(a) Participating employees shall be eligible to utilize earned sick leave for absences due to accident, illness, or injury, or parental leave, if eligible upon the birth of a child, for periods before disability benefits commence under this chapter, such that the participating employee receives 100% of creditable compensation for such periods, not to exceed the employee's sick leave balance. (b) Short-term disability benefit. — (1) An employee who is determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, to be mentally or physically unable to perform the essential functions of the employee's position as defined in rules and regulations adopted by the Committee, with reasonable accommodation as required by federal law, shall be entitled to receive short-term or long-term benefits pursuant to this chapter. An employee who receives short-term or long-term disability benefits pursuant to this chapter may be required, in the sole discretion of the Committee, to participate in rehabilitation or retraining services, or a combination thereof, under a program established by the Committee. Short-term disability benefits for participating employees shall commence upon the expiration of a 30- calendar-day elimination period. Such elimination period shall begin on the first day following the onset of physical or mental incapacity as determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion. If an employee returns to work for 1 day or less during the 30-calendar-day elimination period but cannot continue to work thereafter, the period worked shall not be considered to have interrupted the 30-calendar- day elimination period. The elimination period must commence and conclude within normal working periods for employees who work less than 12 months per calendar year. (2) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, short-term disability benefits pursuant to this chapter shall be payable at the rate of 75% of the participating employee's creditable compensation prior to the onset of the disability during the period that an employee has a disability, as determined by the Committee. (3) Creditable compensation during periods an employee receives short-term disability benefits shall include general salary increases awarded or reductions in salary instituted during the period of short-term disability coverage. (4) An employee may utilize annual, sick, parental, compensatory, or donated leave to supplement short-term disability benefits to equal 100% of pre-disability creditable compensation for the maximum period of 182 calendar days. (5) If a participating employee returns to the employee's position on a full-time basis, as defined by the Committee, for 15 consecutive calendar days or longer, any succeeding period of disability for which the employee shall become eligible shall constitute a new period of short-term disability with a corresponding 30-calendar-day elimination period. (6) Employees enrolled in and receiving short-term disability (STD) compensation shall receive a maximum of 100% of base pay. If the employee is otherwise eligible for holiday pay or a paid leave other than identified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, the employee will be granted 100% pay on the day in question without a residual. All leave supplements will be calculated on a pay period basis. (7) Except those who qualify for parental leave upon the birth of a child, once an employee exhausts their elimination period, the employee will be deemed to have applied for benefits under this section and shall not be eligible to utilize paid leave in lieu of application for short-term disability. (8) When an employee is on approved STD per subsection (b) of this section and does not supplement the 75% STD payment with 25% leave for a period of greater than 30 calendar days, the employee will accrue leave on a pro-rata basis. (c) Long-term disability benefit. — (1) Long-term disability benefits for participating employees shall commence upon the expiration of a 182-calendar-day waiting period. The waiting period shall commence on the first day following the onset of the disability as determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion. If an employee returns to work for 14 or fewer consecutive calendar days during such 182- calendar-day waiting period and cannot thereafter continue to work, the periods worked shall not be deemed to have interrupted the 182- calendar-day waiting period. (2) Long-term disability benefits for an eligible employee shall be paid in an amount equal to 60% of the participating employee's creditable compensation prior to the onset of the disability. In no event shall the employee be entitled to utilize earned sick leave to supplement long-term disability benefits. (3) Long-term disability benefits shall not include general salary increases during the period of long-term disability. Long-term disability benefits may be increased annually by an amount approved by the Committee. (4) Any employee who applies for long-term benefits pursuant to this chapter must apply to the Social Security Administration for disability benefits. Long-term disability benefits provided under this chapter shall be reduced by any disability benefits received from the Social Security Administration. (5) Upon the exhaustion of the maximum short-term disability benefit period, any employee, except those entitled to hazardous duty pay as defined in § 5933(c) of this title, shall no longer be an employee of the State or any of its political subdivisions provided the employee has exhausted their Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) [29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.] entitlement and/or is not FMLA eligible. Employees entitled to hazardous duty pay as defined in § 5933(c) of this title who exhaust the maximum short-term disability benefit period shall no longer be an employee of the State or any of its political subdivisions at the end of their entitlement to hazardous duty pay or parental leave provided the employee has exhausted their FMLA entitlement and/or is not FMLA eligible. (6) Prior to the commencement of long-term disability benefits, the employee shall be eligible to make a written election to escrow for a period of 6 months any unused annual and sick leave based on the rules in place by the employing organization. Any employee who does not make a written election to escrow unused annual and sick leave will receive a payoff of unused annual and sick leave under § 5253(c)(5) of this title. Any employee approved for long-term disability benefits and who made a written election to escrow unused annual and sick leave who returns to state employment in a full-time benefit eligible position within the 6-month escrow period and works on a full-time basis for at least 30 calendar days will retain their annual and sick leave balances. Any employee making a written election to escrow unused annual and sick leave who does not return to state employment in a full-time benefit eligible position for at least 30 calendar days within the 6-month escrow period will receive a payoff of unused annual and sick leave at the end of the 6-month escrow period based on the rules in place by the employing organization. (d) Eligibility for participation in the program shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of an employee's: (1) Ability to return to employment; (2) Death; or (3) The date the employee is no longer covered by the Delaware State Employees' Pension Plan pursuant to Chapter 55 of this title; or (4) Normal service retirement at age 65. If the employee develops a disability after age 60, the maximum duration of benefits will be subject to the following: Age when disability developed or occurred Benefit duration 61 48 62 42 63 36 64 30 65 24 66 21 67 18 68 15 69+ 12
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