Standard Administrative Procedure (SAP)
31.03.03.J0.01 Leave of Absence With Pay
Approved: September 4, 2026
Next Scheduled Review: September 4, 2031
Procedure Summary
Supplements System Regulation 31.01.01 Compensation Administration, System Policy 31.03.03 Leaves of Absence Without Pay and System Regulation 31.03.04 Leave of Absence with Pay.
Definitions
Administrative/Department Heads – One who reports directly to the President, the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs, or a Vice President of the university.
Family Member - A family member is defined in System Regulation 31.03.03 as an employee’s spouse, or the employee’s or spouse’s child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, grandparent, step grandparent, great grandparent, step great grandparent, grandchild, step grandchild, great grandchild or step great grandchild.
Regular Employee - An employee in a budgeted position appointed for 50 percent or more time for a period of at least four and one-half months, excluding an employee in a position in which student status is a requirement for employment, is entitled to leaves of absence with pay.
Procedure
1. Delegation of Authority
1.1 The President of Texas A&M University-Victoria (A&M-Victoria) is responsible for determining leaves of absence with pay during unsafe working or travel conditions, emergency evacuations, early releases or when office closures are required for unforeseen circumstances.
1.2 The President may delegate authority to approve individual leaves of absence with pay for the death of a family member, extraordinary circumstances, or other situations authorized under System Regulation 31.03.03 to the appropriate vice president in writing.
1.3 The vice presidents may delegate in writing authority to administrative or department heads who report within their respective divisions to approve up to five (5) days of leave for the death of a family member and for jury duty.
2. Eligibility and Documentation
2.1 The President of A&M-Victoria, or President’s designee, may approve, under certain circumstances, emergency leaves of absence with pay for regular employees
2.2 A regular employee (see definitions) is eligible for leaves of absence with pay. The leaves of absence with pay described in this rule will not be charged against an employee’s vacation, sick leave, or compensatory time accruals.
2.3 Department and administrative heads will establish notification procedures for emergency conditions and identify those employees who may be required to work during unsafe working or travel conditions, evacuation orders or office closures. As described below, employees are required to keep documentation of the hours worked during the emergency conditions. Employees required to work during emergency conditions will be granted compensatory time off.
2.4 If compensatory time is granted for an emergency leave in cases other than the death of a family member, that time must be used within one year of the leave. Those cases are covered in System Regulation 31.03.03 Leave of Absence with Pay.
2.5 A record of any leave taken as other paid leave is required and must be documented in Workday before or within three business days from the leave of absence date.
2.6 Emergency leave may not be used under any circumstances to replace worker’s compensation income benefits.
3. Emergency Leaves
3.1 Early Release and University Closures
3.1.1 When the President authorizes an early release from work or university closure, employees will only get the hours of the early release or university closure that cover their assigned work schedule. For example, if the President authorizes an early release at noon, then those employees whose assigned work schedule is from 7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. will only receive those hours of early release from 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
If an employee has previously submitted and received approval for paid leave covering a period that subsequently becomes subject to an authorized early release or university closure, the employee's paid leave will be adjusted so that accrued leave is not charged for the portion of the employee's scheduled work hours covered by the early release or closure For example, if an employee has eight (8) hours of approved vacation leave and the university subsequently closes four (4) hours early, the employee will be charged four (4) hours of vacation leave and will receive four (4) hours of authorized emergency leave for the university closure.
3.2 Employees who are not eligible for paid time off will not get paid. This includes student workers and temp/casual employees.
3.3 Employees required to perform work during an authorized university closure must accurately record the hours worked in Workday in accordance with university timekeeping procedures. The employee's supervisor is responsible for reviewing and approving the hours worked. State compensatory time will be credited based on the approved time record.
4. Death of Family Member
4.1 An employee is entitled to five days of bereavement leave with pay because of the death of the employee’s spouse, or the employee’s or spouse’s child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, grandparent, step grandparent, great grandparent, step great grandparent, grandchild, step grandchild or step great grandchild.
4.2 Bereavement leave for more than five days must be approved by the President or the responsible Vice President as stated in section 1.2.
4.3 The individual leave granted is intended to provide for usual circumstances that occur due to the death of a family member. Additional time needed will normally be charged to accrued vacation, or if applicable, available compensatory time.
4.4 The individual bereavement leave hours are not required to be consecutive but must be taken within six months from the date of death.
5. Administrative Leave
5.1 The President may grant administrative leave to an employee as a reward for outstanding performance documented in an employee performance appraisal completed within the last 12 months. Administrative leave may be granted as part of an employee reward program when eligibility is based on documented outstanding performance. No more than 32 hours of administrative leave may be granted to an employee in a fiscal year.
6. Amateur Radio Operators
6.1 An employee who holds an amateur radio station license issued by the Federal Communications Commission may be granted up to 10 working days of leave each fiscal year to participate in specialized disaster relief services. The leave must be approved by the governor and authorized by the employee’s supervisor. The Texas Division of Emergency Management coordinates the list of eligible employees.
7. Assistance Dog Training for Employees with Disability
7.1 An employee who is a person with a disability is entitled to a leave of absence for up to 10 working days each fiscal year to be trained in the use of an assistance dog.
8. Court Appointed Special Advocate Volunteers
8.1 An employee is entitled to a leave of absence for up to five hours each month to participate in mandatory training or perform volunteer services for Court Appointed Special Advocates.
9. Foster Parents
9.1 An employee who is a foster parent to a child under the conservatorship of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services is entitled to a leave of absence to attend Department of Protective and Regulatory Services meetings or school district admission, review and dismissal meetings regarding the foster child.
10. Investigations
10.1 Emergency Leave may be granted to an employee who is the subject of an investigation being conducted by the member, or a victim of, or witness to, an act or event that is the subject of an investigation being conducted by the member. Leave granted in excess of 168 hours must be reported to the State Auditor’s Office each fiscal quarter.
11. Jury Duty Services
11.1 An employee is entitled to a leave of absence for jury duty services. An employee is not required to account to the system for any fee or compensation received for the jury service. An employee is required to provide the Office of Human Resources with a copy of the jury summons and if selected to serve on a jury, a note from the court that provides the dates when their jury service began and when they were released.
12. Medical and Mental Health Care for Certain Veterans
12.1 A veteran who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps of the United States as defined by Government Code 434.023 (a) or the Texas National Guard as defined by 431.001, and eligible for health benefits under a program administered by the Veterans Health Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, may be granted leave without a deduction in salary or loss of vacation time, sick leave, earned overtime credit, or state compensatory time to obtain medical or mental health care administered by the Veterans Health Administration of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, including physical rehabilitation. Leave granted may not exceed 15 working days each fiscal year.
13. Mental Health Leave for Peace Officers
13.1 A peace officer who experiences a traumatic event in the scope of that employment may request the use of mental health leave. The mental health leave needed must be verified and treated as if it were a confidential medical record to assure a level of anonymity for the peace officer. Leave granted may not exceed 15 working days each fiscal year unless approved by the member CEO.
14 Organ, Bone Marrow and Blood Donors
14.1 An employee is entitled to a leave of absence up to five working days each fiscal year to serve as a bone marrow donor or up to 30 working days each fiscal year to serve as an organ donor.
14.2 An employee is entitled to sufficient time off to donate blood up to four times each fiscal year. The employee must obtain written approval from the employee’s supervisor before taking time off and, upon returning to work, must provide proof of blood donation.
15. American Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteers
15.1 An employee who is a certified disaster service volunteer of the American Red Cross or who is in training to become a volunteer may be granted up to 10 working days of leave each fiscal year to participate in specialized disaster relief services. The leave must be requested by the Red Cross, approved by the governor and authorized by the employee's supervisor. The Texas Division of Emergency Management will coordinate the list of eligible employees.
16. Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services Volunteers
16.1 An employee who is a volunteer firefighter or an emergency medical services volunteer is entitled to a leave of absence up to five working days each fiscal year to attend fire service or emergency medical services training conducted by state agencies or institutions of higher education.
16.2 An employee who is actively involved in fighting a fire or responding to a medical emergency during work hours may be granted emergency leave for this duty.
16.3 Employees are required to provide a written statement from the volunteer department Fire Chief responsible for responding to the emergency or responsible for the training within three working days of the completion of the event. The verification will be submitted to the employee’s supervisor.
17. Voting
17.1 An employee is allowed sufficient time off to vote in national, state and local elections. The employee must notify and obtain written approval from the employee’s supervisor before taking time off to vote.
Related Statutes, Policies, or Requirements
System Regulation 31.03.04 Leave of Absence without Pay
Contact Office
Office of Human Resources
361-570-4801