Effective: June 14, 2000
Latest Legislation: House Bill 544 - 123rd General Assembly
(A) As used in this section, "state employee" means a state employee who does not accrue vacation leave under section 124.134 of the Revised Code.
(B) Each full-time state employee or county department of job and family services employee, including full-time hourly rate employees, after service of one year with the state, or any political subdivision of the state, shall have earned and will be due upon the attainment of the first year of employment, and annually thereafter, eighty hours of vacation leave with full pay. One year of service shall be computed on the basis of twenty-six biweekly pay periods. A full-time state employee, or county department of job and family services employee with eight or more years of service with the state or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to one hundred twenty hours of vacation leave with full pay. A full-time state employee or county department of job and family services employee with fifteen or more years of service with the state or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to one hundred sixty hours of vacation leave with full pay. A full-time state employee or county department of job and family services employee with twenty-five years of service with the state or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to two hundred hours of vacation leave with full pay. Such vacation leave shall accrue to the employee at the rate of three and one-tenth hours each biweekly period for those entitled to eighty hours per year; four and six-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to one hundred twenty hours per year; six and two-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to one hundred sixty hours per year; and seven and seven-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to two hundred hours per year.
The appointing authority of a county department of job and family services may permit all or any part of a person's prior service with any regional council of government established in accordance with Chapter 167. of the Revised Code to be considered service with the state or any political subdivision of the state for the purpose of determining years of service under this division.
(C) Full-time state and county department of job and family services employees who are in active pay status for less than eighty hours in a pay period, and part-time state employees, shall earn vacation leave on a prorated basis. The ratio between the hours worked and the vacation hours earned by these classes of employees shall be the same as the ratio between the hours worked and the vacation hours earned by a full-time state or county department of job and family services employee who works forty hours in a pay period and who has the same amount of service as provided for in this section.
(D) An employee shall take vacation leave during the year in which it accrues and is available for use that equals not less than the amount of vacation leave that the employee accrues and has available to use during that year, except that an appointing authority may permit an employee to carry over vacation leave to the following year. As used in this division, "year" means the twelve-month period that commences on an employee's anniversary date of employment. Employees shall forfeit their right to take or to be paid for any vacation leave to their credit which is in excess of the accrual for three years. Such excess leave shall be eliminated from the employees' leave balance.
(E) Upon separation from state service, an employee shall be entitled to compensation at the employee's current rate of pay for all lawfully accrued and unused vacation leave to the employee's credit at the time of separation up to three years. In case of transfer of an employee from one state agency to another, or between a county and the state, the employee may elect to be compensated at the employee's current rate of pay for accrued and unused vacation leave at the time of transfer by the releasing agency or to retain the accrued and unused vacation leave. In case of death of an employee, such unused vacation leave shall be paid in accordance with section 2113.04 of the Revised Code, or to the employee's estate. Notwithstanding section 325.19 of the Revised Code, county department of job and family services employees shall receive vacation benefits as provided in this section.