In the event of the extended illness of an employee and after having exhausted all accumulated sick days, bonus days and vacation days, then a request may be made to the Director of Human Resources for extended sick pay benefits. The employee's prior work record with regard to his usage of sick days and his seniority will be taken into account in determining the eligibility of the employee for such extension. In the event a sick and accident insurance benefit mutually agreeable is secured, then this benefit shall be discontinued.