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5.2 Bereavement Leave

  1. Unpaid Bereavement Leave
    Permanent or probationary employees, and non-permanent employees who have been employed for at least 30 days, may take up to five (5) workdays of unpaid bereavement leave per occurrence for the death of a spouse/domestic partner, child, parent, stepparent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, or any person residing in the immediate household.

    Of these five (5) unpaid workdays, three (3) days may qualify for pay, based upon the language in Sections B and C below. The employee may elect to use their accrued annual leave, vacation, sick, CTO, or any other earned leave credits for any unpaid days of leave which do not qualify with pay pursuant to subsections B and C below.

    The bereavement leave days outlined in Sections A. B and C, do not need to be taken consecutively, but must be requested within three (3) months of the date of death.

  2. Paid Bereavement Leave, Immediate Family
    A department head or designee shall authorize bereavement leave with pay for a permanent or probationary full-time State employee due to the death of their parent, stepparent, spouse, domestic partner (as defined in Family Code Section 297), child, stepchild, brother, sister, or death of any person residing in the immediate household of the employee at the time of death. An intervening period of absence for medical reasons shall not be disqualifying when, immediately prior to the absence, the person resided in the household of the employee. Such bereavement leave shall be authorized for up to three (3) eight-hour days (24 hours) per occurrence. The employee shall give notice to their immediate supervisor as soon as possible and shall, if requested by the employee’s supervisor within 30 days of the first day of leave, provide documentation of the death of the family member, such as a death certificate; published obituary; written verification of death, burial, or memorial from a mortuary, funeral home, burial society, crematorium, religious institution, or governmental agency, to support the request upon the employee’s return to work.

  3. Paid Bereavement Leave, Extended Family
    A department head or designee shall authorize bereavement leave with pay for a permanent full-time or probationary employee due to the death of a grandchild, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, sister-in-law, or brother-in-law. Such bereavement leave shall be authorized for up to three (3) eight-hour days (24 hours) in a fiscal year. The employee shall give notice to their immediate supervisor as soon as possible and shall, if requested by the employee’s supervisor within 30 days of the first day of leave, provide documentation of the death of the family member, such as a death certificate; published obituary; written verification of death, burial. or memorial from a mortuary, funeral home. burial society, crematorium, religious institution, or governmental agency, to support the request upon the employee’s return to work.

  4. If the death of a person as described above requires the employee to travel over four hundred (400) miles one way from his/her home, additional time off with pay shall be granted for two (2) additional days which shall be deducted from accrued leave. Should additional leave be necessary, the department head or designee may authorize the use of other existing leave credits or authorized leave without pay.

  5. Employees may utilize their annual leave, vacation, CTO, or any other earned leave credits for additional time required in excess of time allowed in A. or B. above. Sick leave may be utilized for Bereavement Leave in accordance with the Sick Leave provision of this agreement.

  6. Fractional time base (part-time) employees will be eligible for bereavement leave on pro rata basis, based on the employees’ fractional time base.