| Qualifying Conditions
Only full-time monthly employees, including permanent, temporary, or recurrent Sub Titles, are eligible for bereavement leave. Daily, hourly, and permanent part-time employees, other than those assigned to a job with a Sub Title of "D" do not qualify for bereavement leave. Employees on part-pay sick leave or workers’ compensation are not entitled to take Bereavement Leave - Part-pay leaves must be exhausted before full-pay leave may be used.
- However, if an employee returns to full-pay status within one (1) year of the qualifying death, they may use bereavement leave.
Qualifying Relationships for Paid Bereavement Leave
Employees represented by Local 721 or in a non-represented classification are allowed Bereavement Leave for: - The death of family members as follows: father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in law, husband, wife, child, stepchild, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, grandchild, or domestic partner.
- The death of spouse or domestic partner’s family members as follows: father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, child, stepchild, or grandchild.
- A stillbirth where a death certificate is issued.
An eligible employee in a classification represented by the Coalition of County Unions is allowed bereavement leave as provided above, except for the death of his or her brother-in-law, sister-in-law, great-grandfather, and great-grandmother. A full-time, permanent employee who is required to travel a minimum of 500 miles one (1) way in connection with the bereavement of a relative, as identified above, is eligible to receive up to two (2) additional work days of paid bereavement leave. When death occurs of two (2) or more qualifying family members at the same time, the permanent, full-time employee receives up to three (3) days paid bereavement leave for each qualifying family member. - This provision does not apply to the additional two (2) days for travel in excess of 500 miles one way.
Reasonable time off needed beyond the identified bereavement leave days may be authorized and covered by: - Available accrued leave benefits except sick leave;
- Accrued overtime; or
- Unpaid leave.
Supervisors may authorize reasonable time off based on operational considerations for employees bereaving the death of a relative not listed. Authorized time off may be covered by: - Unpaid leave or
- Available accrued leave benefits except sick leave.
Amount of Bereavement Leave
An eligible employee is allowed to be absent from work for a prescribed number of working days, not hours, except in the case of employees on a job with Sub Title D. Definitions of Working Days for Bereavement Leave Purposes: - For employees on a 5/40 schedule, the working day equals eight (8) hours.
- For employees on a 9/80 schedule, the working day equals eight or nine (9) hours (i.e., whatever number of hours are scheduled for the day that is taken as bereavement leave).
Temporary Monthly Employees - A full-time monthly recurrent or monthly temporary employee who qualifies for bereavement leave can use eight (8) hours of bereavement leave per year if they have completed at least 200 days (1600 hours) of active service the prior calendar year, and four (4) hours of bereavement leave if such employee has completed less than 200 days of active service.
Monthly Permanent 9/10 time employees (RN’s on Item Sub Title D) are allowed 24 hours for each qualifying family member’s death. If the employee is required to travel 500 miles or more they are entitled to a total of 40 hours.
USAGE OF BEREAVEMENT LEAVE
Bereavement Leave need not be taken in one lump of three (3) consecutive working days. - The allowed working days may be taken at another time following the death, as long as the absence is related to the death.
- Bereavement leave for the qualifying family member’s death should generally be taken within one (1) year.
- Example: If an employee takes two (2) working days of bereavement leave at the time of death, they may take the third day later on to attend to the business affairs of the deceased.
Any additional time that may be needed beyond the three (3) working-day limit requires prior management approval and must be charged to one of the following: - Vacation
- Personal (Sick) Leave
- Compensatory Time Off (CTO)
- Holiday
Should two (2) or more qualifying family members die at the same time, the employee receives three (3) working days of leave for each qualifying family member.
If a qualifying family member dies while an employee is already off work and using Personal Leave, CTO, Holiday, or Vacation Leave, the employee may substitute the allowed amount of bereavement leave in lieu of the foregoing leave types.
The foregoing provisions also apply to Sub Title D employees whose leave is defined in hours rather than working days. Management may require the employee to verify that they met the eligibility requirements for bereavement leave.
ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE
The following are acceptable evidence of death: - Death certificate;
- Obituary notice;
- Letter from attending physician, clergyman, or mortician attesting to the death and identifying the relationship; or
- Printed funeral program identifying the employee and relationship to the deceased.
The following are acceptable evidence of travel of 500 miles or more one (1) way: - Train, airline, or boat ticket with the employee’s name;
- Gasoline receipt or credit card showing the date of purchase and city with the employee’s name; or
- Hotel/motel lodging receipt with the employee’s name.
When the above types of evidence are unavailable, other evidence may be used, upon which a reasonable person can conclude one (1) of the following: - The death was of a qualifying relative or domestic partner; or
- Travel of 500 miles or more one (1) way actually occurred.
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