Effective: May 29, 2024

Policy Review Date: YEAR

Policy Executive: Senior Vice President – Finance and Administration

Responsible Office/Unit: Human Resources

Policy Statement:

Applicability:

Content:

          Policy
          Appendix A - Annual Leave Procedure

(1) Each eligible employee shall accrue, for each calendar month of full-time employment with the university, including the month of hire for those hired on or between the first and the fifteenth of the month, 16.67 hours of annual leave for each and every month of continuous employment with the university (35 days per year). Employees who work less than full time, but at least half time, will accrue a pro rata amount.

(2) Annual leave hours shall not accrue during a period of professional leave or leave of absence without pay (including cyclic leave without pay) which exceeds eighty (80) hours in any calendar month.

(3) An employee who transfers without a break in service to the university from a Washington State agency or higher education institution where the employee has been accruing annual leave on a monthly basis may transfer accrued unused annual leave hours not to exceed 280.00 hours for use and compensation as covered under this code. An employee who leaves the university and transfers without a break in service to a leave eligible position in a Washington State agency or higher education institution will have any unused annual leave, not to exceed 280.00 hours transferred to the receiving agency/institution.

(4) This provision does not include persons appointed to temporary positions of 6 months or less and/or those holding less than half- time exempt positions unless otherwise specified by appointment letter in accordance with CWU 305-09 (Appointment: Terms and Conditions), nor those who have letters of appointment that specify otherwise.

(5) If an employee’s annual leave balance will exceed the maximum accrual of thirty days (280.00 hours) and it is determined that the employee’s request to use annual leave to avoid the excess accrual should be deferred for the convenience of the employing department, the procedure outlined shall be followed.

(6) If no statement of necessity has been filed, annual leave in excess of 280.00 hours shall be accumulated as described in the procedure as an alternative to the provisions of CWU 305-25 (Annual Leave).

(7) Accrued, unused annual leave credits in excess of 280.00 hours, if accumulated initially under the deferral process but without subsequent approvals once each month to maintain the deferral status, shall serve to place the total accrual of leave into the alternative mode with such total accrual governed entirely by the provisions of CWU 305-25(5) (Annual Leave).

(8) Compensation for unused annual leave

A. Except for Washington State employment transfer as specified in CWU 305-25(2) (Annual Leave), when an exempt employee is separated from the university by resignation, layoff, dismissal, retirement, or death, the employee or the employee’s estate is entitled to a lump sum cash payment for all unused annual leave including accrual for the month of separation for those employees terminating on or after the sixteenth of the month, and excluding any excess annual leave accumulated under provisions of CWU 305-25(5) (Annual Leave). (B) At no time, except for hours of annual leave deferred under the provisions of CWU 305-25 (4) (Annual Leave) shall any exempt employee leaving university employment, or the employee’s estate receive more than 280.00 hours of annual leave cash-out pay.

B. Accrued annual leave may not be requested to extend the effective date of resignation or retirement unless by mutual benefit to the employee and the university and approved by the appointing authority.

C. The last day worked is the last day in active pay status and will be considered the effective date of resignation for calculating any such cash payment unless the university schedules the use of annual leave following the last work day (see CWU 305-18 (Resignation or Retirement), CWU 305-15 (Abandonment of Position–Presumption of Resignation), CWU 305-22 (Termination or Reduction of Employment, Due to Financial Necessity or Program Discontinuance), CWU 305-21 (Termination for Cause by University)).

D. If an exempt employee is transferred to classified status, their earned but unused annual leave shall also be transferred. In the same manner, a classified employee who is transferred to exempt status shall also have earned but unused leave so transferred.

(9) Exempt employees may donate some of their accrued annual leave under the shared leave program.

History: 

EEAGB: 4/7/08; BOT: 6/6/08; BOT: 2/09; BOT: 6/09; BOT: 12/09: Responsibility: EEA Governing Board/Chief of Staff; Authority: President’s Office; Reviewed/Endorsed Cabinet/PAC; Review/Effective Date: 9/5/12; 10/04/17; 05/29/2024. Approved by: A. James Wohlpart, President
Reformatted and Assigned new Policy Number - Previous Policy CWUP 6-60-010, June 2025
Attached Procedure CWUR 6-60-010 as Appendix A, June 2025

Appendix A - Annual Leave Procedure

(1) Exempt employees who transfer to faculty status shall use all accrued vacation leave before the effective date of transfer unless the appointing authority determines the employee's presence is critical to the operation of the university. In such cases, the employee may be paid at the exempt salary rate for up to but not to exceed 30 days of accrued vacation leave.

(2) Annual leave use for vacations (including breaks between academic quarters) or for personal business shall require the advance approval of the employee’s immediate supervisor, except in cases of emergencies or unusual circumstances when the immediate supervisor cannot be contacted.

(3) In the event an employee has exhausted paid sick leave, available paid annual leave will be charged to cover the absence from work. See CWU 305-25 through 305-34 (Leave).

(4) Annual leave will be granted at the convenience of the employing department except when requested for use in accordance with CWU 305-32 (Paid Leave to Care for Family Members with Serious Medical Conditions).

(5) Annual leave absences may also run concurrently with and be designated as covered under the Family and Medical Leave act (FMLA) and CWU 305-27 (Family and Medical Leave).

(6) Dates may be changed only by mutual agreement of the employee and the immediate supervisor. Upon return to work, if the days actually taken are different from the dates originally scheduled, the employee must report immediately the days and dates actually taken as leave. Scheduling of leave shall be done through use of the standard university form.

(7) It is the intent of the annual leave plan that all absences in a workweek for vacations or for personal business, other than the occasional supervisor-approved absence (CWU 305-27), will be deducted from the employee’s annual leave balance if the workweek schedule has not been adjusted.

(8) In considering requests by employees to take any period of annual leave, the university will give careful attention to the employee's preference as to dates of absence, but approval shall be based primarily upon the university's convenience and best interest.

(9) Accruals shall be credited as of the last day of the month and may not be used until the first day of the following month. If accrued vacation leave is not sufficient to cover an authorized absence, the balance of the absence shall be taken without pay. Annual leave credits shall not accrue during a period of professional leave or leave of absence without pay which exceeds eighty (80) hours in any calendar month.

(10) If transfer is to a non-leave eligible position, unused annual leave will be cashed out in accordance with CWU 305-25 (Annual Leave). Any annual leave hours accrued above the 240.00
hour maximum and deferred in accordance with the provisions that follow will be cashed out by the university prior to the transfer.

(11) If an employee’s annual leave balance will exceed the maximum accrual of thirty days (240.00 hours) and it is determined that the employee’s request to use annual leave to avoid the excess accrual should be deferred for the convenience of the employing department, the following steps must be taken prior to the end of the month in which the accrual for that month will put the vacation leave balance over 240 hours:

A. The employee submits a written request and is denied the annual leave use that would keep the balance below the maximum;

B. The supervisor files a statement of necessity to defer the excess hours to the following month;

C. The statement of necessity is filed with the appropriate university official, with a copy to Human Resources monthly that includes, at a minimum, the number of days (expressed in hours) of leave being deferred, and the date the deferral is authorized.

D. The request for leave use and the statement of necessity must be filed each and every month said leave is deferred until the annual leave balance has been reduced below the maximum 240 hours. Once an employee’s annual leave balance exceeds thirty days (240 hours) without a statement of necessity on file, the excess hours are automatically considered to be voluntarily accrued and are subject to the provisions of the following section.

(12) The accumulation of leave under the alternative method described in RCW 43.01.04 shall be governed by the following provisions:

A. Each employee of the university may accumulate annual leave days between the time thirty (30) days is accrued and the first day of his/her anniversary month of Central Washington University employment. For purposes of this procedure, the term "anniversary month" is defined as the month in which the employee began the latest period of continuous employment in a vacation leave eligible position at Central Washington University. Such designation of the anniversary month is not affected by any prior employment with the state of Washington, nor is it affected by the use of any authorized leave, whether such leave is with or without pay.

B. All such excess annual leave days over thirty (30) days accumulated under this alternative shall be used prior to the first day of the employee's anniversary month, and at a time convenient to the employing department. If an employee does not use the excess leave by such date, then the amount of excess annual leave over thirty (30) days shall be automatically extinguished and considered never to have existed.

C. Regardless of circumstances, annual leave credit acquired and accumulated under this alternative never shall be deferred by the employing department by filing a statement of necessity under the provisions above.

D. If the employing department denies an employee's request for use of leave accumulated in excess of thirty (30) days and the excess leave cannot be used prior to the first day of the employee's anniversary month, said excess leave shall be extinguished on the first day of the employee's anniversary month and be considered never to have existed.