Time Off to Receive a COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently asked questions
No, under newly-passed New York State legislation, employees (including staff, faculty, residents, fellows, postdoctoral appointees, Strong Staffing temporary employees, student employees) who work in New York State can receive up to four hours of paid time off without having to use their existing PTO, sick time or vacation.
Yes, employees who receive vaccines with two doses will be eligible for up to four hours of paid time off for each dose. Employees will also receive up to an additional four hours for any booster shots that become available.
Employees should alert their managers and timekeepers in advance of their appointment, and use the following time reporting codes for time away from work to travel to and receive the injection:
- Hourly-paid employees: CVA (COVID Vaccine Appointment)
- Salaried employees: CVS (COVID Vaccine Salaried) for tracking purposes
This time will be retroactive to any vaccines received on or after March 12, 2021 until December 31, 2022, including any booster shots that may become available. Any vaccines received before March 12 are not eligible.
Salaried and hourly-paid employees who receive their vaccine at their work location and do not punch out to do so will be paid as usual and do not need to record vaccine time off. If it is necessary for the employee to punch out to receive the vaccine during scheduled work time, the employee should record time using the new time reporting codes to receive pay.
The policy allows for up to four hours of paid time to travel to and receive the injection, regardless of location.
This paid time is only applicable for employees who travel to or receive the vaccine during scheduled work time.
No, this paid time off is for each required dose of the vaccine. If an employee receives a vaccine that only requires one dose, they can take up to four hours to travel to and receive that one dose.
If more than four hours of time off is needed to travel to and receive the vaccine, the additional time should be charged to sick time, PTO or vacation (if sick time/PTO is not available) or taken as unpaid time off where accrual banks are exhausted.
A manager cannot ask an employee not to receive a vaccine during work time. However, employees must follow departmental notification procedures for this time off.
As announced, the University is requiring that employees report their COVID-19 vaccination status. Documentation that indicates medical or other sensitive conditions or other medical information may not be requested.