a. Annual leave allowances of 80 to 160 hours are provided according to the length of continuous classified service completed in the Hillsborough County Civil Service system by the employee. Accumulation shall be computed each pay period by multiplying the paid hours in that pay period which do not exceed the total number of hours regularly scheduled by that Appointing Authority times a decimal factor, as follows: (Illustrations are based on a regularly scheduled 40 hour work week)

(1) for less than five full years of continuous classified service, paid hours shall be multiplied by 0.0385 (80 hours or 10 days);

(2) for more than five years, but less than ten full years of continuous classified service, paid hours shall be multiplied by 0.0462 (96 hours or 12 days);

(3) for more than ten years, but less than fifteen full years of continuous classified service, paid hours shall be multiplied by 0.0577 (120 hours or 15 days);

(4) for fifteen or more years of continuous classified service, paid hours shall be multiplied by 0.0769 (160 hours or 20 days).

b. Annual Leave During Initial Probation:

No employee shall ordinarily be considered eligible for annual leave with pay until he or she has successfully completed initial probation in the Civil Service system and obtained the rights of a tenured employee. Exceptions may be granted by the Appointing Authority based on written justification by the employee which supports all of the following:

(1) denying the leave would create a personal or financial hardship on the employee;

(2) approving the leave would not adversely impact the operation of the department or agency;

(3) accrued annual leave is available;

(4) approving the leave would be in the best interest of Hillsborough County.

c. Approval of Annual Leave Request by Appointing Authority:

All annual leave requests, and changes thereto, must be approved by the Appointing Authority or their designated representative. The amount of advance notification employees must provide to their department or agency shall be determined by the Appointing Authority. In scheduling and granting annual leave, the Appointing

Authority shall give due consideration to work requirements of the department or agency, the wishes of the employee, and the potential for loss of annual leave to the employee, as stipulated in CS Rule 10.5d below.

d. Maximum Accrual and Use of Annual Leave:

(1) Except as provided in CSR 10.5d(5), beginning on the employee's Benefits Date in calendar year 1997, or the employee's hire date, if hired on or after the BEGIN DATE, as defined in CS Rule 10.4a(1), all tenured employees shall be required to use a minimum of 40 hours of annual leave each benefits year. On the employee's next Benefits Date, and on each Benefits Date thereafter, annual leave required herein, but not taken, shall be lost. For example, an employee who used only 32 hours of annual leave would lose 8 hours.

(2) Employees hired before the BEGIN DATE and who had an unused annual leave balance below 320 hours on the BEGIN DATE shall be allowed to accrue annual leave up to a maximum of 320 hours during the employee's period of employment with Hillsborough County. On the employee's Benefits Date in calendar year 1998, and on each Benefits Date thereafter, all unused annual leave required (40 hours) by CSR 10.5d(1) above, plus, all unused annual leave held by the employee in excess of 320 hours shall be lost.

(3) Employees hired before the BEGIN DATE and who had an unused annual leave balance in excess of 320 hours on the BEGIN DATE shall be allowed to maintain, but not exceed, that higher amount for the remainder of that employee's employment with Hillsborough County. On the employee's Benefits Date in calendar year 1998, and on each Benefits Date thereafter, all unused annual leave above the balance held by the employee on the BEGIN DATE shall be lost.

(4) Employees hired on or after the BEGIN DATE may accrue annual leave up to a maximum of 320 hours during the employee's period of employment with Hillsborough County. On the employee's next Benefits Date, and on each Benefits Date thereafter, all unused annual leave required by CSR 10.5d(1) above, plus, all unused annual leave held by the employee in excess of 320 hours shall be lost.

(5) Employees serving on initial probation on or after the BEGIN DATE shall have two years from the employee's date of hire to use all annual leave (80 hours) required in these rules.

e. Compensation for Unused Annual Leave:

With proper notice, and upon the conditions of death or retirement, voluntary resignation or layoff, any tenured employee, or in case of death, the employee's designated beneficiary, or in the absence of a designated beneficiary, the employee's survivor as defined in Chapter 121.091(8), Florida Statutes, shall be paid for any unused annual leave accrued that does not exceed 320 hours. Employees who are dismissed for cause, other than for mental or physical impairment, shall forfeit all rights for the payment of all annual leave accrued, but not used.

NOTE: Should an employee die while serving on initial probation, the employee's designated beneficiary, or in the absence of a designated beneficiary, the employee's survivor, as defined in Chapter 121.091(8), Florida Statutes, shall receive payment for any annual leave accrued, but not used, as provided herein.

f. Management Responsibilities:

When properly requested in advance by the employee, it shall be the responsibility of management to insure that employees are provided the opportunity to use all annual leave required under these rules. In cases where the denial of leave by management will result in the employee losing annual leave, or in those cases where the employee was not available to use the required annual leave because of an approved leave of absence, workers' compensation absence, enrollment in the Performance Improvement Program, or other compelling reasons, the maximum accrual and minimum usage requirements may be temporarily adjusted by the Agency Head on an individual case by case basis as follows:

(1) temporary adjustments may be made for a maximum period of up to twelve months beyond the employee's Benefits Date.

(2) the employee must use (or lose) the required minimum usage and reduce their maximum accruals to 320 hours during the benefits year immediately following the adjusted period. Minimum usage requirements include the amount initially not used because of the temporary adjustment, as well as the amount required during the following period.

(3) temporary adjustments by the Agency Head of the maximum accrual rate will not increase the maximum hours eligible for compensation (320), as provided by CSR 10.5(e) above.

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