ARTICLE 15 SICK LEAVE SECTION 1 - GENERAL Employees will earn sick leave in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. We recognize the sensitive nature of the information, including sick leave, contained on individual leave and earnings statements and agree that these statements will be handled in a discreet manner. An employee's right to privacy will be respected. Supervisors' questions concerning employees' health will be limited to those necessary to justify approval of sick leave. The Agency agrees that privileged information dealing with an employee's medical history will be safeguarded against unauthorized access. We recognize the insurance value of sick leave and agree to periodically issue a joint statement encouraging employees to properly use and conserve sick leave so it will be available in cases of extended illness or medical emergencies. SECTION 2 - APPROVAL AND NOTICE A. The agency shall grant sick leave to an employee when the employee: 1. Receives medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment; 2. Is incapacitated for the performance of duties by sickness, injury, or pregnancy and confinement; 3. Is required to give care and attendance to a member of his or her immediate family who is afflicted with a contagious disease; or 4. Would jeopardize the health of others by his or her presence at his or her post of duty because of exposure to a contagious disease. B. An employee who becomes ill is responsible for personally notifying his or her supervisor, normally within two (2) hours after normal reporting time. Under unusual circumstances, a supervisor will accept such requests from an intermediary. If the degree of illness or injury of the employee's remote duty station prohibits compliance with the two-hour limit, the employee will report his or her absence as soon as possible. C. Family Friendly Leave Act 1. The Agency shall grant sick leave, when requested, to provide care for a family member as a result of a contagious disease; physical or mental illness; injury; pregnancy; childbirth; or medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment; or to make arrangements necessitated by the death of a family member or attend the funeral of a family member. 2. The Federal Employees Family Friendly Leave Act (FFLA) establishes a maximum limitation of 104 hours of sick leave during a leave year that may be used by full-time employees to care for a family member or to arrange for and attend funerals of family members for bereavement purposes. a) A full-time employee may use a total of up to 40 hours of sick leave each year for these purposes. b) A full-time employee who maintains a balance of at least 80 hours of sick leave may use an additional 64 hours of sick leave per leave year for these purposes. 3. The entitlement to use a total of up to 104 hours of sick leave (or the maximum allowed for part-time employees), in conjunction with a generous annual leave system, advanced annual leave, the leave transfer and leave programs, flexible work schedules, unpaid leave under the FMLA and compensatory time off will further assist the vast majority of employees to meet their sickness-related family care needs. 4. The basic limit for a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty is equal to the average number of hours of work in the employee's scheduled tour of duty each week. Additional sick leave, up to the amount accrued during a leave year, can be used if the use of that leave does not cause the amount of sick leave to the employee's credit to fall below twice the basic limit amount. SECTION 3 - PROOF A. Employees will be required to furnish proof of illness of a sick leave period of more than three (3) consecutive workdays. B. If a supervisor believes that an employee's use of sick leave is questionable, the supervisor will make every effort to counsel the employee. If after counseling, the employee's pattern does not improve, the supervisor will advise the employee, by written notice that for a certain period of time (not to exceed six (6) months) he or she must furnish a medical certificate for each absence from work which he or she desires to charge to sick leave. SECTION 4 - ADVANCE OF SICK LEAVE An employee who is ill or injured without sick leave to his or her credit should normally be advanced a maximum of 240 hours sick leave provided the employee substantiates the request with medical evidence and the employee is expected to return to duty after the period of illness or injury. Employees must exhaust all accumulated leave (except up to 40 hours annual leave) prior to consideration for approval of advanced sick leave unless there are extenuating circumstances to increase the exception of 40 hours. SECTION 5 - CHARGE TO ANNUAL LEAVE An approved absence which would otherwise be chargeable to sick leave may be charged to annual leave if requested by the employee. SECTION 6 - LEAVE USAGE INCREMENTS Sick leave may be used in increments of 15 minutes.