Policy 507 - Blood and Bone Marrow Donation Leave

Section: Leave
Policy Number: 507
Responsible Office: HR Services and Employee Benefits
Effective Date: 12/13/07
Revised: 10/28/15

Scope

This policy applies to staff, administrators, faculty and student workers who work 20 or more hours per week and who are employed on any New York campus of the University.

Policy

Blood donation - The University shall grant eligible employees three hours of leave time in a calendar year for the purpose of donating blood, according to New York Law. Blood drives are held on the Staten Island and Queens campuses throughout the year. The University encourages employees who are able to donate blood to do so on-campus during regularly-paid work time. The University does not compensate student workers for leave time taken to donate blood.

Bone marrow donation - The university shall grant leaves of absence to eligible employees who seek to undergo a medical procedure to donate bone marrow. The combined length of each leave for bone marrow donation shall be determined by the physician, but each leave may not exceed 24 work hours. This leave is available each time an employee serves as a bone marrow donor.

The University is not required to pay employees during leave to donate blood or bone marrow; however, employees who have accrued vacation or personal time can elect to use their accrued time for this leave. For those employees who do not accrue paid vacation or personal time, or who choose not to use paid time off for this leave, the leave time will be designated as unpaid leave.

Employees are protected under the law from retaliation for requesting or obtaining leave under this policy.

Procedure

To minimize workplace disruption, employees must obtain permission from their supervisor in advance of the leave time requested. Upon return to work, employees shall submit documentation to the supervisor that confirms their attendance at the blood donor center or clinic.

In cases of bone marrow donation, the University requires verification by a physician for the purpose and length of each leave requested. This physician's verification should be submitted directly to the Employee Benefits Office.

St. John's University, New York
Human Resources Policy Manual