Civil Service employees may seek approval for a Civil Service special leave for sufficient cause, such as:

• An employee who wishes to accompany a spouse who is on sabbatical leave.
• An employee who has exhausted sick, disability and/or FMLA benefits and is still unable to return to work.
• Personal and/or educational reasons.

Please note that while on special leave, employees are eligible to participate in the State benefits for a maximum of 24 months. However, employees are ineligible for the State-paid contribution, meaning participation is entirely at the employee's expense. If the employee does not return to work at the end of the 24-month period, coverage will be terminated. Employees on special leave may also elect to become a dependent on another employee’s plan (spouse or parent). Employees choosing this option must waive all coverage (including health, dental, and life) as an employee. General processing information for a Civil Service special leave is on the following pages, and please contact the IHR Service Center at IHR-LOA@illinois.edu or 217-333-2137 should there be questions.

STEPS TO FOLLOW IF THE SPECIAL LEAVE REQUEST IS 30 DAYS OR LESS:

The unit has the authority to grant up to a 30-day special leave for any Civil Service employee. Granting a special leave for 30 days or less is at the unit’s discretion and does not need IHR approval. Please use the following instructions should the leave request be 30 days or less.

1. Provide the employee with the UPB Leave of Absence Worksheet upon receiving the employee’s special leave request and dates requested. The employee completes the form and returns it directly to UPB at obfsupbfcmleaves@uillinois.edu. The employee may contact UPB at 217-265-6363 (choose “LOA questions”) should there be any questions regarding the UPB Leave of Absence Worksheet or employee benefits. THIS FORM SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO THE UNIT OR IHR SERVICE CENTER.

   A Civil Service special leave is considered a personal leave, and if the employee chooses to keep their benefits active and not opt out, the employee will be responsible for paying the full cost of the premium (i.e., the employee AND State portions of insurance).

2. Complete a PZAELOA entry using the “PR – Leave Personal” reason as the leave type. The fulfillment due date and fulfillment date fields are to be left blank. The remaining fields MUST be completed.

   

3. Enter a comment indicating a Civil Service special leave has been approved, along with the start and end dates of the leave.

   

4. Use the LWP earn code when entering time for a NON-EXEMPT Civil Service employee, and please contact IHR Data Ops at IHR-DataOps@illinois.edu should you have any questions regarding time reporting during a special leave. Should the unit approve a special leave of 30 days or less for an EXEMPT Civil Service employee, please contact the IHR Service Center at IHR-LOA@illinois.edu for additional processing steps to shift the employee to unpaid status.
5. When a unit approves a special leave, the unit MUST email the leave information to IHR-DataOps@illinois.edu.
   
   

STEPS TO FOLLOW IF THE SPECIAL LEAVE REQUEST IS GREATER THAN 30 DAYS:

If the employee’s special leave request is greater than 30 days or the original request needs to be extended beyond 30 days, the leave requires IHR approval. Please use the following instructions should the leave request be greater than 30 days.

1. To initiate a Civil Service special leave request, the employee must submit a formal request to their unit HR, either in writing or via a detailed email.

   NOTE: A completed UPB Leave of Absence worksheet only will not suffice. The request must state the reason for the leave, and specific start and end dates of the leave. If the employee is unsure of the end date of their leave, please direct the employee to list an approximate return date. If the leave must be extended past the original return date, a new request will be needed, and the process will need to be completed again.

2. The unit will then forward the employee’s request and the unit’s support to the IHR Service Center at IHR- LOA@illinois.edu.
3. If the request is approved by the IHR Administrative team, the IHR Service Center will email the employee a letter confirming the dates for which the leave has been approved, and whom to contact should they have any questions regarding their benefits, service accrual time with SURS, and seniority. The unit HR will be copied on the email that is sent to the employee.
4. The IHR Service Center will send the employee the UPB Leave of Absence Worksheet which will need to be completed and submitted directly to UPB at obfsupbfcmleaves@uillinois.edu. The employee may contact UPB at 217-265-6363 (choose “LOA questions”) should there be any questions regarding the UPB Leave of Absence Worksheet or employee benefits. THIS FORM SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO THE UNIT OR IHR SERVICE CENTER.

   A Civil Service special leave is considered a personal leave, and if the employee chooses to keep their benefits active and not opt out, the employee will be responsible for paying the full cost of the premium (i.e., the employee AND State portions of insurance).

5. The IHR Service Center will complete the HRFE transaction and notify IHR Data Ops of the approved leave. Once notified, IHR Data Ops will complete a PZAELOA entry and, depending upon the e-class, will verify with the unit that the correct earn code (LWP) is being used. Once all of this has been completed, IHR Data Ops will notify our SURS liaison, and a web event will be created with SURS to notify them of the leave.
6. The IHR Service Center will contact the unit HR on the employee’s expected return to work date to confirm if the employee has returned or if the leave needs to be extended. If the employee has not returned and wishes to request an extension, a new request will need to be submitted along with a new UPB form.