Q. How do I accrue PTO?
A. Regular full-time, regular part-time and part-time employees are eligible to accrue PTO. The amount you accrue depends on the number of years you have worked for Carilion and the number of hours you work in a pay period.

Q. If I don't use my PTO, do I lose it?
A. You don’t lose PTO once you’ve accrued it unless you do not complete six months of employment or you fail to provide proper notice of resignation (see "Will I be paid my accrued PTO when I leave?" below). PTO generally carries over from year to year, until you reach the maximum 480 hours. When you begin to reach that limit, you should discuss with your manager options to take time off or plan to cash in some hours at one of the times provided during the year. See below for more information about cashing in your PTO.

Q. How do I use PTO?
A. Your manager must approve all scheduled time off. Remember your PTO is for all types of time off, including holidays, sick time, personal time and vacations, so use it wisely. If you have used all your PTO and then need to take time off, that time will be unpaid. In most situations, you must use all your PTO before taking unpaid time off. Employees are encouraged to save 80 hours for emergencies.

Q. Do I have to use PTO for time off from my regular schedule?
A. Yes. The only exceptions are for low census, when there would be overstaffing otherwise, or for the first seven days of leave related to Workers’ Compensation. For those situations, you would have a choice of using PTO or having unpaid leave.

Q. How do I cash in PTO?
A. If you have more than 80 hours of PTO saved, you may cash in up to 40 hours of the excess amount in eight-hour blocks. That’s like giving yourself a bonus, and since you can cash in PTO three times a year – in March, July, and November– you choose when you’d like the extra money.

Q. Will I be paid my accrued PTO when I leave?
A. Employees who complete six months of employment will be paid for all PTO hours upon retirement or separation as long as the proper notice is provided. The following requirements apply to giving proper notice:

• Employees whose positions have a target rate less than $11.21 must provide two-weeks written notice.
  
• Employees whose positions have a target rate equal to or more than $11.21 must provide thirty days written notice.

For the target rate for your position, speak with your manager.

Paid Time Off (PTO) Donation
Most people enter healthcare because they want to help others. And it’s only natural that sense of caring often extends beyond our patients to our coworkers and peers. The PTO Donation program allows you to "donate" PTO to employees who experience a hardship. Specific criteria must be met to qualify for PTO donation:

• Recipient must be a full-time, regular part-time or part-time employee.
• Employees who donate must have a balance of 80 hours after donating.
• Employees may donate their PTO in eight hour increments, up to 80 hours per calendar year;
• The recipient must be on an approved leave of absence for a serious medical condition for the employee or an immediate family member with an anticipated continuous duration of greater than 30 days.
• The recipient must have a combined PTO and EIB balance of less than 80 hours.
• The recipient may receive a maximum of 240 hours.

For more information, contact your manager.

Bereavement Leave
Experiencing the loss of a family member is extremely difficult. Carilion realizes employees going through this loss need time away from work to begin their recovery process. You may use three bereavement leave days, up to a total of 36 work hours if there is a death in your immediate family. One of the bereavement days is for the day of the funeral or memorial service. Immediate family includes:

• spouse
• parent
• legal guardian
• legal dependents
• spouse’s parents
• children
• stepchildren
• grandchildren
• brothers
• sisters
• step-relations
• grandparents
• child's spouse
• brother-in-law
• sister-in-law

Employees should request the leave as soon as they are aware of a need. Bereavement leave is separate from, and will not affect your PTO.

Jury Duty
If you are called for jury duty, inform your Manager as soon as you know. Regular pay and benefits continue during jury duty. However, if you are on jury duty on days you were scheduled to work, any money you receive for jury duty must be paid to Carilion.