Processing and Reporting COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave

Posted on November 29, 2022

In accordance with Illinois Public Act 102-0697 the University of Illinois System offers COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave to eligible employees. See the COVID-19 Restored/Retroactive Leave  page on the System Human Resource Services page for more details.

To be eligible for COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave, employees, including graduate assistants, extra help, hourly, and student employees, must have

  • Been employed on or after April 5, 2022, the Act’s effective date, AND
  • Been fully vaccinated* with an approved COVID-19 vaccine by May 10, 2022,  OR
  • Received an approved medical or religious COVID-19 vaccination accommodation with the University by May 10, 2022, and were fully compliant with all requirements of that accommodation including testing and/or masking, AND
  • Been unable to work or telework for qualifying reasons.

*Fully vaccinated includes the time it takes for the approved vaccine to be effective. April 26, 2022          is the date the last vaccine needs to have been received to be fully vaccinated.

 

Both COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave require that an employee was unable to work or telework for one of the following qualifying reasons:

  1. The employee received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis via a PCR test or a probable COVID-19 diagnosis via an antigen diagnostic test.
  2. The employee was in close contact with a person who had a confirmed case a COVID-19 and was required to quarantine in accordance with UIC, UIUC, or UIS campus quarantine and isolation guidelines and/or procedures.
  3. The employee was required by UIC, UIUC, or UIS campus quarantine and isolation guidelines and/or procedures to be excluded from university property due to COVID-19 symptoms.
  4. The employee had to care for a child who was unable to attend daycare*, elementary or secondary school because the child had to isolate or quarantine because the child had:
    1. A confirmed positive COVID-19 diagnosis via a PCR test or a probable COVID-19 diagnosis via an antigen diagnostic test, or
    2. Been in close contact with a person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 and was required to be excluded from school, or
    3. Been required by the school or school district policy to be excluded from school district property due to COVID-19 symptoms.

*The University of Illinois System has expanded coverage for children in daycare, which would include summer camps, which are not covered by the Act.

Eligible employees need to submit requests for COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave to their department/college human resources representative using the form and instructions posted online.  Employees who received partial pay for COVID-19 leave taken under the FFCRA or ARPA federal programs do not have to request retroactive leave; they will receive the balance of their pay, at the rate of pay when leave was taken, in their November pay.

 

Emergency sick leave taken under a COVID-related leave program that was paid at 100% regular rate of pay, such as FFCRA, ARPA, EAP, or Temporary Coronavirus-Related Paid Leave, is not personal sick leave and does not qualify for restoration.

Process and Leave Reporting Requirements

*All* requests for Restored Sick Leave or Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave must meet above eligibility requirements and be accompanied by a completed Employee Certification Form, approved by the department/college HR representative.

Restored Sick Leave

  • Personal Sick leave taken for COVID-19 qualifying reasons during 2021-2022 Academic Year (August 16, 2021 – August 15, 2022). Sick leave taken before or after the 2021-2022 academic year does not qualify for restoration.
  • Must have taken leave due to one of the above qualifying reasons.

Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave

  • Personal vacation/floating holiday leave and/or unpaid leave taken during the period of March 9, 2020 to April 4, 2022.
    • Vacation/Floating holiday time may be restored and does not qualify for retroactive payment.
    • Unpaid leave or unpaid hours that were scheduled but not worked may be retroactively paid at the employee’s rate of pay at the time of leave.
  • Leave was taken due to one of the above qualifying reasons.
  • All employees, including those in positions that do not accrue leave (i.e. student employees, extra help, hourly) may qualify for retroactive pay if eligibility criteria are met.

Department/College HR Representative Processing steps:

  • Review request for sick and/or vacation time restoration or retroactive unpaid leave due to COVID-19 and determine eligibility based on criteria listed above.
  • Complete approval section of Employee Certification Form and route the approval page only to UIC HR via an HR Front End (HRFE) Administrative transaction (ADM). Add memo in transaction to reflect hours of restoration or retroactive pay due.
  • HR Representative must enter the COVID leave in BANNER screen PZAELOA.
  • Complete entry in the COVID Leave Tracker Tool in Reporting Portal to record all historical COVID leave usage.
  • UIC HR will review ADM transaction and restore sick and/or vacation time in PEALEAV as per the attachment in HRFE. For restoration of vacation and floating holiday time, the hours will be placed in the VACC bucket in PEALEAV.
    • Should employee separate from vacation eligible position, hours in VACC bucket will be paid out to employee.
  • Once HRFE ADM transaction is applied for employee due retroactive pay, HR representative must initiate the PARIS adjustment to issue pay for the historical COVID leave using the following earn codes:
    • Non-Exempt Employees: CO6 – COVID-19 RETROACTIVE Paid Admin Leave for UNPAID leave/time 100% pay at regular hourly rate.
      • Use only for non-exempt employees.
      • Earn code is to be used with hours and regular hourly rate at the time the UNPAID leave/time was taken.
      • Use only for unpaid leave and/or unpaid time for hours that were scheduled but not worked due to a qualifying reason.
    • Exempt Employees: CO7 -COVID-19 RETROACTIVE Paid Admin Leave for UNPAID leave/time 100% pay at regular rate.
      • Only for exempt employees.
      • Must indicate dollar amount to be paid at the rate at the time the UNPAID leave/time was taken.
      • Use only for unpaid leave and/or unpaid time for hours that were scheduled but not worked due to a qualifying reason.

Questions about COVID-19 Restored Sick Leave and Retroactive Paid Administrative Leave can be directed to the following HR Offices:

Modified on April 13, 2023