Uniformed Services Shared Leave Pool
Last updated: September 22, 2023
This page applies to all time off accruing staff and student employees.
The Washington State Military Department maintains a shared leave pool specifically for those state employees called to service in the U.S. uniformed services.
The Uniformed Services Shared Leave Pool Program allows UW employees called to service to maintain a level of compensation and employee benefits equal to the amount they would have received if they had not been called to service.
The program also allows UW employees to show their support for our servicemen and women by donating leave to the shared pool.
Receiving shared leave
Since this program uses a shared pool, there must be donated leave available in the pool in order to grant individual requests for leave.
Time off you receive from the pool is paid at your UW regular rate of pay.
Eligibility
To receive shared leave from the pool, you must meet the following requirements:
- You have been called to service in one of the U.S. uniformed services.
- You have used (or will soon deplete) your available paid military leave, compensatory time, vacation time off, and personal holiday.
- Your monthly military salary is less than your UW monthly salary. (However, you may use up to eight hours per month from the pool to continue your UW health insurance coverage, regardless of your military and monthly UW salaries.)
Uniformed services is defined as:
- Armed Forces
- Army National Guard
- Air National Guard of any state, territory, commonwealth, possession, or district
- Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service
- Coast Guard
- Any other category of persons designated by the president of the United States in time of war or national emergency
Requesting shared leave
Though the program is administered through the state’s Military Department, you apply through UW Human Resources.
For campus staff: Submit an absence request for Shared Leave in Workday (“LOA-Shared Leave of Absence”). You can find instructions in the Shared Leave – Staff Campus user guide. Contact the ISC for additional assistance.
For medical centers staff: Complete the Shared Leave (med centers) - Uniformed Services - Request to Receive (MS Word) and Shared Leave (med centers) - Request to Receive - Uniformed Services or Emergency Worker (MS Word) forms and submit them to your supervisor, who will review them and forward them on to your department’s leave specialist. You also may be asked to provide a copy of your military orders and your military leave and earnings statement.
Human Resources will submit your request to the state Military Department.
Abuse of the pool
Please note that the University investigates alleged abuse of the Uniformed Services Shared Leave Pool. If wrongdoing is found, the employee may be required to repay all of the shared leave received from the pool.
Additional shared leave
Even if you receive leave from the Military Department’s shared leave pool, you may still request leave through the general Shared Leave Program.
Donating shared leave
Your donation to this shared leave program is to a pool, not an individual. If you would like to donate to a specific service member, you should instead donate to the general Shared Leave Program.
Additionally, to donate, you must meet the following requirements:
| Type of time off: | Requirement: |
|---|---|
| Vacation time off | You have at least 80 hours of vacation time off after the donation is deducted. For part-time employees, this minimum balance is prorated. Classified employees may not donate hours in excess of the 240-hour annual leave maximum if they would otherwise not have sufficient time to use the hours before their next anniversary date. |
| Sick time off | You have at least 176 hours of sick time off after the donation is deducted. For part-time employees, this balance is not prorated. |
| Personal holiday | Any personal holiday hours remaining after donation must be used at one time and within the current calendar year. |
For campus staff: Follow the Leave of Absence – Donate Shared Leave – Staff Campus user guide and make your donation in Workday. Contact the ISC for additional assistance.
For medical centers staff:
- To donate, complete the Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation - Uniformed Services (MS Word) and Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation (MS Word) forms and submit them to your supervisor. Contact your leave specialist if you have any questions about donating.
- Once donated, the hours are deducted from your leave balance. Donations to the Uniformed Services Shared Leave Pool are permanent and will not be returned to the donating employee.
Manager responsibilities
Requests to donate leave
Follow these steps for processing a request to donate leave:
- When an employee submits the Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation - Uniformed Services (MS Word) and Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation (MS Word) forms, review the employee section of the forms for accuracy, then complete the departmental section. The budget number specified on the forms will be charged for the hours donated.
- If you approve the request, forward the completed forms to your leave specialist. If you believe approving this donation may not be appropriate, contact your Human Resources Consultant to discuss your concerns.
- HR will send written confirmation of approval to you and the donating employee.
- HR will work with the Integrated Service Center to transfer the value of the time off donation to the state Military Department’s shared leave pool.
Requests to receive leave
When an employee submits the two leave request forms, review them for completeness and forward them on to your leave specialist. HR will submit the request to the state Military Department.
Additional resources
APS 45.10 Shared Leave Program for Classified Non-Union and Contract-Classified Staff, Professional Staff Employees, and Librarians