Under the state employees workers’ compensation system, an injured state employee has the option of using accrued sick leave and accrued annual leave instead of receiving lost-time compensation benefits.

Since the amount of lost-time benefits is usually less than an employee’s salary, the advantage in making such an election is that the employee will receive his or her full paycheck during the period that accrued sick leave or accrued annual leave is utilized. With this election, the employee’s insurance premium is paid at 100%.

An employee may elect to use all accrued sick leave and all accrued annual leave; all accrued sick leave and a portion of accrued annual leave; all accrued sick leave and no accrued annual leave; or no accrued sick leave and no accrued annual leave. Accrued sick leave must be exhausted before accrued annual leave can be used. These are the only available elections.

“Sick leave” includes sick leave regularly earned and accumulated by the employee because of employment with the state, extended sick leave with pay authorized by the administrative head(s) of any state agency, and sick leave with pay granted to the employee from any sick leave pool.

“Annual leave” includes paid vacation earned and accumulated by the employee because of employment with the state.

Sick and annual leave that is accumulated while an injured employee is off work cannot be utilized until the injured employee returns to work and has subsequent lost time due to the injury.

Appropriate forms for making an election to use sick leave and for notification of the granting of extended sick leave and pooled sick leave can be found in the forms (Adobe PDF) section of this handbook.