Good morning, Chair and Members of the Board,
Proposed Guidance for the Administrative/Human Resources Manual for Local Departments of Social Services has been posted for public comment. I am requesting that the State Board of Social Services consider increasing the standard annual leave carryover limits for local Department of Social Services employees as outlined in Chapter 4, document HR4.
For approximately 40 years, our annual leave carryover limits have remained unchanged, while the responsibilities, expectations, and demands placed on local social services employees have increased substantially.
While I appreciate that current policy permits local boards to approve exceptions when agency demands prevent employees from taking annual leave, I want to emphasize that an exception to the existing policy is not the same as increasing the standard carryover limits.
Under the current policy, additional leave approved through an exception must be used within 12 months or it expires. Furthermore, that additional leave is not included in the amount an employee may receive upon separation.
What I am requesting is a permanent increase in the standard annual leave carryover limits, with corresponding consideration of the maximum leave payout limits.
Current Amounts:
|
Years of Service |
Maximum Annual Carryover & Payout Amount |
Max. Carryover Hours 40-Hour Week |
Max. Carryover Hours 37.5-Hour Week |
Max. Carryover Hours 35-Hour Week |
|
Up to 5 Years |
24 Days |
192 Hours |
180 Hours |
168 Hours |
|
5 Years |
30 Days |
240 Hours |
225 Hours |
210 Hours |
|
10 Years |
36 Days |
288 Hours |
270 Hours |
252 Hours |
|
15 Years |
42 Days |
336 Hours |
315 Hours |
294 Hours |
|
20 Years |
48 Days |
384 Hours |
360 Hours |
336 Hours |
|
25 Years |
54 Days |
432 Hours |
405 Hours |
378 Hours |
Proposed Chart:
|
Years of Service |
Maximum Annual Carryover & Payout Amount |
Max. Carryover Hours & Payout 40-Hour Week |
Max. Carryover Hours & Payout 37.5-Hour Week |
Max. Carryover Hours & Payout 35-Hour Week |
|
Up to 5 Years |
30 Days |
240 Hours |
225 Hours |
210 Hours |
|
5 Years |
36 Days |
288 Hours |
270 Hours |
252 Hours |
|
10 Years |
42 Days |
336 Hours |
315 Hours |
294 Hours |
|
15 Years |
48 Days |
384 Hours |
360 Hours |
336 Hours |
|
20 Years |
54 Days |
432 Hours |
405 Hours |
378 Hours |
|
25 Years |
60 Days |
480 Hours |
450 Hours |
420 Hours |
|
30 Years |
66 Days |
528 Hours |
495 Hours |
462 Hours |
|
35 Years |
72 Days |
576 Hours |
540 Hours |
504 Hours |
|
40 Years |
78 Days |
624 Hours |
585 Hours |
546 Hours |
This is particularly important for smaller local agencies, where limited staffing, vacancies, increasing caseloads, and the demands of providing essential services frequently make it difficult for employees to take the leave they have earned.
We must not place employees in a position where their commitment to serving their communities results in the loss of an earned benefit. Nor should we expect employees who have already postponed vacations because of staff shortages to face the same dilemma the following year.
Increasing the standard carryover limits would provide a meaningful retention benefit, recognize the demands placed on our workforce, and give employees greater flexibility to take leave when operational circumstances permit.
Our workforce has changed, our responsibilities have expanded, and the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified employees have become increasingly complex. It is time for our annual leave policies to reflect those realities.
I respectfully ask the Board to consider modernizing these limits rather than continuing to rely on temporary exceptions to address an ongoing workforce challenge.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Linda Cooke
Interim Director, King and Queen DSS