Wellness Leave
To support employees in their journey of wellness, eligible employees have direct access to 16 hours of Extended Illness Bank (EIB) each fiscal year (prorated by FTE) of Wellness Leave to engage in preventative care or activities to care for themselves.1,2
1Texas Government Code Section 664.601
2Texas Education Code Section 51.961
Eligibility
All regular full-time and part-time (at least .5FTE/20 hours per week) benefits eligible employees. Educational appointees should reference the Sick Leave Policy for AVA Trainees (UTMDACC Institutional Policy ACA0105) for information about Wellness Leave.
Accruals
Wellness Leave is not a separate bank of accrued hours. Employees receive Wellness Leave by directly accessing 16 hours of EIB each fiscal year (prorated by FTE). An employee who does not have EIB hours is unable to take Wellness Leave.
Process for Using
STEP 1: Employee submits a Request for Time Off form or uses their Department Time Off Procedures and requests the code WEL.
- Wellness Leave may be used for activities supporting the prevention, treatment or support of your physical, mental or emotional well-being. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Annual wellness exam
- Follow-up medical provider appointments
- Preventative screenings (i.e. mammogram, prostate screening, lipid panel, A1C for diabetes, etc.)
- Wellness events (i.e. 5K, MS150, triathlon, etc.)
- Mental or physical health support
- Employees are eligible to access EIB for Wellness Leave based on their FTE on September 1. If their standard work hours change during the year, the number of hours eligible for Wellness Leave is not adjusted.
- Wellness Leave that exceeds the available hours must be supplemented with other forms of paid leave such as Paid Time Off (PTO) or Earned Holiday Bank (EHB).
- Ex: Sally Employee has 6 hours of Wellness Leave remaining but works an 8 hour shift. When requesting Wellness Leave, she will use 6 hours of Wellness Leave and 2 hours of PTO or another type of paid leave.
- Documentation of the wellness activities is not required.
- Advance notice is required and approval is based on operational needs
STEP 2: Upon return, employee works with the timekeeper to ensure coding is appropriate.
See Kronos Pay Code List and Creating Department Time Off Procedures for assistance with using this or other types of leave.
Hours not used by the end of the fiscal year will expire.
See FAQs for details.