Louisa County board debates policy for donating paid time off; no decision made

An employee requested that a coworker be allowed to receive donated paid time so the coworker could remain home with a new child. The employee and several board members discussed past ad-hoc donations and the lack of a written policy. One county employee recounted a past case in which coworkers gifted sick time after a child's hospitalization: “I had a son who had bacterial meningitis... I used all my sick time when he was born, and... sick time was gifted to me,” the employee said.

Board members and staff described legal and financial complications to a permanent donation policy, including: how to value donated hours (hour-for-hour or dollar-for-dollar), the county’s accrued-liability accounting and potential unfunded liabilities if donations become permanent, HIPAA and privacy issues if medical reasons are publicized, and operational problems if departments are short-staffed for extended periods. One staff speaker outlined an alternative the board should consider: convert sick and vacation accruals to a single PTO bank and purchase short- and long-term disability insurance to cover extended absences. The staff member said short-term disability plans can be inexpensive for the employer and that one county (Creston/Union County example cited in discussion) chose to pay for short-term disability for employees to provide more predictable coverage.

No immediate policy change was adopted. The board agreed not to take action at the May 14 meeting and instructed staff to bring the matter to the department-head team and return with options and cost estimates. Several board members expressed support for permitting donation of vacation or personal time in limited circumstances but were reluctant to permit transfer of sick time on a broad or permanent basis.

The board asked staff to draft options addressing caps, eligibility criteria, administration, and budget implications and to report back before the employee’s anticipated leave.