Sick Leave - Circulars

Reference No: E104/1/77; Date: 27/06/78Circular 25/1978:- <strong>Sick</strong> <strong>Leave</strong>A Dhuine UasailI am directed by the Minister for the Public Service to state that he has decided to consolidate theexisting general instructions about the application of the civil service sick leave regulations to individualofficers. This circular supplements the general instructions contained in the following:-Circular 4/75 - Maternity leaveCircular 25/75 - Social Welfare (Occupational Injuries) Act, 1966 (Benefits andtheir effect on <strong>Sick</strong> Pay entitlement)Circular 34/76 - Clearance of candidates for promotion or establishment; sickabsences and health considerations.This circular and the three other circulars referred to contain all existing general instructions about sickleave.<strong>Sick</strong> leave allowances2. The sick leave allowances for civil servants are set out in the attachments to this circular, asfollows:established stafftemporary and unestablished staffAppendix AAppendix BThe grant of the sick leave allowable is subject to the provisions in the body of this circular and anyspecial conditions indicated in the relevant appendix.3. Special sick pay conditions may be applied in respect of absence due to tuberculosis. Details areavailable in Personnel Branches.Notification of sick absences4. When an officer is compelled to absent himself from duty because of sickness he must get wordto his immediate superior as early as possible on the first day of absence. A written notice must also besent to his immediate superior on the first day of absence.5. Medical certificates must in all cases of continuous absence be furnished on the third day at thelatest. As a general rule, sick leave will not be allowed for a longer period than one week on any onecertificate. Where, in the case of officers on a Monday - Friday week, sick absence extends from Friday toMonday inclusive, a medical certificate must be furnished. Each medical certificate submitted in support ofan application for sick leave must be given by a qualified and registered medical practitioner and muststate, in addition to the nature of the absentee's illness, the probable date of resumption of duty.German measles6. Because of the increased number of married women now in the civil service, it is important thatmedical certificates submitted by officers on sick leave due to Rubella (german measles) should be

of the officer for the current leave year. If that allowance has been exhausted, the excess will be deductedfrom the annual leave allowance of the next succeeding year.6. Days of sick absence not covered by medical certificate are included in calculating the total sickleave of officers in whose cases a reduction in sick pay becomes necessary.<strong>Sick</strong> leave with pay at Pension rate7. Where the sick leave with pay allowable (including the special sick pay on account of absencedue to tuberculosis) has been exhausted an officer whose service would render him eligible for pension ifhe were retired on grounds of ill health at the end of the period of paid sick leave may, subject to certainconditions, be granted further leave with pay at pension rate.<strong>Sick</strong> leave without pay8. Subject to certain conditions, sick leave without pay may be granted to established officers whohave exhausted the maximum period of sick leave with pay allowable to them and whose service doesnot qualify them for sick pay at pension rate.Appendix B to Circular 25/78SICK PAY CONDITIONS FOR TEMPORARY AND UNESTABLISHED STAFFGeneral1. The sick pay conditions for temporary or unestablished whole-time civil servants are as follows:Full pay (less appropriate deduction in respect of social welfare benefits) may be allowed during sickabsence up to the following limits in any period of twelve months' service:-After 3 months' continuous service - up to 6 weeksAfter 6 months' continuous service - up to 9 weeksAfter 12months' continuous service - up to 13 weeksNo sick pay will be allowed during the first three months' service but previous service, so far as it hasbeen continuous, may be allowed to reckon towards the qualifying period for the grant of paid sick leave.Qualifying service is exclusive of any period of leave without pay.2. Where service has been interrupted, the previous service will ordinarily not count towards thequalifying period, but the Head of the Department may, at his discretion, in special circumstances allow itso to count provided that(a) the termination of the earlier period or periods of employment was not due tocircumstances within the control of the officer concerned, e.g. that he did not resign his appointment(b)the break between two successive periods of employment does not exceed 12 months.3. Where previous service is counted under 1 or 2 towards the qualifying period, it will be reckonedalso in applying the maximum limit of paid sick leave in any period of 12 months; for the latter purpose thelast 12 months' service will be taken, previous service and service on re-allocation being reckoned as ifthey formed a single continuous period.4. The grant of sick leave will be subject to the following conditions in particular that the absence isproperly certified that there is no evidence of permanent disability for service.