What is the Kiel Memorial Vacation/PTO Donation Program?

Kiel Memorial Vacation/PTO Donation Program allows employees the opportunity to donate accrued vacation or PTO Short Term Bank (STB) hours to fellow employees who have experienced a catastrophic illness or injury and who have exhausted all accrued time, thus resulting in a prolonged, unpaid leave of absence. The illness or injury must either be the employee's or that of an eligible family member as defined by the IRS definition of a "dependent". Donated time must be either vacation or Short Term Bank hours in order to be considered a gift.

Applying/Qualifying for Kiel

1. Who qualifies for Kiel?

• Regular employees of Duke University or the Duke University Health System.
• Duke employees with a work schedule of at least 20 hours per week.
• Employed by Duke for at least 90 consecutive days.
• Employees absent of any disciplinary warnings or suspension within the last 12 months.
• Need for donation must be due to a catastrophic medical event which requires the employee to be out of work for at least 4 weeks.
• Exhausted all of accrued time thus resulting in a prolonged, unpaid leave of absence.

2. When can an employee apply for Kiel?

Employees are encouraged to apply to the Kiel program as soon as they know they will be out of work for more than 4 weeks and their doctor has completed the Certification of Healthcare Provider (1002) Form to confirm the duration of recovery. Employees do not have to wait until after the 4 week waiting period to apply. The Kiel Application and the Certification of Health Care Provider should be sent to HR Benefits together.

3. Can an employee use Kiel to care for a family member?

Yes, an employee may apply for Kiel to care for an eligible family member as defined by the IRS definition of a "dependent" who has experienced a catastrophic illness or injury. Please submit the Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member's Serious Health Condition with the Kiel Application.

4. How long after submitting an application should an employee expect to receive a decision?

A response will be received from kiel@duke.edu within 7 business days.

5. If an employee is incapacitated and is unable to sign the Kiel application, can the application still be submitted?

Yes. The supervisor should make a note on the employee signature line that the employee is already out on leave and unable to sign. An example of this is an employee who is in a coma.

6. How does the 4 week waiting period work with intermittent leave?

For individuals out on a continuous leave, there is a four week waiting period (from the last day worked) before Kiel can take effect. For applicants who are out intermittently (i.e. cancer radiation/chemo therapy), we request a documentation showing that the employee has used a minimum equivalent of 4 weeks of leave for this condition (160 hours for a 40 hour per week employee). The begin date should correlate with the start date of the condition on the Certification of Health Care provider (form 1002).

7. If an employee has been on Kiel before, is he or she subject to another four week waiting period?

If it has been over 90 days since the close of the previous Kiel case, the employee will be subject to the four week waiting period.

8. Is the four week waiting period the only thing that determines the Kiel eligibility start date?

In addition to the four week waiting period, when the employee's PTO/vacation time was exhausted, as well as when the completed application and Certification of Health Care Provider forms were submitted in relation to the processing schedule are taken into account. You may view the processing schedule here (select either the Biweekly or Monthly Schedule).

9. Can Kiel be combined with other payments?

Employees receiving other payments such as worker's compensation, short-term disability, or long-term disability provided through Duke's insurance programs are not eligible to receive donations.

10. Is an employee on Maternity Leave eligible for Kiel?

Kiel can only be approved for employees with prenatal medical issues that require that the employee be on bedrest or hospitalization for more than four weeks prior to the birth. Kiel will end on the expected date of delivery. Kiel does not apply to normal postpartum recovery time, including birth by cesarean section.

11. Is an employee able to apply for Kiel to take for a newborn's serious medical condition?

Yes, an employee may apply for Kiel to care for an eligible family member as defined by the IRS definition of a "dependent" who has experienced a catastrophic illness or injury. Please submit the Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member's Serious Health Condition with the Kiel Application.

Kiel hours cannot be paid while Paid Parental Leave is in process. Therefore, Kiel participation would begin after the Paid Parental Leave concludes.

How does the program work once the recipient is approved?

Approved Kiel Memorial Vacation/PTO Donation Program recipients are primarily funded by PTO/Vacation donations from other Duke employees specifically intended for the recipient. The recipient's department will be advised of the Kiel Donation Balance and be responsible for submitting the Kiel Payment form on the recipient's behalf. The recipient should work with his or her department to determine how many hours should be used each pay period and to ensure that the payment form has been submitted.

12. When do donations need to be submitted in order for a recipient to use them?

This depends on whether the recipient is a bi-weekly or monthly paid employee. Review the most up to date processing schedule here.

13. How will the department be notified of the donation balance?

Kiel donation balances do not show up in API or Duke@Work.

For bi-weekly paid recipients, an email is sent to the department by the second Monday of each pay period to provide donation totals. Recipients should contact their department regarding donation balances.

For monthly paid recipients, an email is sent to the department within the last week of the month.

14. How does the recipient receive payment?

Kiel donation balances do not show up in API or Duke@Work so this time cannot be selected and used like normal PTO/vacation/sick time.

The department submits Kiel Payment form requests on the recipient's behalf. The recipient is should work with his or her department to determine how many hours should be used each pay period and to ensure that the payment form has been submitted. Departments need to submit payment forms according to the schedule here.

15. Can Kiel donation hours be used instead of a recipients PTO/vacation/sick time?

Kiel is designed as a last resort to provide a recipient with pay when all PTO/vacation/sick time has been exhausted, not to protect PTO/vacation/sick time from use. All PTO/vacation/sick time must be used in order for a Kiel Payment form to be processed.

16. Can I receive Kiel donation hours if I move from FMLA to Personal Leave?

As long as the documentation from the recipient's doctor supports the time away from work, Kiel donations can be used while on a Personal Leave. The department will need to make sure that you are on a Personal Leave with Pay in order for Kiel payments to be issued properly.

17. Can Kiel donation hours the recipient's doctor returns him or her to work with a restricted schedule?

Documentation from your doctor detailing the estimated duration of the restriction to HR Benefits in order to justify this type of Kiel donation use.

Donations

18. Does the department Payroll Rep need to sign the form?

Yes. Payroll Reps need to verify that the donor has the hours available to donate and that they do not exceed 50% of the donor's accrued vacation or PTO Short Term Bank balance.

19. Can a donor retract his or her donation?

No. Donations cannot be rescinded for any reason.

20. Why are long-term bank hours ineligible for donation?

Long term bank hours are paid at a different rate than short term bank hours.

21. Can Post Doc Associates participate in Kiel?

Yes. As long as they meet the general eligibility criteria. However Post Doc Scholars are not eligible.

22. What happens to the donations that I do not use or need?

HR Benefits makes an effort to use only as many donations as are needed to cover a Kiel payment request. Each pay period Benefits will wait to see how many Kiel hours your department requests on your behalf, and will request that Payroll to deduct sufficient hours from your donors to cover the requested amount while minimizing excess hours. Donations are taken in the amount they were given and are not split. In the event that excess hours have been deducted and the recipient returns to work, those excess hours will be forwarded to the Leave Pool.

Kiel donation hours that are not deducted from your donors remain on file for one year from the date they were donated in case you go out on another Kiel eligible leave.

23. Will I get Leave Pool hours?

The employee is expected to request PTO/Vacation donations from other Duke employees.

The Leave Pool is funded through employee donations, and therefore, there is no guarantee of hours. Available hours may be offered to participants who have been out the longest, and who have gone the longest without a paycheck.