Rule 28-305-4.4 - Sick LeaveA.Generally. Sick leave is not an entitlement, rather it is a privilege and a form of employee insurance. Use of sick leave for any purpose other than medical reasons, in effect, constitutes a form of fraud against the Port. All employees who are sick shall telephone the Port Authority and report that they are sick and will be taking sick leave. 1. Sick leave benefits are available to all employees who have completed one (1) month of service.2. Part-time employees shall accrue major medical leave on a pro rata basis.B. There shall be no maximum limit to sick leave accumulation. Sick leave may be used for the illness or injury of an employee, an employee's immediate family, or bereavement as provided for in this Personnel Guide. Following a reported illness, injury, or bereavement, Supervisors may require reasonable evidence to support the employee's claim of illness, injury or bereavement.C. Personal leave shall be used for the first day of an employee's illness requiring his absence of more than one (1) day, and if the employee has no accrued personal leave, the first day will be counted as leave without pay. However, sick leave may be used, without prior use of personal leave, to cover regularly scheduled visits to a doctor's office or hospital for continuing treatment of a chronic disease, as certified in advance by a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dental medicine, podiatry or chiropractic. An employee may substitute personal leave for sick leave after the first day only with the prior written approval of the Executive Director and when all sick leave has been exhausted due to medical reasons.D. Each absence due to illness of thirty-two (32) or more consecutive working hours (combined personal leave and sick leave) shall be authorized only where certified by the employee's doctor. Recognized doctors are: Doctor of Medicine, Osteopathy, Dental Medicine, Podiatry and Chiropractic.E. An employee who has a prearranged doctor's appointment may use sick leave for the time he is absent, but only if a doctor's slip is turned in upon return.F. All unused sick leave shall be counted as creditable service for purposes of the retirement system.G. An employee may use sick leave, when approved in writing, under the following circumstances: 1. When there is a death of a member in the immediate family of the employee or immediate family of the employee's spouse. A member of immediate family shall include spouse, parent, sibling, child, step-child, grandchild and grandparent, son-or daughter-in-law, mother- or father-in-law or brother- or sister-in-law. Three (3) days authorized for each occurrence may be used for this purpose. No qualifying time or use of personal leave will be required prior to use of sick leave for this purpose.2. Absence due to the illness or injury of an employee or member of the employee's immediate family (as defined above) will be covered by sick leave when requested in writing. Employees may be required to produce a doctor's certification of treatment. 28 Miss. Code. R. 305-4.4
Mississippi Code §§ 59-1-1, 59-1-9 and 59-5-21