Chapter ER 18
ABSENCES
ER 18.02 Annual leave of absence.
ER 18.05 Other provisions relating to annual leave, sick leave and personal holidays.
ER 18.06 Leave with pay due to work-related injury.
ER 18.08 Military service.
ER 18.09 Civilian service.
ER 18.12 Leaves of absence for civil service interviews.
ER 18.13 Leave of absence by employees and certain elected officials for military preinduction physical examination.
ER 18.14 Leave of absence without pay.
ER 18.15 Catastrophic leave.
ER 18.16 Paid leaves for providing certain disaster relief services.
ER 18.17 Paid leave to serve as a bone marrow or organ donor.
ER 18.18 Paid leave to serve as an election official.
ER 18.01
ER 18.01
Definitions. In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
ER 18.01(1)
(1) “Elected official" means a constitutional officer or other elected official under s.
20.923 (2), Stats.
ER 18.01(2)
(2) “Employee" means any person who receives remuneration for services rendered to the state under an employer-employee relationship in the classified or unclassified civil service except:
ER 18.01(3)
(3) “Employment status" means the status of a person in the civil service under s.
230.08, Stats., while in pay status or on:
ER 18.01(3)(d)
(d) Leave of absence due to injury or illness arising out of state employment and covered by worker's compensation under ch.
102, Stats., or s.
230.36, Stats.;
ER 18.01(4)(a)
(a) Parents, step-parents, grandparents, foster parents, children, step-children, grandchildren, foster children, brothers and their spouses, sisters and their spouses, of the employee or spouse;
ER 18.01(4)(c)
(c) Aunts and uncles, sons-in-law or daughters-in-law of the employee or spouse; and
ER 18.01(4)(d)
(d) Other relatives of the employee or spouse providing they reside in the same household of the employee.
ER 18.01(4m)
(4m) “Layoff” means the termination of the services of an employee with permanent status in class from a position in a group in which a reduction in force is to be accomplished and which results in permissive reemployment eligibility of the affected employee to future positions.
ER 18.01(5)
(5) Except as provided in s.
ER 18.15, “leave credits" mean earned but unused annual leave, termination leave, sabbatical leave, sick leave, personal and legal holiday time, and holiday compensatory time off. “Leave credits" does not include compensatory time off credits earned for working overtime.
ER 18.01(6)
(6) “Limited term employee" means a person who is an employee as a result of either:
ER 18.01(6)(a)
(a) Employment in the classified service in which the nature and conditions do not permit attainment of permanent status in class, for which the use of normal procedures for recruitment and
selection are not practicable, and which is not project employment; or
ER 18.01(6)(b)
(b) Employment in the unclassified service in which the employee would have been considered a limited term employee, had employment been in the classified service.
ER 18.01(7)
(7) “Sabbatical leave" means annual leave which was deferred during the year earned to be used in a subsequent year to extend the annual leave, unless used for termination leave.
ER 18.01(8)
(8) “Termination leave" means annual leave which was deferred during the year earned to be used in a subsequent year to extend an employee's termination date or for payment in a lump sum upon termination.
ER 18.01 History
History: Cr.
Register, May, 1988, No. 389, eff. 6-1-88; correction in (2) (b) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register, October, 1994, No. 466; am. (5),
Register, June, 1997, No. 498, eff. 7-1-97; am. (3) (f),
Register, December, 1999, No. 528, eff. 1-1-00; correction in (2) (b) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register April 2002 No. 556;
2015 Wis. Act 330 s.
20: am. (2) (b)
Register April 2016 No. 724, eff. 5-1-16;
CR 18-006: am. (2) (b), (e), (3) (f), (4m), (6) (a) Register July 2018 No. 751, eff. 8-1-18. ER 18.02
ER 18.02
Annual leave of absence. ER 18.02(1)(1)
Employees who earn annual leave of absence. With the exception of limited term employees, all employees shall earn annual leave as provided in this section. Special rate tables and provisions for specific classifications may be provided in the compensation plan.
ER 18.02(2)(a)
(a) Only the most recent period in continuous employment status in the unclassified service under s.
230.08 (2), Stats., employment in the University of Wisconsin System as provided in s.
230.15 (4), Stats., or as a permanent employee in the classified service or any combination shall be counted in determining an employee's length of continuous service. This excludes time served as a limited term employee or in those positions under s.
230.08 (2) (k), 2013 Stats., regarding youth camps and students respectively. The inclusion of time served in a project appointment is governed by s.
ER 18.05 (3) and
(4).
ER 18.02(2)(b)
(b) The continuous employment status of an employee eligible for annual leave shall not be considered interrupted if the employee:
ER 18.02(2)(b)2m.
2m. Left the service and is reemployed within 5 years, subject to the following:
ER 18.02(2)(b)2m.a.
a. Employment prior to leaving the service and upon returning to the service within 5 years must be as a permanent, classified employee or as an unclassified employee other than a limited term employee.
ER 18.02(2)(b)2m.b.
b. Any return to service following termination for misconduct or delinquency is deemed to not be a qualifying reemployment under this provision, even though the return is within the 5 year period.
ER 18.02(2)(b)3.
3. Was serving a project appointment and was eligible to transfer continuous service credits under s.
ER 18.05 (3) regarding transfer of credits by project employees who were permanent employees.
ER 18.02(2)(b)5.
5. Was absent due to injury or illness arising from state employment and covered by the worker's compensation act, or s.
230.36, Stats., regarding hazardous employment injuries and pay continuation.
ER 18.02(2)(b)6.
6. Was an employee who left the service, returned to state employment on or after July 1, 2003, and immediately attained exempt status under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act,
29 USC 201 to
219 or was an employee appointed to a career executive position under the program established under s.
230.24, Stats., or a position designated in s.
19.42 (10) (L) or
20.923 (4),
(7),
(8), and
(9), Stats., or authorized under s.
230.08 (2) (e), Stats. and is reemployed and immediately attains exempt status under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act,
29 USC 201 to
219. This subdivision applies regardless of the duration of absence as provided under s.
230.35 (1m) (f), Stats.
ER 18.02(2)(c)
(c) The length of time between an employee's resignation and reemployment under sub.
(2) (b), shall not be counted in computing years of continuous service.
ER 18.02(2)(d)
(d) Persons in seasonal, sessional, school year and part-time employment shall be deemed to have completed one full year of service for each such seasonal, sessional or other part-time annual period of service in computing years of continuous service.
ER 18.02(2)(e)
(e) The provisions of this section regarding credit for leaves of absence other than military leave, leave to serve in the unclassified service or leave of absence due to injury or illness arising out of state employment and covered by worker's compensation under ch.
102, Stats., or s.
230.36, Stats., shall apply only to persons who return from an approved leave of absence on or after April 9, 1976. There shall be no adjustment to length of service credits for approved leaves or portions thereof taken prior to April 9, 1976.
ER 18.02(3)(a)
(a) Pursuant to ss.
230.27 (2m) and
230.35 (1) (b), Stats., permanent and project employees in the classified service are not eligible to take annual leave during the first 6 months of the most recent period of continuous service in the classified service unless to use annual leave already accrued in an unclassified position. Continuous service credits earned during employment in the unclassified service do not count toward this 6 month qualifying period. Employees who terminate during this 6 month period are deemed to have earned annual leave credits but have not acquired eligibility to take annual leave or receive any payment for the annual leave credits earned during this 6 month period.
ER 18.02(3)(b)
(b) Unclassified employees are not required to complete a qualifying period prior to taking annual leave.
ER 18.02(3)(c)
(c) Eligible employees shall be granted noncumulative annual leave based on accumulated continuous state service as follows:
ER 18.02(3)(c)1.
1. Full-time, full-year employment. Employees in nonexempt status under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act,
29 USC 201 to
219. Annual leave shall be based upon accumulated continuous state service and earned at the rate for each year as shown in the following table:
ER 18.02(3)(c)2.
2. Seasonal, sessional, school year and part-time employees. Employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours during any biweekly pay period during the calendar year shall be granted prorated annual leave consistent with subds.
1. and
3. ER 18.02(3)(c)3.
3. Annual leave for full-time, full year employees in exempt status under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act,
29 USC 201 to
219, shall be based upon accumulated continuous service and earned at the rate shown in the following table:
ER 18.02(4)(a)
(a) Annual leave credits in any given year shall not be earned for any period of absence without pay except periods of absence due to temporary layoff under s.
ER-MRS 22.14.
ER 18.02(4)(b)
(b) Annual leave for employees covered in sub.
(3) (c) 1.,
2. and
3. and persons included under s.
20.923 (4),
(8) and
(9), Stats., shall be prorated during the calendar year in which the rate of earning changes.
ER 18.02(4)(c)
(c) Upon termination of employment, annual leave shall be prorated and payment for unused leave for which an employee is eligible under sub.
(4) shall be made in accordance with sub.
(9).
ER 18.02(4)(d)
(d) The amount of annual leave earned by an employee during a calendar year is based on the employee's hours in pay status up to a maximum of 80 hours per biweekly pay period. Annual leave is not earned during overtime work hours. Hourly annual leave amounts earned for each hour in pay status can be computed by using the following:
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See PDF for table 
ER 18.02(5)(a)
(a) Pursuant to s.
230.35 (1p) (a), Stats., employees who earn annual leave at the rate of 160, 176, or 184 hours per year may elect to receive up to 40 hours of such leave, or prorated portion thereof, among one or more of the following options:
ER 18.02(5)(a)2.
2. Credit for a combined termination and sabbatical leave plan with such credit being accumulated without limitation.
ER 18.02(5)(b)
(b) Pursuant to s.
230.35 (1p) (b) and
(bm), Stats., employees who earn annual leave at a rate of 200 or 216 hours per year may elect to receive up to 80 or 120 hours, respectively, of such leave, or prorated portion thereof, among one or more of the following options:
ER 18.02(5)(b)2.
2. Credit for a combined termination and sabbatical leave plan with such credit being accumulated without limitation.
ER 18.02(5)(b)3.
3. Cash payment during the year earned for not to exceed 40 hours at the employee's base rate exclusive of any supplementary compensation as of the last day of the payroll in the calendar year.
