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Leave Share Program

The state of Washington’s Shared Leave Program allows district employees to donate their accrued time off to another district employee who is experiencing a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening health crisis or for parental leave, pregnancy disability, or other qualifying circumstance that has caused or is likely to cause the employee to:

  • Go on leave-without-pay status; or
  • Terminate his/her employment

Receiving Shared Leave

Recipient eligibility
To receive shared leave, you must:

  • Have a documented and qualifying reason for the use of shared leave;
  • Have already depleted, or will shortly deplete, your annual leave and sick leave reserves;
  • Have abided by District rules regarding sick leave use; and
  • Have diligently pursued and been found to be ineligible to receive industrial insurance benefits.

The criteria for an illness or injury under shared leave is different from those for FMLA. Examples of “extraordinary or severe” situations that typically meet the criteria for shared leave include:

  • Major surgery with inpatient hospital stay
  • Outpatient surgery for severe condition
  • Cancer and treatment
  • Hospitalization for a severe physical or mental condition
  • Enrollment in an ongoing behavioral health treatment program (inpatient or day) requiring continuous leave from work
  • Bed rest due to high-risk, pregnancy-related complications

Conditions that do not typically meet the criteria include:

  • Flu
  • Sprained ankle
  • Elective cosmetic surgery
  • Intermittent leave for chronic, ongoing medical conditions
  • The time frame for using parental shared leave has expired.
  • You no longer have a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening medical condition.
  • Your relative or household member no longer has a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening medical condition, or has passed away
  • Other eligibility criteria for shared leave use no longer apply to you

Qualifying reason:

You may retain:

You, a relative, or a household member has a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening illness or injury.

You may retain up to 40 hours of sick time off and up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

You are sick or temporarily disabled because of a pregnancy-related medical condition or miscarriage.

You may retain up to 40 hours of sick time off and up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

You need the time for parental leave

You may retain up to 40 hours of sick time off and up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

You are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

You may retain up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

You are called to serve in the U.S. uniformed services.

You may retain up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

You are serving as an approved emergency worker.

You may retain up to 40 hours of vacation time off.

 

How to Request Shared Leave

  1. Submit a Medical Leave Request via the following linkhttps://forms.office.com/r/Sv3pEcEpfp
    1. See also Human Resources / Leaves and Accommodations (fwps.org) for more information on FMLA & PFML
  2. Submit a Leave Share Request to HRleaves@fwps.org
  3. Have your doctor or family member’s doctor submit the Medical Certification to fax #: 253-661-0423 or via email to HRleaves@fwps.org

 

Request Forms

Leave Share Request
Medical Form - Self

Medical Form - Family

Medical Form - Maternity / Paternity

Donating shared leave

Donor eligibility

  • Wellness/Sick Donations:
    • You are eligible to donate any amount of wellness/sick leave per calendar year as long as your balance of wellness/sick leave hours after the donation does not fall below 22 days of wellness/sick leave.
  • Vacation Donations:
    • You are eligible to donate any amount of vacation leave per calendar year as long as your balance of vacation hours after the donations does not fall below 10 days. If you receive compensation in lieu of accumulating a balance, you are not eligible to donate annual leave.
    • Please contact Laveda Nichols on (253) 945-2062 or email lnichols@fwps.org in Business Services, if you have any questions.
  • Follow these steps to donate:
    • If you are eligible and wish to donate wellness/sick leave or vacation hours to an employee, complete the attached form and return it to the payroll department in Business Services as soon as possible, to ensure the beneficiary of the donation received the hours for pay.

The district uses the information provided by you or your relative or household member’s healthcare provider to determine whether the medical condition meets the definition of “severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening.”

There is no guarantee that you will receive leave donations. Soliciting leave donations from other district employees is prohibited. Shared leave hours are paid at your regular rate of pay.  

  • Parental Leave – Non-Birth Parent
    • For the purposes of shared leave usage, parental leave means to bond and care for a newborn child after birth or to bond and care for a child after placement for adoption or foster care, for a period of up to sixteen (12) weeks of continuous leave immediately after the birth or placement.
  • Parental Leave – Birth Parent
    • For the purposes of shared leave usage, parental leave means to bond and care for a newborn child immediately after birth or to bond and care for a child after placement for adoption or foster care, for a period of up to sixteen (16) weeks of continuous leave following the time allowed for pregnancy disability, if applicable.
  • Shared leave maximum
    • You may receive leave donations from multiple employees. However, you are limited to a maximum of 522 days during your lifetime of employment.
  • When shared leave ends
    • Your eligibility to receive shared leave ends for any of the following reasons:
      • The time frame for using parental shared leave has expired.
      • You no longer have a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening medical condition.
      • Your relative or household member no longer has a severe, extraordinary, or life-threatening medical condition, or has passed away
      • Other eligibility criteria for shared leave use no longer apply to you
  • Returning to work
    • You are expected to return to work on the date specified in your leave approval. If your return is delayed for any reason, contact Human Resources as soon as possible.
  • Unused shared leave
    • Shared leave may be used only for the qualifying medical condition or reason approved in your shared leave request. Unused shared leave will be returned to the donor in accordance with state law.

Resources:

RCW 41.04.665