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REGULATION TITLE: Vacation Leave

APPLIES TO: Faculty (12-Month) Staff

ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY: Office of Human Resources

APPROVED BY: Board of Regents

APROVED DATE: June 12, 2026

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026

NEXT REVIEW DATE: June 12, 2028

Kentucky State University (KSU) provides paid vacation leave to eligible employees. Vacation leave is a benefit that allows employees to take planned time away from work while maintaining regular pay. Leave may be used for vacations or personal reasons and must be scheduled in coordination with the employee's supervisor to ensure the continued efficient operation of University programs and services.

All vacation leave must be approved in advance. Supervisors may deny leave if an employee's absence would affect departmental or unit operations; however, approval may not be arbitrarily withheld and must be based on a justifiable reason.

This benefit applies to full-time employees, and accrual, carry-forward, and maximum leave balances are

administered in accordance with the terms of this regulation.

Full-time employees are employees who are continuously assigned to work a minimum of 37.5 hours per week or 40 hours where entire units or offices remain open, such as Physical Plant, Public Safety, Information Services and Resources, and others), and who have an employment period of at least nine (9) months per year. Full-time employees are eligible to participate in all KSU-provided benefits.

Administrative faculty are full-time faculty who work year-round under a 12-month administrative appointment. Unlike nine-month faculty, they do not receive a three-month break.

The responsibility for administering this regulation is delegated to each supervisor, who shall approve and report an employee's vacation leave using KSU's approved time and attendance software.

The amount of paid vacation leave a full-time employee accrues in a given fiscal year is based on his or her length of service.

The table below details the rates of accrual:

For employees who work 37.5 hours per week, annual leave may be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next according to the following rates:

For employees who work 40 hours per week, annual leave may be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next according to the following rates:

Employees who do not use their vacation hours by the end of the fiscal year will forfeit any hours above the maximum carry-forward amount referenced in maximum carry-forward section.

Exempt employees earn vacation leave on a bi-weekly basis. Employees who are in an unpaid leave of absence do not earn vacation leave during that period of absence. For the purposes of this regulation, a leave of absence is an unpaid period lasting ten (10) or more working days.

Non-exempt employees earn vacation leave on a bi-weekly basis. Vacation leave is accrued based on the number of hours a non-exempt employee actually worked, the number of years of service, and his or her pay status. Accrual rates will be based on no more than eighty (80) hours per pay period.

Vacation leave shall only be taken after it has been accrued and in increments of no less than .25 hours when approved.

An employee on paid vacation leave who becomes ill or injured while on vacation may substitute sick leave during the period of temporary illness by presenting a health provider's written confirmation of the illness or injury to his or her supervisor. The employee is responsible for obtaining a health provider's confirmation and for making all necessary adjustments using KSU's approved time and attendance software.

Employees are charged vacation leave only for days that they would have otherwise worked and received pay. If a KSU holiday is observed during a period in which an employee is on paid vacation leave, he or she will not be charged vacation leave for the holiday.

Employees who transfer from one KSU department to another shall retain his or her accrued vacation leave.

Employees who retreat to an ineligible position (e.g., retreating from an administrative academic appointment to a standard 9-month faculty position) shall have their accumulated vacation leave paid out up to the maximum leave accrued balance.

Accumulated vacation leave may be used for sick leave when an employee has expended his or her entire sick leave balance. In such cases, the requirement for advance approval of vacation leave shall be waived.

All employees are required to resume work on the scheduled day of return from vacation leave. Late resumption of work without advance notification and prior approval by an applicable supervisor will be considered by KSU to be an unexcused absence from work without pay. Such absence may also be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Accrued vacation leave not exceeding the maximum carry-forward amount will be granted or paid out only if the employee has been continuously employed by KSU for at least six (6) months and has provided advance written notice of their intent to resign. Exempt employees are expected to provide four (4) weeks' written notice, while non-exempt employees are expected to provide (2) weeks' written notice.

An employee who gives notice of his or her intent to resign cannot use accrued vacation leave to meet the notice period requirements without prior written approval from the Director of Human Resources (HR). However, an exception to this rule is provided to individuals who are on certified medical leave immediately prior to the separation of employment.

All payments for accumulated vacation leave shall be paid in a lump sum, which shall be included on an employee's last payroll check (or the next available payroll check if the payroll cycle closed prior to inclusion of the payout).

Employees are eligible to receive a vacation leave payout based on their maximum leave accrued balance at the annual leave accrual rate. For example, an employee who has worked four (4) years at KSU is eligible to receive a payout of up to 15 days' worth of vacation leave upon separation. However, an employee who has worked twelve (12) years at KSU is eligible to receive a payout of up to 20 days' worth of vacation leave upon separation.

Terminal vacation leave will be paid out in the event of the death of an eligible employee. Such payout shall not exceed the maximum leave accrued balance.

Employees who are involuntarily laid off or terminated due to reductions in workforce and for reasons beyond their control will be given any leftover vacation leave they had earned during prior years of continuous service above the allowable leave payout upon their reemployment with KSU.

Employees who voluntarily terminate employment with KSU and who are reemployed within one (1) calendar year shall receive any leftover vacation leave they had earned during their prior years of continuous service upon their reemployment with KSU, above the allowable leave payout.

Employees who resign from KSU in good standing and who are re-employed within one (1) calendar year shall receive their prior continuous service credits for the purposes of vacation leave accrual.

Full-time staff employees and 12-month faculty employees are granted paid vacation time in accordance with the terms of this regulation.

Vacation leave accrual begins upon hire and becomes available for use after an employee successfully completes their 90-day introductory period.

Revised (Reclassified as a Regulation) July 20, 2025 Zach Atwell, Wendy Dixie, and Kendra Herve

Revised March 2026 Human Resources