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regarding granting or denying such leave under the Rules during that

waiting period. For example, an employee in the OSU who is otherwise

eligible, may be granted discretionary sick leave at half- pay prior to being
absent 30 consecutive workdays. To be eligible for discretionary sick leave

at half-pay under the Attendance Rules, an employee must have completed
one cumulative year of State service, must have permanent status as of the

point sick leave at half- pay is to begin (probationers with no permanent
hold item are not eligible), must have exhausted all accrued leave credits

and must have submitted satisfactory medical documentation of personal
disability. Although sick leave at half-pay under the Attendance Rules is

discretionary, arbitrary denials are not consistent with the intent of the Rules.
PERSONAL LEAVE

Crediting
Employees are credited with five days of personal leave upon appointment

to State service and thereafter with five days each year on the anniversary
date of such appointment. However, if an employee is off the payroll for any

reason on his or her personal leave anniversary date, his or her personal
leave anniversary date is changed to the date he or she returns to the payroll

and he or she is credited with five days of personal leave at that time.
Personal leave is not cumulative and any personal leave credits remaining

unused are cancelled at close of business the day preceding the employee’s
personal leave anniversary date.

Use
While personal leave is provided for absences necessitated by personal

business including religious observance and by extraordinary weather

conditions, it may be used as vacation subject only to those limitations and
restrictions which apply to the use of vacation credits. Personal leave
credits may be used in any case where the absence could properly be

charged against vacation credits and requests for personal leave must be

approved for absences necessitated by religious observance obligations
insofar as the absence will not interfere with the proper conduct of
government functions.

While employees are generally not required to provide a reason when

requesting prior approval for use of personal leave, it is incumbent upon
any employee seeking special consideration or reconsideration following

initial denial of a request to use personal leave to provide sufficient

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