Sick Leave Donation Program

This program allow employees to donate vacation or sick leave to other employees who have a serious medical condition.

The Sick Leave Donation Program administers donations of accrued leave (vacation, compensatory time and sick leave) from donating employees to employees who have a serious medical condition that prevents them from working but do not have any accrued leave.

Eligibility

A City of Minneapolis employee who has completed 1,044 hours is eligible to receive transfers of vacation, sick leave and/or compensatory time from other employees where absences from work are required due to the serious illness or injury of one of the following people:

  • The employee;
  • The employee’s dependents or the employee’s spouse;
  • The employee’s registered domestic partner within the meaning of the Code of Ordinances Chapter 142;
  • The employee’s parents;
  • The employee’s dependents other than their children; and/or
  • Members of the employee’s household

Employee’s eligible for workers compensation are not eligible for the Sick Leave Donation Program. Eligibility for transfers will be effective only after the applicant has used all accrued sick leave, vacation time and compensatory time. Nothing in this policy will be construed to limit or extend the maximum allowable absence under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Use of Donated Benefits

  • All donated time will be transferred into the recipient's sick leave bank. Once transferred, such benefits may be used in accordance with the applicable sick leave and provisions of collective bargaining agreements, City personnel policies, and FMLA law.
  • The eligible employee must complete the Donation Program for Serious Illness Application, the Informed Consent for Release of Data form along with the medical verification of the employee’s illness. It is the requesting employee’s responsibility to obtain medical verification on the Certification of Health Care Provider form. These forms are available from Human Resources and also on CityLife Employee Hub. Illness, prognosis, and expected date to return to work must be attached to the application and signed by the eligible employee’s primary medical doctor. If donations are being received due to serious illness or injury of persons other than the employee themselves, the same forms must be completed.
  • Donations must be made in one (1) hour increments. For every one (1) hour of sick, vacation or compensatory time donated by the donor, the recipient will be credited with one (1) hour of sick leave. The pay levels of the two employees shall not affect the transaction.
  • All applications for donations will be reviewed by Human Resources, Total Compensation Division to determine adherence to these guidelines.

Administration

  • Properly completed and signed application forms must be submitted through CityLife.
    • Use CityLife to apply for the Sick Leave Donation Program, donate time or ask questions. If the eligible employee is unable to sign their application for donations, a signature from a family member is required. If the application is not approved, notification will be sent to the employee and the employee’s immediate supervisor of the reason for denial.
  • Once the Donation Program for Serious Illness Application has been approved, data concerning the donation shall be maintained by Human Resources on a confidential basis. The Total Compensation Division will process the approved donations in COMET.
  • Donors must indicate to whom and how much of their own sick leave, vacation time, and/or compensatory time they will donate within the parameters of this program. Donations are strictly voluntary. Leave Donation Forms must be submitted through CityLife.
  • Employees terminating employment, either voluntarily or involuntarily, may donate accrued sick leave up to a maximum of forty (40) hours, provided at least forty (40) hours remain in their own sick leave bank. There shall be no restriction on the amount of vacation or compensatory time which may be donated.
  • Once donated time has been transferred to the eligible employee, neither the donor nor the eligible employee may revoke the transaction. Unused sick leave may not be returned to the donor but will remain in the eligible employee’s sick leave bank.
  • A maximum of 1044 hours may be received by any eligible employee for each incident.
  • An employee who returns to work either on limited duty or on a part-time basis may, with verification, continue to use donated time. The employee may continue to receive additional donations during the next 30 calendar days only, and can use these benefits at any time in the future.
  • Once an employee returns to full duty or begins Long-Term Disability, the employee is no longer eligible to receive donations and no additional donations will be allowed.
  • Donated time shall be available for use by the eligible employee only after Human Resources has had an opportunity to verify and enter the required data.
  • Donations will be entered every other week after the close of each payroll period.
  • Departmental payroll/HRIS representatives shall notify Total Compensation Division when the eligible employee has returned to work.
  • No provisions of this policy, or its administration, shall be subject to review under the grievance or arbitration provisions of any collective bargaining agreement.

For questions regarding the Sick Leave Donation Program, please contact the Program Coordinator by submitting a ticket through CityLife or (612) 673-3114. 

CityLife can be found on the desktop of all City-issued computers. Use CityLife to apply for the Sick Leave Donation Program, donate time or ask questions.