All regular employees are eligible upon employment for two (2) days bereavement leave with pay if the immediate family member was residing within the County, and three (3) days if travel is required outside the County. (Fire Service employees are eligible for one (1) shift day, 24 hours.)

• For purposes of bereavement leave only, immediate family is spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children, step-children, grandchildren, grandparents, brother, sisters, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, aunt, uncle, or persons living in the employee's household.
  
  

Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave, per calendar year.

• Eligibility Requirements:
  
  
  • Employee must have worked for the County for at least 1 year; does not have to be consecutive.
    
    
  • Employee would need to have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months.
    
    
• Reasons for Applying for FMLA:
  
  
  • Care for a child (birth, adoption or foster card)
    
    
  • Illness of immediate family member (spouse, parents, son or daughter)
    
    
  • Your serious health condition (e.g., surgery)
    
    
  • For any qualifying exigency (as defined by regulation) related to a spouse, son, daughter or parent's active duty or notification of an impending call or order to active duty in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation.
    
    
  • To care for an Armed Forces service member when an employee is the spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin (employee is entitled to a total of 26 workweeks of leave during a 12-month period).
    
    
• Procedure for using FMLA:
  
  
  • Employee should provide 30 days notice, when possible.
    
    
  • Complete a Family/Medical Certificate Health Care Provider form.
    
    
  • For employee related leave of absences, the employee will be required to submit a Fitness for Duty Certification from the health care provider which states that the employee is able to resume work and perform the essential functions of the position.
    
    
• For additional information, contact the Office of Employee Services & Quality Improvement.

All regular employees, except Fire Service employees on 24 hour shift, are eligible upon employment for these twelve (12) holidays per year:

*Employee's Birthday shall be taken on the birthday or within thirty (30) calendar days following the birthday. (The Department/Division Director may waive this limitation if the employee cannot be relieved from duty.)

• Specific dates for holiday observance during each calendar year are posted in advance, and are available on the Lake County Intranet under Helpful Tools.
  
  
• Fire Service employees (24 hour shift), who work regardless of holidays, accrue four (4) extra annual leave days per calendar year in lieu of holidays.
  
  
• Employees must be in an approved pay status both the work day before and the work day after the holiday to be eligible.
  
  
• Regular part-time employees are paid for the number of scheduled hours when the holiday occurs on one of their regularly scheduled days.
  
  

All regular employees who are members of the United States Armed Forces Reserve, including the Florida National Guard, shall be entitled to military leave time without loss of pay during periods of active duty as provided by Florida Statutes.

Employees may use sick leave for a personal illness, accident, injury, dental or physician's appointment, and for the illness, injury/death or a member of the employee's immediate family member.

• Sick leave is a "privilege", not a benefit.
  
  
• In the case of illness or injury, an immediate family member is: spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children, step-children, grandchildren, grandparents, brother, sisters, or persons living in the employee's household. (For bereavement purposes, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, aunt, and uncle are included).
  
  
• All regular full-time and part-time (working at least 22.5 hours per week) employees are eligible. Sick leave is earned at the rate of .0462 x regularly scheduled bi-weekly hours.

  Work Hours	Accrual Rate	Annual Sick Leave
  40 hour work week	.0462 x 80 = 3.696 hours per pay period	12 days / year
  37.5 hour work week	.0462 x 75 = 3.465 hours per pay period	12 days / year
  Fire Shift	.0462 x 106 = 4.897 hours per pay period	127.3 hours / year

  
  
• Sick leave accruals are unlimited.
  
  
• Temporary (not on-call) employees working at least 22.5 hours per week accrue time but are not authorized to use annual leave during temporary employment. The accrued time may only be used if the employee is hired into a regular position, and the individual completes the 6 month probation. Days of absence without pay may be used during the temporary employment period.
  
  
• Supervisors may require employees to submit written certification from a physician if an employee is absent for 5 or more consecutive days, or if an employee uses 5 or more sick days in a 60 day period.
  
  
• Abuse of sick leave may constitute grounds for corrective action up to and including termination.