Community Service Leave (CSL) August 1, 2012

1. Community Service Leave (CSL)August 1, 2012

2. Purpose & Eligibility • Community Service Leave (CSL) is a paid time off program for participation in the educational process of children through high school, and to support other community service volunteer activities for non-profit organizations • Permanent Employees scheduled to work 20 hrs or more per week including: • SPA • EPA NF • EPA Faculty who earn leave

3. CSL Categories and Hours Granted • CSL is broken into 5 categories: • Option A: School Involvement/Community Service/Public Universities, Community Colleges and State Agencies • 24 hours • Option B: Mentoring/Tutoring • 36 hours • Disaster and Emergency Services • 120 hours • Organ Donorship • 180 hours • Blood Related & Bone Marrow Donation • Reasonable time off allowed

4. Option A: School Involvement/Community Service Organization • School Involvement • School is defined as elementary, middle, high school or child care program • Child: biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, or for whom the employee serves in the role of parent • Examples: • Teacher meetings, attending school functions (excludes athletic events and must be part of or supplement the school’s academic or artistic programs), volunteer work for the school

5. Option A: School Involvement/Community Service Organization, con’t • Community Service/Public Universities, Community Colleges and State Agencies • Community Service Organization: non-profit, non-partisan community organization, which is designated as an IRS Code 501(c)(3) agency, or a human service organization licensed or accredited to serve citizens with special needs including children, youth, and the elderly. • University: a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina • Community College: a member of the North Carolina Community College System • Agency: State government agency authorized to operate under the laws of NC • Examples: • Volunteer services for any of the defined organizations above • Exclusions: • Religious Organizations • Partisan Political Activity

6. Option A: Exclusions • CSL cannot be used for voting • CSL cannot be used for any partisan political activity • Includes soliciting funds for votes for a political candidate • Working for the election of a candidate

7. Option A: Exclusions • CSL may be applied to hours worked inside a polling facility to assist voters with the voting process • Employee cannot be receiving pay for this work • Other accrued leave must be used if the employee is receiving pay for the poll work or is distributing brochures, transporting voters, or other partisan campaigning outside of the polls

8. Option B: Mentoring and Tutoring • Volunteering as a tutor or mentor in an eligible school for (generally 1 hour each week that schools are in session) up to a maximum of 36 hours per calendar year • Leave under this option must be used exclusively for tutoring or mentoring a student • There must be a joint agreement between the employee’s department and the school

9. Choosing Option A or B • Employees cannot use both 24 hours under Option A and 36 hours under Option B in the same calendar year • An employee must generally choose between Option A or Option B • If an employee changes options during the calendar year, the maximum number of hours available will equal the number of hours available for the new option, less any hours already used

10. Disaster & Emergency Services • May use up 120 hours (15 days) of CSL for participation in disaster relief and/or emergency volunteer services • To qualify: • The employee must be a disaster service volunteer of the American Red Cross, and • Be requested by the American Red Cross to participate And, • The disaster must be within the US, and • Be designated at Level III or higher in the Red Cross Regulations and Procedures

11. Disaster & Emergency Services, con’t • CSL may be used for employees participating in volunteer emergency and rescue services • Management determines that a bona fide need for such services exists within a given area (real or imminent danger to life or property) • Employee must provide to management: • Sufficient proof of the employee’s membership in an emergency volunteer organization, and • That the performance of such emergency services will not unreasonably hinder agency activity for which the employee is responsible

12. Organ Donorship • Employees may receive up to 180 hours of CSL for donation of organs • Must provide management with as much advance notice as possible • Additional time required for recovery must be covered through use of other available leave or leave without pay

13. Blood-Related & Bone Marrow Donation • Employees are encouraged to participate in “life-giving” programs through blood-related and bone marrow donorship • Use of CSL for these donations is subject to operational needs and management approval • Employees may be given reasonable time off blood and marrow donation

14. Recordkeeping • CSL must be requested and approved by management in advance • CSL remaining balances will transfer to another state agency • No payout of CSL upon separation of service

15. Balances • CSL is cumulative through December 31 of each year • Any CSL not used by December 31 is canceled; it does not carry over • All active employees on January 1 of each year, receive the full amount of leave to which they are entitled • New employees shall be credited with leave immediately upon their employment, prorated at two hours per month for the remainder of the calendar year

16. Questions?