When a House Officer is unable to work due to illness or injury and certain criteria are met, certain paid sick leave shall be available. It is in our mutual interest that House Officers are both encouraged and supported by their programs and colleagues to not work when acutely ill (e.g., is contagious, dehydrated, or vomiting, or has diarrhea). We acknowledge that there is a shared responsibility of both Faculty and House Officers to assure coverage during this absence. It is also noted, however, that excessive absenteeism may result in corrective action.

To provide the Employee with confidentiality related to a serious illness, Work Connections, or its equivalent, will be utilized to obtain the necessary documentation for a paid leave under this Article. The Employer will be responsible for initiating the claim, however, the House Officer is able to do this as well. The House Officer is responsible for ensuring Work Connections receives required documentation within a reasonable time frame or a time frame as prescribed by Work Connections.

A House Officer who is unable to work for at least one (1) week due to a) a single incident of serious disabling illness or injury, b) intermittent absences to receive multiple, on-going treatments resulting from and following a single disabling illness or injury (such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, physical therapy or dialysis), or c) severe complications from pregnancy that prevent attendance at work, or (d) a medically necessary period of physical recovery from childbirth that exceeds the amount of paid Maternity Leave provided pursuant to Section G shall receive up to a maximum of six (6) months, inclusive of weekends, of full pay in each three (3) calendar year period following their date of hire. Renewal of this six (6) months sick time benefit will occur on the first of the month in which the three-year anniversary occurs. However, if a House Officer is on paid sick leave under this provision on the renewal date, the renewal will be deferred until the House Officer returns to active employment for 30 days. The Employer will require verification of the House Officer's inability to work, including intermittent absences, before granting paid time off.

Time under the Family Medical Leave Act of up to twelve (12) weeks will run concurrently with any paid and unpaid time, beginning with the first day of a qualified illness.

When a House Officer has been off work due to a single serious illness or injury for thirty (30) calendar days, the circumstances will be discussed between the House Officer's Program Director and the House Officer to determine the appropriate course of action. Courses of action will include:

1. Return to work plan established based on Work Connections review of medical documentation from treating physician.
2. Application submitted for Long Term Disability, if appropriate
3. Obtain approval from GME Office for course of action
4. Contact of the HOA by the House Officer for information regarding the LTD Plan and other benefits that may be affected.

In the event of the death of an Employee's spouse or other qualified adult as defined by University policy, or the son, daughter, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, grandchild (or spouse of any of them), of either the Employee or the other qualified adult, any other related person living in the Employee's household, or a significant other non-related person living in the Employee's household, an Employee shall be granted paid time off work. The amount of paid time off work shall be only that which is required to attend the funeral and/or make arrangements necessitated by the death, but in no event shall it exceed three (3) work days. If additional time off is needed, the Employee may request the use of available vacation time or unpaid leave.

Whenever a House Officer is called for jury duty, they will not experience any loss in salary or benefits. At the House Officer's request, the department will provide a letter requesting deferral of jury duty. It is recognized that jury duty service may require an extension of the House Officer's training program, depending on the time away from work.

A House Officer who has qualified for the HOA Long-term Disability (LTD) Plan shall be paid during the six (6) months elimination period. The elimination period begins with the House Officer's first day of absence and runs for a consecutive six (6) months. The elimination period will run concurrent with any time paid in conjunction with this Article. In no case will a House Officer receive more than six (6) months paid leave time in any twelve (12) month period.

A House Officer who has a preventive medical or dental appointment, shall receive paid time off, not exceeding eight (8) hours per year. Preventative Care time is intended to be taken in full or half day increments. However, Preventative Care time may also be taken in increments of less than a half day to accommodate a late arrival or early departure for the purpose of attending a preventative appointment. The House Officer must provide their Program Director with at least thirty (30) days advance notice of the need to take Preventative Care time, on a form provided by the Employer. A House Officer will make reasonable efforts to provide notice to the program and assist the program in securing coverage for any assigned duties.

In addition, a House Officer shall receive one (1) Personal Day per program year, which may be used for any personal need, including medical, dental, or mental health appointments. Personal Days may be used in full or half day increments, but nothing less. The House Officer must give their Program Director at least thirty (30) days advance notice of the need to take a Personal Day, on a form provided by the Employer.

Unused Preventative Care and Personal Days shall not be carried over from program year to program year, and shall not be available to use to offset deficits in training due to leaves of absence or other reasons.

A House Officer with a part-time appointment, either by FTE effort or employment within the program year, will be entitled to Preventative Care and Personal Days in direct proportion to their appointment.

A House Officer who gives birth shall receive six (6) weeks of total paid time for the physiological recovery from childbirth. A House Officer who gives birth by Cesarean section shall receive an additional two (2) weeks of paid Serious Illness Leave for physical recovery, pursuant to Section B of this Article. In either case, if additional time off is medically required for recovery, the House Officer will be granted Serious Illness leave under Section B of this Article. The six (6) week period of Maternity Leave, plus any additional Serious Illness Leave as described above, if requested by the House Officer, is to be used during the period immediately following delivery of the child. Regardless of when the time is taken, it is to be taken for a consecutive period of time. A House Officer who elects to take less than six (6) weeks for paid time for childbirth must present a written release from her physician to return to work.

Maternity Scheduling Considerations: During the last trimester of pregnancy and for two (2) months post-partum, overnight call will not be scheduled and duty will be limited to twelve (12) consecutive hours. Exceptions may be approved by the House Officer's Obstetrician, or other appropriate physician only. A good faith effort will be made by the Employer to accommodate any other health care needs, including scheduling, that may arise during the course of the pregnancy.

Parental Leave: A House Officer who becomes a parent on or after their employment start date, including birth mothers who take maternity (childbirth) leave, are eligible for up to six (6) consecutive weeks of paid time off to bond with a newborn, newly adopted or newly fostered child, or minor child for whom legal guardianship has been newly appointed. Parental leave is available for use within one (1) year of the event. Requests for Parental Leave must be made to the Program Director at least three (3) months in advance of the expected start date of the parental leave. If three (3) months advance notice is not possible due to emergency or reasonably unanticipated circumstances, the request for Parental Leave shall be submitted as soon as practicable. Program Directors will make every effort to honor the requested start date for the Parental Leave, but patient care and other critical operational needs may be taken into account when scheduling parental leave. Parental Leave shall be taken as a single, continuous block of time. A House Officer may request to take their Parental Leave on a non-continuous basis, but the Program Director retains sole discretion to determine whether such non-continuous leave can be accommodated. A House Officer shall not alter Parental Leave dates when taken in a continuous block or non-continuous Parental Leave dates that have been approved by the Program Director, unless the requested change is prospectively approved by the Program Director.

Paid Parental Leave shall apply to births, or adoptive/foster placements, or legal guardianships that occur on or after July 1, 2020. Paid Parental Leave taken pursuant to this section will be offset by any Secondary Care Provider Leave taken prior to July 1, 2020, for the same event, pursuant to the terms of the previous collective bargaining agreement.