Employees are eligible to use their vacation leave after completing six months of employment. The amount of leave they accrue depends on their length of state service. Below is a chart detailing the accrual rates:

Vacation Leave must be earned before it can be used. Employees must use their vacation leave within the fiscal year, or it will be carried forward to the next year, subject to the maximum carry-forward limits. Any excess leave beyond these limits will be converted to sick leave.

Overtime and compensatory leave policies ensure fair compensation for non-exempt employees who work beyond their standard hours. Non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a work week are entitled to compensatory time off at a rate of one and a half hours for each hour of overtime worked. Alternatively, if granting compensatory time off is impractical, employees may receive overtime pay at one and a half times their regular rate.

Employees can accumulate up to 240 hours of overtime credit, with certain exceptions for those in public safety or emergency response roles, who may accumulate up to 480 hours. Any overtime beyond these limits must be compensated with pay. Additionally, part-time non-exempt employees are paid at their regular rate for hours worked over their designated schedule and receive overtime pay for hours exceeding 40 in a work week.

For exempt employees, compensatory time or overtime pay is generally not accrued, but they may be granted compensatory leave at the institution’s discretion for hours worked beyond 40 in a week.

Certified Red Cross volunteers can take up to 10 days of paid leave per fiscal year for disaster relief services, with necessary approvals.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at Lamar University provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12-month period for specific family and medical reasons. These reasons include personal or family illness, childbirth, adoption, and certain military-related situations. During this leave, employees can maintain their health insurance and are guaranteed a return to their same or an equivalent job afterward.

Parental Leave is available to faculty and staff who are not eligible for Family Medical Leave (FML). This leave allows for up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of unpaid leave for the birth of a natural child or the adoption or foster care placement of a child under three years of age.

Parental leave must be taken within the 12 weeks following the birth or placement of the child. Employees are required to use all available applicable paid leave (such as sick leave, vacation leave, and compensatory time off) before taking unpaid leave. Sick leave can be used for medical necessities related to the birth or adoption.