Hospitalization is when a staff member is admitted to the hospital.

Salary Continuation Guidelines for Staff Members Hospitalization

1. Staff members must meet their employment obligation of regular and reasonable attendance.
    
2. Salary continuation/sick time is primarily intended to protect the income of staff members while disabled.
    
3. Staff members are responsible to follow the established office work rules or protocol for any absences during work time (i.e. what number and who to call, notification of other office staff, etc.).
    
4. Staff members shall notify his or her supervisor of an absence in advance as soon as possible and shall state the expected duration thereof when possible.
    
5. Supervisors should not request a specific diagnosis but staff members must provide information regarding the need for their absence. For example: dentist appointment, doctor appointment, eye appointment, therapy, medical procedure, etc.
    
6. Time spent in the hospital for medically necessary treatment is appropriate for salary continuation/sick time.
    
7. If requested by the University, acceptable proof shall be furnished regarding the need for the absence. The University will then determine if the reason qualified for use of salary continuation/sick time.
    
8. In order to comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act, time off from work of 10 consecutive work days or longer due to a staff members surgery or medical condition will require that doctors documentation be submitted to HR prior to time off from work. If unforeseeable, doctors documentation must be provided as soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case.
   • Paperwork can be found at: https://www.gvsu.edu/hro under Forms-Benefits for the University Medical Leave Application, titled  Certification of Health Care Provider-Self.
   • Information about the Family & Medical Leave Policy can be found on the University Policies site.
     
     
9. Salary continuation/sick time may not be used beyond what is considered reasonable for the specific situation.
    
10. Staff members engaging in other employment or profit making activities while collecting salary continuation/sick time may lose rights to salary continuation/sick time as well as to continuation as a staff member of the University.
     
11. Requests to use vacation days that are adjacent to medical leave must be approved by the supervisor.
     
12. Examples of inappropriate salary continuation/sick time usage for hospitalization would include: cosmetic surgeries which are not medically necessary, fitness camps, and spa resorts.