Compassionate transfer of leave may be available to help you if you cannot work for an extended period and exhaust all your available paid time off. You must be unable to work due to either a catastrophic personal illness or injury or the need to care for a member of your established household with a catastrophic illness or injury. If you meet the eligibility criteria below, you may receive up to 480 hours (12 weeks at full-time) of continued pay from vacation hours that other employees have forfeited due to excess accruals.
Eligibility
You must meet all of these eligibility criteria to receive a compassionate transfer of leave hours:
- You must be on an approved leave of absence.
- Your (or your family member’s) condition is expected to last 45 consecutive calendar days or more and is confirmed in writing by a physician.
- Because of your own illness, you cannot perform the duties of your position or any available light-duty work. For a family member’s illness, you may receive an intermittent Compassionate Transfer of Leave to take time off to care for your loved one.
- You have been employed in a benefits-eligible position for at least 12 continuous months before requesting a Compassionate Transfer of Leave.
- You are eligible to accrue vacation time.
- You have exhausted all forms of paid leave, including sick, vacation, and compensatory time.
- You are not receiving either workers' compensation or long-term disability benefits. (You may be waiting to qualify for these benefits.)
- If you are enrolled in one of the short-term disability insurance plans offered to university employees, you must have applied for these benefits. If your short-term disability claim is approved, you may receive Compassionate Transfer of Leave contributions to supplement the disability payments up to your regular pay rate. If you do not have short-term disability coverage, you are waiting for benefits to begin, or if your claim is denied, you may receive a Compassionate Transfer of Leave at your full FTE.
- You may still be eligible for CTL even if you are not eligible for Family and Medical Leave (FML).
Note: Employees in grant-funded positions may have restrictions on using grant dollars for compassionate transfer of leave. Please consult with Sponsored Projects at sponsor@arizona.edu or 520-626-6000.
Procedure
Initiate the request for compassionate transfer of leave as soon as you know that you cannot work for 45 days and do not have sufficient paid time to cover your absence.
- Ask your physician for a written statement confirming a catastrophic illness or injury and that the condition is expected to last 45 consecutive calendar days.
- Complete the Compassionate Transfer of Leave Request Form and submit a copy of the request form and physician's statement to Leaves Administration.
Tracking CTL Hours: Your department HR, business manager, or leave specialist can track available Compassionate Transfer of Leave hours.
What Happens to Your Benefits?
- If you exhaust all CTL hours and must transition to unpaid leave, please contact Leaves Administration. You will be notified by email at least 15 days before the date your health coverage lapses.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may not receive CTL for your own illness or injury if you are able to work on a reduced schedule or intermittently.
But you may receive CTL if you take intermittent time off or work a reduced schedule in order to care for a family member with a catastrophic condition.
Yes, you may still be eligible for CTL even if you are not eligible for Family and Medical Leave (FML). Contact a leave specialist.
No, you do not need to be enrolled in short-term disability insurance to be eligible for CTL. However, if you have purchased short-term disability insurance, you may be able to spread out your CTL hours over a longer period.
Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria listed in the CTL policy. The insurance claims process is separate from CTL.
That depends on the circumstances of your maternity leave. You cannot receive CTL for a normal pregnancy (you may however qualify for Paid Parental Leave). If you have pregnancy complications or your baby needs extra care, you may become eligible for CTL. Please contact your leave specialist for more information.
Yes, provided you and your spouse both meet the eligibility requirements, you are both eligible for 480 CTL hours (adjusted for FTE).
Normally, CTL will provide 12 weeks of pay. If you use CTL to supplement short-term disability insurance, your benefit may last up to 6 months.
You can be paid during the winter holiday and closure time as long as you are receiving pay (vacation/sick/CTL hours) on the last workday prior to the Christmas Eve holiday and the first workday after January 1.
If your position is subject to university closure, you are not scheduled to work during those days. You will receive university closure time for closure days.
If your position is not subject to university closure because your department remains open, you would be scheduled to work. In this case, you may continue using CTL for eligible absences.
Yes. According to the Holidays policy, you must work or be on an "approved paid status" on your last scheduled workday before and your first scheduled workday after a holiday to receive pay for that holiday. If you are receiving CTL, you are in an "approved paid status" because you are being paid through the university payroll system. For university Thanksgiving closure, you must receive CTL on (a) your last workday immediately before Thanksgiving Day and (b) your first scheduled workday after Thanksgiving Day. For university closure, you must receive CTL on your last scheduled workday before Christmas Eve and (b) your first scheduled workday immediately after New Year's Day. Alternatively, you may receive CTL on the last scheduled workday before Christmas Eve and return to work on the first scheduled workday after January 1.