Types of Leave Available to State Team Members

The following is general information about the types of leave available to state team members. For specific information on how each type of leave is applied within a specific agency, team members should refer to their agency policy manual, speak to their agency supervisor, or consult their agency Human Resources office.

Click on the following types of leave to quickly find information about each one:

Team Members in full-time positions of a continuing or permanent nature shall be entitled to accumulate annual leave as follows:

• Team Members with less than ten years of total state service earn 5 hours of annual leave each pay period with a maximum annual leave balance of 240 hours.
• Team Members who have completed ten years of total state service earn 6 hours of annual leave each pay period with a maximum annual leave balance of 288 hours.
• Team Members who have completed fifteen years of total state service earn 7 hours of annual leave each pay period with a maximum annual leave balance of 336 hours.

Team Members may accumulate more annual leave than their allowed maximum until October 31 of any year. After October 31, any excess annual leave over an team member's maximum balance is reduced to the maximum, at which time the team member can begin accumulating above the maximum.

A team member entitled to annual leave who has resigned or otherwise separated from the service shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for the amount of this accrued leave which does not exceed the maximum allowable accumulation.

Annual leave is prorated for part-time team members in eligible positions who are in pay status for a minimum of 40 hours in a pay period. Annual leave is granted and approved by the agency appointing authority, or their designee.

Team Members who are employed on a full-time basis in positions of a continuing or permanent nature earn sick leave. Full-time team members receive five hours of sick leave each pay period for each semi-month of service in which they are in pay status for 80 or more hours.

Team Members can accumulate sick leave without limit. Sick leave can be converted to retirement credit upon retirement. A team member who separates from state service, but returns within five years will have their sick leave balance restored.

Sick leave is also prorated for team members in eligible positions who are in pay status for a minimum of 40 hours in a pay period. Sick leave is granted and approved by the agency appointing authority, or their designee.

Team Members are granted five (5) consecutive workdays, for the death of the employee’s spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent or grandchild, and spouse’s child, sibling, parent, grandparent or grandchild, or a member of the employee’s household this shall include half- and step-relatives. The final decision concerning the applicability and length of bereavement leave under this section will fall under the appointing authority. Other absences due to the death of loved ones when approved by the appointing authority, shall be charged to an employee’s accumulated annual or compensatory leave.

For more specific information on this, please visit: Bereavement Leave 1 CSR 20-5.020

Parental leave is available to all state employees of the departments and agencies of the executive branch of Missouri government as stated in Executive Order 17-09, whether employed on a full-time basis, on an hourly basis, or in 24-hour-positions.

• Every parent shall receive parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child.
  • Every parent who is the primary caregiver shall receive six weeks of parental leave.
  • Every parent who is the secondary caregiver shall receive three weeks of parental leave.
  • If both parents are state employees, each parent shall receive parental leave, which may be taken concurrently, consecutively, or at different times.

  For more specific information on this, please visit: Executive Order 17-09

  Team Members who are members of the national guard or any of the reserve components of the armed forces of the United States are entitled to leaves of absence from their respective duties without loss of pay or leave, impairment of performance appraisal, or loss of any rights or benefits to which otherwise entitled, for all periods of military service during which they are engaged in the performance of duty under competent orders for a period not to exceed 120 work hours in any federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30).

  Team Members who are employed in positions of a continuing or permanent nature and who enter the armed forces of the United States for any of the following reasons can be granted a leave of absence without pay for the period of military training and service required by the team member:

  • Because of an order issued under the Military Selective Service Act.
  • Because of an order issued by a military authority calling a team member to active duty from organized units of the national guard, any component of the armed forces of the United States, or the public health service reserve.
  • Because a team member enlists in any component of the armed forces of the United States for a period of not more than five years.
  • Because a team member who is a member of a component of the armed forces of the United States voluntarily or involuntarily enters active duty, or whose active duty is extended during a period when the President is authorized to order units of the armed forces of the United States to active duty.
  • Because a team member is required to report for active duty for training or inactive duty training in the armed forces of the United States, or an organized unit of the national guard.
  • Because a team member who is a member of a component of the armed forces of the United States, or an organized unit of the national guard, is ordered to an initial period of active duty for training of not less than 12 consecutive weeks.

  Team Members who have been certified as disaster service specialists by the American Red Cross(link is external) or certified by a volunteer organization with a disaster service commitment recognized by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) may, with approval from the agency appointing authority, be granted leave of absence from their respective duties. This will cover all periods of disaster service during which they are engaged in the performance of duty under an applicable letter of agreement for a period not to exceed a total of 120 hours in any state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Other absences in excess of the 120 hours may be charged to accrued annual leave, compensatory time or leave of absence without pay.

  No more than 25 state team members may be absent in any state fiscal year.

  Leave for Emergency Services

  Team Members who are certified by the Civil Air Patrol as emergency service specialists or certified to fly counter-narcotics missions may be granted leave of absence from their respective duties. Leave for such service shall not be for more than 15 working days in any state fiscal year.

  Leave of Absence without Pay for Family and Medical Care (FMLA)

  The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to team members for certain family and medical reasons. To be eligible for FMLA leave, a team member must be employed with the state for at least one year and must have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months. FMLA leave will be granted for the following reasons:

  • To care for the team member’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care
  • To care for the team member’s spouse, son or daughter (under 18 years of age), or parent who has a serious health condition
  • For a serious health condition that makes the team member unable to perform the team member’s job

  NOTE: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was recently expanded with the President’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act. This includes provisions authorizing up to 26 weeks of leave for a family member to care for a wounded soldier and allowing expanded use of the current 12-week allotment for a family member to take leave if another family member is called into active duty.

  Information concerning these changes can be found at the following links:

  • https://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/NDAA_fmla.htm
  • http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/fmlaAmended.htm

  Upon written request to their agency appointing authority, team members may obtain a leave of absence without pay for the following circumstances:

  Because of medical disability of the team member which is not covered by FMLA
  Because the team member is beginning a course of training or study for the purpose of improving the quality of service to the State of Missouri
  Because of extraordinary reasons, sufficient in the opinion of the agency appointing authority to warrant a leave of absence without pay.

  Share Leave - Foster/Adoption

  State agencies will establish share leave programs within their agencies for team members to donate annual leave, overtime or compensatory time to a share leave pool. Share leave may be granted to a team member who is arranging for a foster or adopted child’s placement or caring for a child after placement.

  To learn more about ShareLeave – Foster/Adoption please visit: 1 CSR 20-5.025 ShareLeave and RSMo 105.271.

  Share Leave - Catastrophic Illness/Injury

  State agencies may establish share leave programs within their agencies for team members to donate annual leave, overtime or compensatory time to a share leave pool. Share leave may be granted to a team member in the agency who has experienced a catastrophic illness or injury and who has used all their accrued leave.

  To learn more about Share leave – Catastrophic Illness/Injury visit: 1 CSR 20-5.025 ShareLeave.

  Visit the Code of State Regulations (1 CSR 20-5.010) to view laws addressing leaves of absence.

  Disclaimer: If there is any discrepancy between the information contained on this web page and the regulations, the regulations are the determining factor.