LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 604.07 Bereavement Leave
 
  PROCEDURES
  1. Procedure for Obtaining Approval
     
    1. Prior to absenting themselves from work or completing a Request for Time Off or Overtime (ROTO), given the often-unanticipated nature of the leave request, the employee shall discuss the need for the leave with their supervisor or manager.
       
      1. The employee is to be conditionally authorized for leave subject to receipt of acceptable evidence.
         
    2. A ROTO for paid bereavement leave must be submitted to the employee’s immediate supervisor as soon as possible after the death of a relative.
       
      1. On the ROTO, the word “bereavement” is to be written in the box entitled “Other.”
         
      2. The ROTO shall identify if other paid time off or unpaid leave is requested.
         
    3. Acceptable evidence to document the death, relationship, and any travel in excess of 500 miles one (1) way is to be attached to the ROTO.
       
      1. If the evidence is not available at the time the ROTO is completed, the employee must submit it at the time they return to work, unless other arrangements have been authorized by the supervisor or manager giving reasonable time to provide such evidence.
         
  2. Timecard Recording
     
    1.  For those employees who qualify for bereavement leave, only the time allowed as applicable is to be coded as bereavement on the employee’s timecard.
       
      1. All other time used for bereavement purposes shall be coded with the specific accrued time or unpaid status.
         
    2. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)-covered employees and non-salaried physicians shall record bereavement leave rounded to the nearest quarter hour if less than a day increment.
       
    3. FLSA-exempt and salaried physicians shall record bereavement leave in full shift increments only.
       
  3. Record Retention
     
    1. All timecards, ROTOs, and supporting evidence for bereavement leave shall be retained for no less than three (3) years.