myPTO Program: FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Paid Time Off (PTO)

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Reduced Paid Leave (RPL)

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  • What is RPL?

    RPL is a benefit funded by UTMB that provides expanded income protection to employees who have exhausted their available accruals and need more time away from work for a personal illness/injury, the catastrophic illness/injury of an immediate family member or parental leave.

  • Who is eligible for RPL?

    Employees who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for RPL:

    • Appointed to work at least 20 hours per week (0.5–1.0 FTE) in a benefits-eligible position that does not require student status as a condition of employment.
    • Have exhausted all available accruals and are either 1.) unable to perform the essential job functions of their position due to a personal illness/injury that directly results in a significant, adverse change to their physical or mental condition or 2.) unable to work due to the catastrophic illness/injury of an immediate family member and have had at least six months of continuous employment; a catastrophic illness/injury is a severe condition or combination of conditions affecting the family member’s physical or mental health that is immediately life-threatening or likely to be fatal within the next 12 months.

    Please note:

    • Approved RPL runs concurrently with Family and Medical Leave (FML), parental leave or any other health-related leave.
    • If an employee has applied or been approved for short-term disability payments through the
      UT System benefits program, they are not eligible for RPL for the same qualifying illness/injury.
    • If an employee has been approved for long-term disability payments through the UT System benefits program, they are no longer eligible for RPL if there is an overlap of the payment periods.
    • Employees may not receive both Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI) and RPL. If an employee has filed, is filing or intends to file a WCI claim or appeal, they are not eligible to apply for RPL.
  • How does RPL work?

    RPL may be granted for two illness/injury periods within a rolling 12 months, up to a combined maximum of 480 hours. The two illness/injury periods may consist of:

    • Two unrelated diagnoses for an employee’s own illness/injury.
    • One period for an employee’s own illness/injury and one period for an immediate family member’s catastrophic illness/injury.
    • Two unrelated diagnoses for immediate family members’ catastrophic illness/injury.

    Employees on an approved leave of absence for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child may receive up 480 RPL hours, minus their personal paid leave accruals.

  • Can RPL be used to cover care and bonding time after the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child?

    Yes. Granted RPL hours may be used to cover care and bonding time.

  • What is not covered by RPL?

    RPL cannot be used for:

    • Intermittent absences (even when associated with an approved leave of absence).
    • Illness/injury requiring care outside of the United States other than unplanned, emergency care while traveling.
    • Absences related to treatments or procedures that are deemed non-medically necessary (cosmetic, infertility, sterilization treatments or procedures).
    • Absences related to dental services such as those provided for the routine care, treatment, extraction, removal or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth.
    • Absences related to dental-in-nature oral and maxillofacial surgery or any procedures related to dental implants.
  • How are the number of RPL hours granted to an employee determined?

    The number of RPL hours granted for an illness/injury period is based on the physical and/or cognitive demands of the employee’s position; diagnosis leading to treatment or surgery; and the medical disability standards for the specified health condition.

    It is important to note that the number of RPL hours granted may not be sufficient to cover the full length of incapacity noted by the licensed practitioner in the required certification.

  • If an employee was granted RPL for two illness/injury periods within the last 12 months but did not receive or use the maximum 480 hours, is the employee eligible for additional RPL hours?

    No. Employees who received RPL for two illness/injury periods within the last 12 months will not be able to re-apply for RPL until 12 months after the end date of the first RPL grant, even if the total number of hours used was less than 480. 

  • What is the process for applying for RPL?

    Employees needing RPL for a personal illness/injury, the catastrophic illness/injury of an immediate family member or parental leave are required to complete an online application. They must also provide certification supporting the leave from a licensed practitioner. Failure to provide the required certification may result in the denial of the request.

    HR Leave Management reviews all requests and supporting documentation to determine if the leave qualifies for RPL.

    Application for Reduced Paid Leave

  • How are employees paid while on RPL?

    While on RPL, employees will receive 50% of their monthly or hourly base pay rate. RPL is payable after seven calendar days or the exhaustion of all available accruals, whichever is greater.

    Each new illness/injury period requires employees to satisfy a new elimination period, and RPL hours cannot be supplemented with other accrued leave.

  • What happens if an employee does not have sufficient leave accruals to cover the seven-day elimination period?

    Employees who do not have sufficient leave accruals may use leave without pay to cover the seven-day elimination period. 

  • What happens if an employee is released to return to work before using all granted RPL hours?

    If an employee is released to return to work by a licensed practitioner before using all granted RPL hours, the unused hours will expire. 

  • How does RPL work with short-term disability insurance?

    If an employee has applied or been approved for short-term disability payments through the UT System benefits program, they are not eligible for RPL for the same qualifying illness/injury.

  • If an employee is receiving Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI) benefits for a work-related illness/injury, can they also receive RPL?

    No. Employees may not receive both Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI) and RPL. If an employee has filed, is filing or intends to file a WCI claim or appeal, they are not eligible to apply for RPL.

  • Can an employee apply for RPL if they are out on an approved leave of absence at the time of transition to the myPTO program?

    No. Employees who are already out on an approved leave of absence at the time of transition to the myPTO program will not be able to apply for RPL for that absence. 

  • Will employees continue to accrue PTO and holiday hours while on RPL?

    No. Employees on RPL are placed in a leave of absence status, which suspends their accrual of PTO and holiday hours.

  • What happens if an employee receives a donation of EIB hours directly from another employee while on RPL?

    If an employee on RPL receives a donation of EIB hours directly from another employee, RPL will be suspended while the employee uses the donated hours. Donated EIB hours will paid at 100% of the employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate.

  • Can employees donate granted RPL hours to others?

    No. Employees may not donate granted RPL hours to another employee or to UTMB’s Major Disaster Recovery Bank (MDRB), upon activation.

  • What happens if an employee separates or retires from UTMB with granted, unused RPL hours?

    If an employee separates or retires from UTMB with granted, unused RPL hours, the hours will expire and the employee will not receive any payment for them. 

  • What happens to granted, unused RPL hours upon an employee’s death?

    Upon the death of an employee, UTMB will not pay the estate of the deceased for any RPL hours granted but not used. 

Extended Illness Bank (EIB)

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Institutional Holidays

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  • What is UTMB’s institutional holiday schedule?

    UTMB’s holiday schedule includes 10 designated holidays each fiscal year. If a designated holiday occurs on a Saturday or Sunday, it will generally be observed the business day before or after the weekend.

    • Labor Day
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Day after Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Eve
    • Christmas Day
    • New Year’s Day
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Juneteenth
    • Independence Day
  • Does the institutional holiday schedule include alternate holidays?

    The holiday schedule also includes approved alternate holidays. 

    • Rosh Hashanah
    • Yom Kippur
    • Veterans Day
    • Good Friday
    • Cesar Chavez Day
    • Eid-al-Fitr
    • Eid-al-Adha

    Employees may observe an alternate holiday by working on a designated holiday that requires staffing, with their supervisor’s approval. If the department is not open and staffed to conduct business on the holiday, then the employee may not work during the holiday and must use their available accruals to observe the alternate holiday.

  • Who is eligible for holiday credit?

    All employees who are appointed to work at least 20 hours per week (0.5–1.0 FTE) in a benefits-eligible position that does not require student status as a condition of employment are eligible to receive holiday credit.

  • How is holiday credit accrued?

    Employees receive up to eight hours of holiday credit for each official holiday. Hours are prorated based on FTE status and are automatically populated within the Kronos timekeeping system two weeks prior to each official holiday. 

  • What happens if an employee wants to observe an alternate holiday?

    Employees may observe an approved alternate holiday by working on a designated holiday that requires staffing, with their supervisor’s approval. If the department is not open and staffed to conduct business on the holiday, then the employee may not work during the holiday and must use their available accruals to observe the alternate holiday.

  • How do floating holidays work?

    The hours equivalent to the amount of time granted for five floating holidays are rolled into employees’ monthly PTO accrual rate each fiscal year.

    These hours are included in the monthly PTO accrual rates that are available online and in the Paid Time Off Fact Sheet.

  • What happens if a bi-weekly employee works on an institutional holiday?

    Employees who are paid bi-weekly and required to work on a designated holiday will receive their regular rate of pay for all hours worked and holiday pay for the amount of time granted for the holiday.

    Employees wanting to receive holiday compensatory time instead of holiday pay must submit a request through the Kronos timekeeping system within 72 hours of the holiday. Requests submitted after the 72-hour period (historical corrections) will not be accepted.

    Holiday compensatory time will be equivalent to the amount of time granted for the holiday and must be used within 12 months from the date of accrual.

  • Can monthly employees work on an institutional holiday?

    Employees who are paid monthly (Administrative & Professional, Faculty and Nonteaching) and work on a holiday they are not scheduled or required to work may do so with prior approval from their supervisor.

    Employees who work on a designated holiday will receive 8 hours of holiday compensatory time, which will be stored in the employee’s holiday balance.

    Employees who work their appointed hours during the week but their regularly scheduled day off occurs on a designated holiday, will receive 8 hours of holiday compensatory time, which will be stored in the employee’s holiday balance. For example, if an employee’s regularly appointed hours are Tuesday – Friday and the holiday is on a Monday, the employee will receive 8 hours of holiday compensatory time. Holiday compensatory time must be used within 12 months from the date of accrual. 

  • What happens if an institutional holiday occurs while an employee is out on previously scheduled leave?

    If an institutional holiday occurs while an employee is out on previously scheduled leave, the time should be considered holiday leave and not charged against the employee’s available accruals. 

  • Do employees accrue holiday credit when they are on a leave of absence?

    No. Employees are not eligible for holiday credit if an institutional holiday occurs while they are on an unpaid leave of absence. 

  • What happens if an institutional holiday occurs on a bi-weekly employee’s regularly scheduled day off?

    If an institutional holiday occurs on a bi-weekly employee’s regularly scheduled day off, the employee will receive eight hours (prorated for FTE status) of holiday credit. The holiday credit will be paid on the next scheduled payday.

  • What happens if an employee is unable to work a scheduled shift on an institutional holiday?

    If an employee is unable to work a scheduled shift on an institutional holiday, the holiday credit used should be recorded as unscheduled in accordance with UTMB’s Attendance Policy.

  • What happens to an employee’s holiday credit if they move from a benefits-eligible position to a non-benefits eligible position?

    Employees who move from a benefits-eligible position to a non-benefits eligible position will no longer be able to receive or use holiday credit. Accrued but unused holiday hours are frozen until the employee returns to a benefits-eligible status or terminates employment. 

  • Will employees be able to receive holiday credit if they move from a non-benefits eligible position to a benefits-eligible position?

    Employees who move from a non-benefits eligible position to a benefits-eligible position will begin receiving holiday credit as of the date of the status change. Hours will be prorated based on FTE status.

  • Is holiday compensatory time paid upon separation or retirement from UTMB?

    Employees who separate from UTMB for any reason will not receive payment for accrued holiday compensatory time. However, employees who voluntarily separate from UTMB may be able to extend their separation date up to 40 hours to allow them to use their accrued time. Requests to extend a separation date should be submitted and approved in advance. Historical corrections will not be permitted.

  • What happens to the holiday leave balance of employees transferring between state agencies?

    If an employee is transferring from UTMB to another state agency, their unused holiday credit may be transferred if the new agency accepts holiday leave balances.

    If an employee is transferring to UTMB from another state agency, their unused holiday credit may not be transferred as UTMB does not accept holiday leave balances.

  • What happens to holiday compensatory time upon an employee’s death?

    Upon the death of an active employee, UTMB will pay the estate of the deceased for accrued holiday compensatory time as of the last day of employment. Payment will be calculated at the employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate at the time of their death.

  • Do I still have access to my personal holidays?

    The myPTO program supports personal holidays previously granted to employees. Accrued personal holiday hours do not expire and may carry forward from one fiscal year to the next with no limits.

  • Are personal holiday hours paid upon separation or retirement from UTMB?

    Yes. Employees who separate from UTMB for any reason will receive a lump sum payment for the total number of personal holiday hours accrued but not used as of the last day of employment. Payment will be calculated at the employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate at the time of separation.

Major Disaster Recovery Bank (MDRB)

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  • What is a Major Disaster Recovery Bank (MDRB)?

    The MDRB is a temporary leave-sharing plan that permits employees to donate accrued PTO and/or EIB hours to a leave pool for use by other employees adversely affected by a major disaster, as declared by the U.S. President or Texas Governor.

  • Who is eligible for the MDRB?

    All employees who are appointed to work at least 20 hours per week (0.5–1.0 FTE) in a benefits-eligible position that does not require student status as a condition of employment are able to donate accruals to and request withdrawals from the MDRB. 

  • How does the MDRB work?

    The UTMB President has the discretion to activate and inactivate the MDRB and to establish the employee eligibility criteria associated with each activation.

    Depending on the nature of the declared major disaster, employees are able to donate PTO and/or EIB hours to the MDRB. Donations will be accepted for the duration of the MDRB event, and it is important to note that employees may only donate hours accrued under the myPTO program. Hours accrued under the previous state-sponsored vacation and sick leave plans are not eligible for donation. 

  • Are the donations subject to taxation?

    No. Donations to the MDRB are not subject to taxation. 

  • How many PTO and/or EIB hours can employees donate to the MDRB?

    Employees may donate:

    • A minimum of 8 PTO hours up to their maximum annual accrual of PTO hours.
    • A minimum of 8 EIB hours up to a maximum of 200 hours, only if EIB donations are accepted into the MDRB.

    When making a donation, employees must maintain a PTO balance of at least 80 historical and new hours and an EIB balance of at least 80 hours.

  • What are the criteria for receiving withdrawals from the MDRB?

    An employee may request to receive withdrawals from the MDRB if they have exhausted their available accruals and a declared major disaster has caused severe hardship to the employee and/or to an immediate family member, resulting in the employee being unable to work. 

  • What is the maximum number of MDRB hours an employee can receive?

    Employees may receive up to two grants of MDRB hours per activation of the temporary recovery bank, not to exceed 80 hours per grant (for a total of 160 hours). If the temporary recovery bank is activated multiple times in a fiscal year, then the maximum MDRB hours that may be granted to an employee for all activations is 300 hours.

  • How are the number of MDRB hours granted to an employee determined?

    MDRB hours are granted based on the employee’s eligibility, the order in which the request was received and the number of hours available in the temporary recovery bank.

  • Can granted MDRB hours be used intermittently?

    Yes. Granted MDRB hours may be used intermittently.

  • How are recipient employees paid for granted MDRB hours?

    Granted MDRB hours will be paid at the recipient employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate at the time of use.

  • What happens to granted, unused MDRB hours if a recipient employee moves from a benefits-eligible position to a non-benefits eligible position?

    If a recipient employee moves from a benefits-eligible position to a non-benefits eligible position, any granted, unused MDRB hours will be returned to the temporary recovery bank.

  • What happens if a recipient employee separates or retires from UTMB with granted, unused MDRB hours?

    A recipient employee who separates or retires from UTMB with granted, unused MDRB hours will not receive payment for these hours. The hours will be returned to the temporary recovery bank. 

  • What happens upon inactivation of the MDRB?

    Upon inactivation of the MDRB, unused PTO and/or EIB hours will be returned to the donor employees. This includes unused hours granted to recipient employees and unused hours remaining in the temporary recovery bank.

  • How much time will be returned to donor employees?

    Unused PTO and/or EIB hours will be returned in the same proportion as the number of hours an employee donated relative to the total hours donated for the disaster event, unless the remaining amount is so small that accounting for it is unreasonable or administratively impractical.

    Example: If an employee donates 200 hours and the temporary recovery bank receives a total of 10,000 hours, then 0.20% of any unused hours will be returned to the donor employee at the end of the MDRB event.

  • What happens to returned PTO and/or EIB hours if a donor employee separates or retires from UTMB prior to the inactivation of the MDRB?

    If a donor employee separates or retires from UTMB prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank, the employee will be paid for any returned PTO hours. Payment will be calculated at the employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate at the time of separation.

    If a donor employee separates from UTMB prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank and is reemployed by the state within 31 calendar days to 12 months of the date of separation, any returned EIB hours will be restored to the employee’s EIB balance.

  • What happens to returned PTO and/or EIB hours if a donor employee transfers to another state agency prior to the inactivation of the MDRB?

    If a donor employee transfers to another state agency prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank, UTMB will notify the new agency about the additional PTO hours to be added to the employee’s PTO/vacation leave balance.

    If a donor employee transfers to another state agency prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank and meets the new agency’s EIB/sick leave reinstatement requirements, the returned EIB hours will be sent to the new agency for crediting to the employee’s EIB/sick leave balance.

  • What happens to returned PTO and/or EIB hours if a donor employee dies prior to the inactivation of the MDRB?

    If a donor employee dies prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank, UTMB will pay the estate of the deceased for any returned PTO hours. Payment will be calculated at the employee’s monthly or hourly base pay rate at the time of death.

    If a donor employee dies prior to the inactivation of the temporary recovery bank, UTMB will pay the estate of the deceased for one-half of the returned EIB hours, providing the 336-hour payout maximum has not been reached.