(a) The employee, while absent on sick pay, must notify his/her supervisor under agreed practices. When claiming sick days an employee must remain at home caring for his/her illness unless he/she is away receiving medical attention such as in a hospital, at a doctor's office or at a pharmacy, and be able to document the absence from home. Where an employee who is recuperating from surgery or some other major medical condition is advised by his/her physician that a change of location would hasten his/her recovery, he/she may do so with the approval of the Department of Human Resources. An employee who is recuperating from surgery or other medical condition and who has not been released to return to work by a physician within ten (10) work days does not have to remain at home provided that their physician's statement indicates that remaining home is not necessary to their full and fast recovery. The employee then shall be allowed, under these conditions, to continue to receive sick pay benefits.
(b) When the use of sick days extends beyond three (3) consecutive work days, the employee shall furnish the City with a statement from the attending physician, on the form provided by the City, substantiating the facts concerning the employee's condition.
(c) When an accumulation of sick days taken within a calendar year reaches five (5) days or forty (40) hours for an employee in an Administrative Salary Group 1-15 position, then the employee is to document all future use of sick leave for the remainder of that year. The 5 day/40-hour limit shall include all days or portions of days. The City's "Statement of Attending Physician" form must set forth the employee or family member's condition that requires his/her absence.
(d) When an accumulation of sick days taken within a calendar year reaches six (6) days or forty-eight (48) hours for non-major illnesses or injuries for an employee in an Administrative Salary Group 1-15 position, then the employee will be subject to discipline for each additional sick leave usage for a non-major illnesses or injuries. The 6 day/48-hour limit shall include all days or portions of days. A major illness or injury shall be the same as one qualifying for FMLA leave.
(e) Any documentation required by this section shall be furnished within three (3) work days after the employee returns to work.
(f) Any absence from duty as the result of a claimed illness or injury may be investigated during the employee's normal working hours by an authorized City representative.
(g) Any employee found guilty of abusing sick pay benefits provisions set forth herein or whose reasons for absence are falsified shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
(h) Employees are required to use time from their paid leave accumulations to cover partial day absences for purposes of public accountability. Employees who have no accrued time must request unpaid leave for such absences for these same purposes. This recognizes the long-standing policy of the City to only pay employees for hours worked or hours of accumulated paid leave in order to maintain accountability to the public for expenditures from the public treasury. Further, this recognizes that with the pay-out of unused time under other provisions of this Chapter, partial day absences must be covered by accumulated time in order to avoid the overpayment of unused vacation and sick time.
(Ord. 599-23. Passed 11-21-23.)