Background One of the benefits the State of Texas offers its workers is paid sick leave. Full-time state employees accrue eight hours of sick leave each month. In 1989, the Texas Legislature authorized each state agency to establish a sick leave pool to benefit employees who personally or whose family members suffer a catastrophic illness or injury. Agencies work with the Employees Retirement System of Texas to develop their own guidelines for illnesses covered by the pool. Some conditions that have qualified for sick leave pool benefits include heart attack, back and neck surgery, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis and premature birth with complications.
Many agencies find it difficult to maintain enough hours in their pools to match employee requests.
Because of the 24-hour limit, those interested in increasing their donations cannot do so. Similarly, employees retiring or leaving state service who wish to donate leave balances to their pool cannot contribute more than 24 hours. The Legislature should allow employees and those leaving state service to donate an unlimited amount of time to sick leave pools, instead of just 24 hours. Retiring employees who have accumulated hours in excess of those used for retirement credit should be able to donate them to the pool. Employees accumulate sick leave hours as part of their benefits and should be allowed to determine how those hours will be used.