid to the employee at the time of their schedule change. Sick time in excess of the new limits will be lost at the time of the schedule change. .

4.7 Small Necessities Leave

In keeping with Commonwealth of Massachusetts requirements outlined in the Small Necessities Leave Act of August 1998, eligible employees (as outlined in Family and Medical Leave Section 4.8.1), may take up to twenty-four hours of leave in a twelve-month period for the following reasons:

Employees must use available sick leave benefits to accompany their child or an elderly relative to routine medical or dental appointments. Eligible employees must use available vacation, personal or unpaid leave to participate in school activities directly related to the educational advancement of their child, such as parent/teacher conferences or interviewing for a new school. Eligible employees must also use available vacation, personal or unpaid leave to seek professional services related to elder care such as interviewing at nursing homes. When paid leave time benefits are not available or have been exhausted, non-exempt employees may take unpaid Small Necessities Leave time to a maximum of twenty-four hours of leave within a twelve-month period. Exempt employees who have exhausted leave time benefits, and therefore have no benefits available for partial day absences for Small Necessities Leave time, will be required to fulfill all of their job/productivity requirements despite their absence.

If the need for Small Necessities Leave is foreseeable, the employee must provide Riverside with seven days’ notice. If the need for leave cannot be foreseen, the employee must provide as much advanced notice as possible. The employee may be required to provide documentation to support the need for leave.

4.8 Family and Medical Leave

Eligible employees have the right to take family and medical leave as outlined in the Family and Medical Leave Act enacted in 1993. Riverside’s family and medical leave benefits are consistent with the provisions of this Act. To be eligible for protection under the provisions of the FMLA law, employees must meet all of the notice and documentation requirements outlined in this policy.

4.8.1 Eligibility

To be eligible for Family and Medical Leave, an employee must have been employed by Riverside for at least twelve months (which need not be consecutive) and must have worked at least 1,250 hours in the twelve months immediately prior to the date the leave commences. If these requirements are met, an employee is allowed to use up to twelve weeks unpaid leave in any consecutive twelve-month period for the following reasons:

• For the birth, adoption or the initiation of foster care of a child.
  
  
• To care for an immediate family member (spouse, partner, child, or parent/guardian) with a serious health condition as outlined below. This does not include in-laws, siblings or grandparents.
  
  
• As a result of an employee's own serious health condition including illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential medical care facility; absence from work, school, or regular activities for more than three calendar days that also involves either treatment two or more times by a health care provider or treatment by a health care provider on one occasion which results in a supervised regimen of continued treatment; any period of incapacity due to pregnancy or pre-natal care; any period of incapacity or treatment due to a "chronic serious health condition" which requires periodic visits for treatment by a health care provider, continues over an extended period of time, and may cause episodic, rather than a continuing period of incapacity; any period of incapacity which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment is ineffective and for which the employee or family member is under the continued supervision of a health care provider (e.g., Alzheimer’s or severe stroke); or any period of absence to receive multiple treatments by a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or injury or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days in the absence of such treatment (e.g., chemotherapy treatment for cancer).

4.8.2 Leave Duration

Leave for childbirth, adoption or foster care must be taken and completed within one year of the birth, adoption or initiation of foster care, and must be taken all at once.

Leave for serious health reasons of either the employee or immediate family member (as defined in Section 4.8.1) may be used all at once, intermittently, or on a reduced work schedule basis, for up to an equivalent of twelve weeks of leave in any twelve-month period. Riverside will make every effort to accommodate intermittent leave or a reduced work schedule, provided such leave does not create serious hardship or disruption to program operations. For more information on intermittent leaves, see Section 4.8.7.

Spouses employed by Riverside are entitled to leave of twelve weeks in the aggregate (that is, twelve weeks collectively, not twelve weeks each) consistent with the Family Medical Leave Act.

4.8.3 Notice Requirements

 

4.8.3.1 Planned FMLA Leaves

When the need for leave is foreseeable, such as for the birth or placement of a child or planned medical treatment, the employee must provide at least thirty days’ notice of intention to take leave.

4.8.3.2 Unplanned FMLA Leaves

If the need for leave does not allow thirty days notice, the employee must provide such notice as is practical. A leave request should be submitted in writing to Human Resources for processing.

When an employee has been absent for ten days or more, or when the employee is believed to qualify under Section 4.8.1, Eligibility, outlined above, the Program Director/Manager must notify Human Resources of the absence.

Once the Human Resource Office has received notice of the need for FMLA leave, or otherwise has reason to believe that an employee may be eligible for a FMLA leave, Human Resources will determine eligibility for FMLA leave and will advise the employee of his/her FMLA rights. Riverside will notify the employee of his/her FMLA rights and will consider the employee to be under a provisional FMLA leave pending medical documentation from the employee. Upon receipt of written notice of FMLA rights, employees must complete and submit a Riverside FMLA leave form to their immediate supervisor two weeks prior to the start of the leave, when possible. The supervisor will submit the leave request to Human Resources for processing. If leave must be taken on an emergency basis, the employee must give notice of leave as soon as is practical. The notice must indicate the dates of the leave, the purpose of the leave, the employee's intent to return to his/her position at the end of the leave, and which specific accrued leave time benefits the employee intends to use during leave.

4.8.4 Use of Leave Time Benefits

An employee on FMLA leave must use any accrued sick leave benefits and, if this is exhausted before the end of the leave, the employee must then use accrued vacation, holiday or personal time. Accrued leave time must be used within the twelve-week leave period and may not be used to extend the leave-of-absence period. Employees who participate in the short-term disability program will be paid from available leave balances until such time as the short-term disability payment begin. If short-term disability payments do not cover an employee’s regular salary, s/he may request payment of available leave time benefits to make up the difference between regular salary and short-term disability benefits.

4.8.5 Required Medical Documentation

Employees requesting medical leave due to their own medical condition or to care for a family member with a serious health condition, must provide a doctor’s or qualified health care practitioner's certification supporting the employee's need for the leave. The Human Resources office must receive this certification no later than fifteen days after Riverside requested the certification. Additional certification may be required as provided by the FMLA, and in the following circumstances:

• At reasonable intervals of thirty days or longer;
  
  
• If Riverside has reason to believe FMLA leave is not justified;
  
  
• In the event of significant changes in circumstances related to the employee’s need for leave.

Until such time as the employee provides medical certification supporting the need for the leave, the employee will be considered to be on a "provisional FMLA leave." Upon receipt of medical certification, Human Resources will notify the employee in writing that their FMLA leave has been approved.

An employee who fails to povide the required medical documentation within fifteen days of the request may not be considered to be on a FMLA leave. In such cases, when the leave is not subject to FMLA protection, the leave time must be reviewed and approved or not approved by the program director consistent with Section 4.9, Leave Without Pay. If the leave is not approved, the employee may be terminated.

4.8.6 Insurance Premiums and Other Benefits During FMLA Leave

Through the duration of the twelve-week FMLA leave, Riverside maintains and pays its share of the monthly premiums for medical and dental benefits. The employee on leave is responsible for paying his/her contributory share. Employees must make arrangements with Human Resources concerning these payments, as well as for the continuation of an employee's contributions to any other applicable benefits.

Vacation, sick, holiday and personal time will accrue during the paid portion of a FMLA leave.

4.8.7 Intermittent Leave

Intermittent leave may be defined as either a reduction of scheduled hours for a specified period of time, or the right to leave work as necessary, for the purpose of receiving or administering medical care. Employees using intermittent leave must provide certification by a doctor or qualified health care practitioner that intermittent leave is necessary. Certification must indicate purpose, length and details sufficient for the Organization to arrange for the scheduling of replacement personnel.

Employees on intermittent leave must code their time off as "intermittent leave" on the time sheets. Once processed by Payroll, time sheets for employees on intermittent leave will be forwarded to Human Resources for tracking purposes. Intermittent leave will be accumulated and counted toward the total twelve-week FMLA leave to which an employee is eligible.

Employees using intermittent leave must use accrued time off benefits to offset their reduced schedule. Employees using intermittent leave may be required to transfer to a similar existing position that would better accommodate their needs.

4.8.8 Employment Status at the Conclusion of FMLA Leave

Riverside requires all employees to provide a certification of clearance to return to work at the conclusion of the leave. Riverside will restore an employee to his/her former position, if available, or to a similar position within the organization, at the same pay, benefits, and working conditions as of the date of the leave, if the employee provides all certifications required by Riverside and has complied with Riverside’s FMLA policy.

An employee will have no greater rights to reinstatement or other benefits and conditions of employment than if he or she had continued to work.

Employees who fail to produce this required physician certification will be considered to have resigned his/her position at Riverside effective on the date the leave ends. Employees who fail to return to work following a FMLA leave will be considered to have resigned his/her position on the date the leave ends.

4.9 Leave of Absence - Other

Employees who have been employed for at least three months, are absent from work for two weeks or more and whose absence does not fall under Family and Medical Leave, Section 4.8 or Maternity Leave, Section 4.10.1 of the Personnel Policies, may be eligible for a leave of absence subject to the following conditions and with approval of the employees designated senior manager. Employees who have been employed less than three months are not eligible for a leave of absence and may not miss more than two consecutive weeks of work.

The combination of paid and unpaid leave time cannot exceed 6 weeks within a 12 month period.  A leave of absence cannot be used to extend a perviously approved Family and Medical Leave or Maternity Leave.

During any portion of a leave of absence that is unpaid, vacation and sick time will not accrue and holidays falling within the period will not be accrued or paid. Employees will be responsible for paying the full cost of their health and dental premiums (no Riverside contribution) during the unpaid portion of a leave of absence. Employees will be contacted by Human Resources regarding payment for applicable health and dental premiums. Employees must pay their premiums during the unpaid period of a leave of absence in order to ensure continuing insurance coverage.

Employees must submit their request for a leave of absence to their supervisor at least two weeks prior to their anticipated leave date or with as much notice as possible in situations where two weeks notice is not possible.  All leaves must first be reviewed by Human Resources to determine if any other leaves, i.e., FMLA apply. If no other leave applies, the leave request is reviewed by their immediate supervisor and the request will be either approved or not approved in consideration of coverage issues ensuring quality of care as well as productivity and financial impact. The immediate supervisor will review these factors with the designated senior manager who must approve the leave request. All approved requests will be forwarded to Human Resources for processing.

In situations where an employee is taking a leave of absence for a medical condition and they are not eligible for FMLA, they will be required to provide Human Resources a physician certification at the outset of their leave and clearance to return to work prior to the end of their leave.

4.10 Special Leave Categories

The following special leaves may be available to employees as needed, or by special arrangement. Riverside will require the documentation indicated in each leave category. Additional documentation of need may be required.

4.10.1 Maternity Leave for Women Not Qualified Under FMLA

All female employees who have completed the introductory period (six months) but have worked less than 1,250 hours in the preceding twelve months are eligible for up to eight weeks of maternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child, providing they provide two weeks’ notice of anticipated departure date and a statement of their intention to return. If an employee chooses, she may use any available sick/vacation/personal days during her leave period. Once leave balances are exhausted, the employee will be on unpaid leave.

Through the duration of the eight-week maternity leave, Riverside maintains and pays its share of the monthly premiums for medical and dental benefits. The employee on leave is responsible for paying his/her contributory share. Employees must make arrangements with Human Resources concerning these payments, as well as for the continuation of an employee's contributions to any other applicable benefits.

Vacation, sick, holiday and personal time will continue to accrue during the paid portion of a maternity leave.

An employee returning from an eight-week maternity leave will be restored to her previous position or a similar one with the same pay, benefits, and working conditions as of the date of the leave, providing the employee has maintained current training and professional certifications required of the position and has complied with Riverside’s maternity leave policy.

An employee returning from a maternity leave must provide a statement of fitness to return to work prior to the end of the leave. An employee who fails to produce the required physician’s certification of clearance to return to work prior to the end of a maternity leave will be considered to have resigned her position at Riverside effective on the date the leave ends. Additionally, an employee who fails to return to work following a maternity leave will be considered to have resigned her position on the date that the leave ends.

4.10.2 Jury Duty

Employees who are summoned for Jury Duty on a regularly scheduled workday will receive paid leave equal to the difference between the employee's regular salary and any jury fee received. If an employee is excused from Jury Duty, s/he is expected to report to work for the remainder of her/his scheduled shift. Employees scheduled for an awake, overnight shift immediately preceding the day of Jury Duty will be considered to be on Jury Duty for that shift.

Employees are expected to notify their supervisor when they receive a summons for Jury Duty. Copies of the jury duty summons, the record of attendance at Jury Duty, and receipts of payment for Jury Duty must be forwarded to Human Resources and to Payroll. An employee’s pay will be adjusted to reflect payments made by the court.

4.10.3 Bereavement Leave

Riverside employees may take up to a maximum of twenty-four hours of paid bereavement leave upon the death of an immediate family member (spouse, partner, child or parent/guardian). Eight hours of bereavement leave will be granted upon the death of any other family member. Bereavement leave will be prorated for eligible part-time employees. With the approval of the Program Director or designee, employees may extend the bereavement period by using available personal or vacation leave, or by requesting unpaid days off.

4.10.4 Military Leave

Employees who are members of the National Guard or military reserve will be excused for military training duties. A copy of the employee's signed orders must be submitted to the Program Director and forwarded to Human Resources. Employees may use accumulated vacation or personal time or choose to take leave without pay (see Section 4.9).

4.10.5 Workers' Compensation

Upon approval of Riverside’s workers’ compensation carrier, employees who are absent from work as the result of a work-related injury are eligible to receive Workers’ Compensation after five days of lost work time. For the first five days of full-day or partial-day absence, employees have the option of using accrued sick, vacation, personal or holiday time to make up for lost wages.

Employees receiving Workers' Compensation payments and who are unable to work are considered to be on leave without pay. Riverside will continue its contributions toward existing health and dental insurance for these employees for up to six months from the date of injury. The employee is responsible for submitting his/her usual co-payment to Human Resources by the first of the month for which coverage is purchased. Employees who fail to make the co-payment in a timely fashion will lose coverage under the plan. After six months, the employee may continue coverage at his/her own expense for up to 18 months as outlined in Section 3.5, COBRA, by forwarding the full premium to Human Resources by the first of every month.

No changes in coverage may be made while an employee is receiving Workers' Compensation.

4.10.6 Discretionary Leave

Employees who report to work experiencing the effects of a non-work-related illness or injury, or with the visible effects of legally prescribed medications, may be asked to limit their duties or to take a discretionary leave. When a manager has reason to believe that an employee’s physical or mental abilities are impaired and may have a detrimental effect on the health and safety of staff and consumers, the employee may be asked to limit his/her job duties or to stop working and to leave the work site for the day. In this instance, the employee will be required to use accrued sick time. If sick time is not available, the employee will be required to use personal, vacation pay or unpaid leave. The decision to require an employee to leave work or limit duties under this policy will be made by the immediate supervisor, Division Director or designated Senior Manager and the Human Resources Director.