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When Individuals Decide to Volunteer in Relief Efforts: University Policy
Some faculty and staff at the University may decide to join the relief efforts for the Gulf Coast communities for a specified period of time.
The University encourages all individuals to consider their volunteer opportunities in the context of responsibilities to their respective workplaces at the University. Any individual request for time off that goes beyond normal vacation time or Paid Time Off (PTO) arrangements (for hourly staff at the Medical Center only) must be reviewed by the employee’s supervisor.
Volunteering with a community organization:
Employees may use PTO (if eligible—that is, hourly staff at the Medical Center only) or vacation time. Individuals may also apply for a short-term leave without pay; the department director or supervisor must approve.
In both of the above cases, the individual's medical benefits remain in place. However, worker's compensation would not apply unless offered by the community organization utilizing the volunteer. New York State disability benefits, and University supplemental disability benefits, would remain available in case of injury to the individual.
Release from work to assist a relative or friend in the disaster area:
University policy provides opportunities for individuals to take short-term leaves of absence without pay when caring for a relative. Individual cases must be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure that they meet the University's interpretation of FMLA-related policies.
Hiring Individuals from the Disaster Area
Human Resources normally verifies certain aspects of an individual's work history when he or she is first hired at the University. That verification process would be affected for individuals coming from the disaster area, but Human Resources will assist University offices and departments in ensuring that they appropriate record verification takes place as soon as practicable.
