Sick leave option can be a real life-saver
When HISD Web Designer Quentrella Joyce signed up for the district’s Supplemental Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) a few years ago, she didn’t anticipate ever needing it.
But when she was laid low by an unexpected medical issue last summer, she quickly came to appreciate the program, which offers participants up to 30 additional paid leave days in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury, resulting in an extended absence from work.
Eligible employees must agree to contribute one day of their earned Local Leave to the SSLB to participate, and Joyce said she now considers the sacrifice a good investment.
“I gave my one day and didn’t think I would ever use it,” she explained. “But I was out for three months, and I don’t know what I would have done without it. I don’t gamble, but giving up this one day for the benefit I received…that was a risk worth taking.”
To learn more about the SSLB, please visit the Human Resources website. Eligible employees should also receive plan details and links to enrollment forms (.pdf) by email.
Current SSLB participants and employees who enrolled in June or August need not reapply. Eligible employees who wish to enroll now may do so at any time during the Benefits Open Enrollment period, Nov. 1–15, 2012.
