Military Leave Policy

This policy was posted for public comment from August 27 – September 12, 2025

Responses

I read through the Military Leave policy a few times, and I did not notice any discrepancies regarding military leave protocol as presented.

Thank you for your comment.

Section 3. Definitions

Are the definitions for "Employees," "Full-Time Employees," and "Regular Employees" consistent with SLCC's personnel definitions? If the personnel definitions change, does this policy need to be updated accordingly?

The definitions are consistent with the personnel definitions document. Yes, the policy would need to be updated if the personnel definitions change.

How does this policy apply to adjunct employees versus temporary employees who work a full-time schedule?

The policy applies to all employees. Adjunct faculty and temporary employees are defined in the personnel definitions.

Section 4.A

4.A: Who is the employee required to notify, PWC or the ADA/FML office? If the employee is a faculty member, does PWC coordinate with faculty PWC managers to ensure consistency in job placement upon return?

Section 4.A has been revised to reflect "ADA/FML Leave coordinator." Yes, PWC Faculty Services would be involved.

4.A.2.c.(1): Who determines what constitutes a similar position, and who decides what qualifies for reinstatement or what position meets the equivalency standard?

The AVP of PWC.

4.A.2.c.(2): Who determines the average pay rate increases for similar positions during the employee's leave, as referenced in this section of the policy?

PWC Compensation and the Budget Office.

4.A.2.c.(4): Please clarify what "promotions" means in this context. On the staff side, promotions typically require applying for a posted position. Would the employee be eligible to apply for a position that was filled during their military leave?

The employee would not be eligible to apply for a position that was filled during their military leave. The term "promotion" is being used in accordance with the law and the Salary Administration policy.

4.A.2.e: The phrasing around "30 days," "181 days," and "more than 180 days" is confusing.

This section has been revised for clarity based on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

4.A.2.g.(1): If the original position is unavailable upon return, who determines the equivalent position for placement? Also, who coordinates the reasonable accommodations?

The AVP of PWC for the comparable position. The ADA/FML Leave coordinator coordinates ADA accommodations. This is outlined in the Employee ADA policy.

4.B. Insurance

4.B.2: Full-time faculty do not receive sick leave payouts in the same way as other employee groups. Can a faculty member with a surplus of vacation or sick leave use 3–4 months of sick leave to cover a 4-month military leave?

The college will continue to provide benefits for 30 days. Employees cannot use sick leave for military leave. Paid short-term military leave is 15 working days per fiscal year. 4.B.2 specifies that accrued vacation time may be used for the 30 days.

4.B.5: Is the policy referring to a specific pre-existing conditions clause in a contract, or to any condition incurred during military service? What about conditions that predate military service? How does this apply to dependents?

Thank you for your comment. 4.B.5 has been removed from the policy. Pre-existing condition coverage is addressed in the Affordable Care Act and in our health insurance plan documents.

4.C. Retirement

4.C.1: What is the difference between a retirement benefit accrual and a retirement premium? It may be helpful to define both terms and ensure consistent language throughout the policy.

The retirement benefits you accrue depend on the retirement plan in which you are enrolled. The retirement premium is the contribution the college makes, depending on your retirement plan. In 4.C, the term "premiums" has been revised to "contributions" for clarity.

If retirement benefit accruals are based on income, would no contributions be made unless the employee served at least 30 days?

Retirement benefit accruals or contributions are not based on the length of military leave. Retirement benefit accruals or contributions are based on the salary at the time of entry into active military service.

Comments Received

I read through the Military Leave a few times, and I did not notice any discrepancies regarding military leave protocol as presented.
Are the definitions for "Employees," "Full-Time Employees," and "Regular Employees" consistent with SLCC's personnel definitions? If the personnel definitions change, does this policy need to be updated accordingly?
How does this policy apply to adjunct employees versus temporary employees who work a full-time schedule? Should definitions for these employee types be added for clarity?
4A: Who is the employee required to notify, PWC or the ADA/FML office? If a specific office is responsible, the policy should clearly reflect that. Additionally, if the employee is a faculty member, does PWC coordinate with faculty PWC managers to ensure consistency in job placement upon return?
4A2C1 Full-Time Military Leave: Who determines position equivalency or what constitutes a similar position, and who decides what qualifies for reinstatement or what position meets the equivalency standard?
4A2C2 Full-Time Military Leave: Who determines the average pay rate increases for similar positions during the employee's leave, as referenced in this section of the policy?
4A2C4 Full-Time Military Leave: "No loss of promotions" needs clarification. On the staff side, promotions typically require applying for a posted position. Would the employee be eligible to apply for a position that was filled during their military leave? Please clarify what "promotions" means in this context.
4A2E Full-Time Military Leave: The phrasing around "30 days," "181 days," and "more than 180 days" is confusing. Consider clarifying how the protections apply to service periods over 30 days but less than 181 days to avoid ambiguity.
4A2G1 Full-Time Military Leave: If the original position is unavailable upon return, who determines the equivalent position for placement? Also, who coordinates the reasonable accommodations, does this fall under the ADA office? It should be specific.
4B2 Insurance: Full-time faculty do not receive sick leave payouts in the same way as other employee groups. Can a faculty member with a surplus of vacation or sick leave use 3–4 months of sick leave to cover a 4-month military leave? This would allow them to maintain insurance coverage and receive pay during leave.
4B5 Insurance: Is the policy referring to a specific pre-existing conditions clause in a contract, or to any condition incurred during military service? What about conditions that pre-date military service? Additionally, how does this apply to dependents? For example, if a spouse has a pre-existing condition, would coverage be affected upon the employee's return?
4C1 Retirement: What is the difference between a retirement benefit accrual and a retirement premium? It may be helpful to define both terms and ensure consistent language throughout the policy. Is the intent to refer to retirement premiums in section 4C3 as well?
4C Retirement: If retirement benefit accruals are based on income, would no contributions be made unless the employee served at least 30 days? Or are these provisions related to an institutional surplus in the retirement account that needs to be distributed across the institution?
4C Retirement: Clarify the distinction between retirement accruals and premiums, for example, does the employee receive an additional amount into their retirement account? It may be helpful to add definitions to clarify some of these PWC specific terms.

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