1. The Sick Leave Bank may only be used for the contributor’s own personal illness; it may not be used for illness of other members of the contributor’s family, or by the contributor to remain away from his/her family who is ill.

2. Only contributors will be permitted to use the Bank payment for qualifying incapacitating or catastrophic events during events during regularly scheduled duty days.

3. No employee shall be required, for the purpose of maintaining membership status in the Sick Leave Bank, to contribute more sick leave days than other members.

4. Leave from the Bank may not be used for disabilities which qualify the member for Workmen’s Compensation benefits, unless the member has exhausted all Workmen’s Compensation leave (Article 17.G1), their own accumulated sick and annual leave, and provided further that the member signs over any Workmen’s Compensation checks for temporary disability to the Board. If there are Workmen’s Compensation checks paid over to the Board, the Bank will not be charged days, or if charged, will be reimbursed the number of days for which the Workmen’s Compensation payment is equivalent to a regular day of pay at the negotiated rate for that employee.

5. When the Approval Committee may reasonably presume that an applicant for a grant or an extension of a grant may be eligible for disability retirement benefits, if available, from the Maryland State Retirement System or Social Security, the Approval Committee will request that the grant applicant apply for disability benefits. Failure on the part of the grant applicant to submit a complete application, including medical information provided by the applicant’s physician, within twenty (20) calendar days will disqualify the grant applicant for further Sick Leave Bank payments. Any request (for additional medical information) from the retirement system must be supplied within twenty (20) calendar days or the member’s entitlement to Sick Leave Bank payments will automatically cease. The Approval Committee may grant up to a ten (10) day extension based on evidence that the physician could not provide the information within the initial twenty (20) day period.

If disability retirement is denied by the MSRS Board of Trustees, the member shall be obligated to file an appeal within twenty (20) calendar days, and the Approval Committee shall refer the member to a physician of the committee’s choice to obtain a medical prognosis as to whether the member will be able to return to his/her duties. If this report indicates that the member will not be able to resume his/her regular duties, the Approval Committee will require that the member maintain the appeal of the ruling of the retirement system denying disability retirement using the report of the physician as the basis for the continued appeal. If such report indicates that the member may be able to ultimately return to his/her regular duties, the member may dismiss the appeal.

When disability retirement is approved by the MSRS Board of Trustees, any grant from the PGCEA Sick Leave Bank that has been approved will automatically cease at the end of the month in which the disability was approved. The member is eligible to continue to receive a Sick Leave Bank grant until the end of that month.

6. Each separate application for a grant from the Bank must include a new physician’s statement on the appropriate PGCEA Sick Leave Bank Form. Should you change physicians AND incur a new illness while on a current grant, then a (10) ten calendar day waiting period will be assessed. This does not include a second opinion(s) for the same illness.

7. A member of the Sick Leave Bank will lose the right to use the benefits of the Sick Leave Bank by:

1. Termination of employment with the Board of Education of Prince George’s County.
2. Suspension without pay during the period of suspension.
3. A member’s voluntary cancellation of his/her membership in the Sick Leave Bank, as of the effective date of the cancellation.
4. A member’s written authorization to discontinue annual contribution of sick leave day(s) as of the date the contribution becomes due.
5. Any abuse or misuse of the Rules of the Sick Leave Bank.
6. While on approved leave of absence, for other than personal illness.
7. Attending school.
8. You are capped at one year from any same illness.
9. No participation in union stipend events, programs or committees.
10. Engaging in other compensated employment.

8. Grants not exceed the cumulative equivalent of 200 workdays. Upon exhaustion of cumulative 200 workdays of Bank leave, members shall be eligible for additional Bank leave one calendar year after their return to active employment. After satisfying this one-year waiting period of eligibility, a member shall be eligible for an additional cumulative 200 workdays of Bank leave. In no event shall a member receive more than a lifetime equivalent of cumulative 400 workdays of Bank leave while employed by PGCPS. All grant applications are subject to approval or denial based on a method to be determined by the committee established on industry standards.

9. Eligible employees who do not elect to join the Sick Leave Bank at the first opportunity afforded to them will not be permitted to join the Bank until the subsequent annual open enrollment period, July 1 through September 30.

10. The Approval Committee will review and forward to the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Absence Management Department its decision on all requests to draw on the Bank within fifteen (15) working days after such request is received at PGCEA.

11. In order for new Bank membership applications to be accepted, the applications must be received at the PGCEA Center by September 30. For a new employee or any employee returning from a leave of absence, the application must be received at PGCEA within thirty (30)
calendar days of the first day on duty. Applications approved by the Approval Committee must be received by the Absence Management Department of the Prince George’s County Public Schools within fourteen (14) calendar days after the deadline for receipt of the application at PGCEA.

12. All requests to draw upon the Bank must be upon a PGCEA Sick Leave Bank Request Form and submitted to PGCEA within thirty (30) calendar days of the first date Bank usage is requested.

13. All requests to draw upon the Sick Leave Bank must include a physician’s statement confirming the cause of illness or confinement and certifying the existence of a disability to perform assigned duties. The form must be personally signed by a physician.

14. An applicant may be required to undergo a medical review by a physician of the Committee’s choice at any time, at the member’s expense. This physician’s report is to be sent directly to the committee before the committee may act upon the unit member’s application for a grant from the Bank.

15. In case a contributor’s incapacity is of such a nature that he/she cannot personally apply for a grant, his/her application may be submitted to the Committee by his/her authorized agent or member of his/her family on his/her behalf.

16. Leave grants from the Bank shall be in units of not more than thirty (30) consecutive workdays.

17. Applicants may submit requests for extension of Bank leave grants before their prior grants expire. (Use regular Sick Leave Bank Request Form.)

18. In cases where the committee disapproves an application for membership, an application for use of the Bank, or for an extension of such use, the applicant may appeal his/her request to the PGCEA Board of Directors.

19. All forms for application for participation in the Bank, withdrawal of sick leave days, and cancellation shall be available at the Board of Education of Prince George’s Absence Management Office and the PGCEA office and shall be sent to any unit member at his/her request.

20. Copies of all PGCEA Sick Leave Bank donation forms, request forms, and membership cancellations shall be marked for approval or denial by the committee. Following such action, the committee shall disperse copies of the forms to the unit member, the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Absence Management, and the PGCEA Sick Leave Bank Administrator.

21. The Board of Education of Prince George’s County shall maintain records of all unit member contributions, withdrawals, and the status of the Bank.

22. The Board of Education of Prince George’s County Payroll Office shall report the status of the PGCEA Sick Leave Bank at any time upon the request of the Approval Committee.

23. The Board of Education of Prince George’s County Payroll Office and PGCEA shall provide information to the Approval Committee upon its request for any data maintained in their files with regard to an applicant.

24. All illnesses shall be under the registered medical doctor who specializes in that disability. He or she must submit a treatment plan to the Committee. Such a plan must provide satisfactory evidence that every reasonable effort is being made to recuperate and return to work in full health as soon as possible. A second opinion can be requested by the SLB Committee.

25. Appeals Process: If an application for Sick Leave Bank benefits is denied, the employee may appeal the decision within ten (10) days of receipt of the denial letter. The appeal must be in writing and must be submitted to the PGCEA President. The President will forward the appeal to the PGCEA Board of Directors, who will review the appeal and make a decision within 30 days. The decision of the Board of Directors is final and binding.

To maintain the confidentiality of members and avoid conflicts of interest, members may not appeal in person to the Board of Directors. All appeals must be in writing and submitted through the PGCEA President. The President will present the appeal to the Board of Directors without disclosing the identity of the appellant.

Conclusion: By clarifying the appeals process, we ensure that members have a clear and fair process to follow if they are denied Sick Leave Bank benefits. The involvement of the Board of Directors adds an additional level of review to ensure that decisions are made fairly and in the best interests of all PGCEA members. The policy continues to prioritize member confidentiality and avoid conflicts of interest.

26. These Rules are subject to revision in accordance with Article 19.3 at any time without prior notice.