Supervisors adopt changes to sick‑leave, donated leave and other personnel rules

Fluvanna County’s Board of Supervisors on June 4 approved multiple amendments to personnel policy section 2.13 covering sick leave, donated leave, unpaid leave and holidays.

The changes tighten the definition of "immediate family" for sick‑leave purposes to align with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) language (spouse, biological/adoptive/step/foster son or daughter, parent, minor child served in loco parentis, legal guardian, next of kin, medical power of attorney). The board also agreed to a tiered sick‑leave payout structure that increases the cash payout caps for longer‑tenured employees.

Key changes adopted
- Immediate family definition narrowed to match FMLA‑style relationships (presented as legal guidance in the draft policy).
- Sick‑leave payout (at separation) tiers: 5–10 years of service — $2,500 (unchanged); 10–15 years — $5,000; 15–20 years — $7,500; more than 20 years — $10,000. The 5‑year minimum tier remains at $2,500.
- Military leave updated to reflect a change in Virginia law (2022) raising the paid military leave allowance from 15 to 21 days.
- Leave without pay limited to 80 hours per fiscal year with exceptions that may be authorized by the county administrator or constitutional officer for extenuating circumstances.
- Donated (shared) sick leave: recipients are limited to receiving 80 hours per fiscal year unless the county administrator or constitutional officer authorizes an exception; donors and recipients must generally have worked for the county at least one year; donors must retain a minimum balance of 40 hours after donation; employees may not donate after submitting a resignation; hybrid employees are restricted from receiving donated leave while on short‑term disability.
- Process and controls strengthened: HR will manage donation requests; finance director and county administrator sign the leave‑sharing form (assistant county administrator signs if either finance director or county administrator is a donor/recipient).

Board action
Motion: Approve amendments to Personnel Policy 2.13 (leave and holidays) including the clarified immediate family definition and donated‑leave limits. Mover: Mister O’Brien. Seconder: Mister Hodge. Vote: recorded voice vote, chair announced “aye”; motion recorded in the meeting as passing 4-0. Outcome: approved.

Rationale and discussion
Personnel staff and HR representatives said the policy revisions reward employee longevity, reduce potential misuse of donated leave, and reflect changes in state law (military leave). Board members asked about how donated leave interacts with short‑term disability and about processes for handling extenuating circumstances; staff said exceptions can be approved by the county administrator or constitutional officers and that finance and HR controls will be applied.

Speakers
- Mister Wood — staff member (presenter, Human Resources/Administration) (government)
- Mister O’Brien — Board member (government)
- Mister Hodge — Board member (government)

Authorities
- {"type":"statute","name":"Virginia code change increasing paid military leave to 21 days (2022)","referenced_by":["Mister Wood"]}

Clarifying details
- {"category":"sick_leave_payout","detail":"tiered payout caps by years of service","value":null,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mister Wood"}
- {"category":"donation_limits","detail":"recipients limited to 80 hours per fiscal year (exceptions by county administrator/constitutional officer)","value":80,"units":"hours","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mister Wood"}
- {"category":"donor_min_balance","detail":"donor must retain at least 40 hours after donation","value":40,"units":"hours","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mister Wood"}

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