PAID TIME OFF (PTO) BENEFITS

The Company provides Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits, which, if used in compliance with this policy, allows an employee to take time off from scheduled work without a loss of pay.

PTO is accrued (added) at a rate of 1 hour for every 50 hours worked (including overtime) during an anniversary year up to a cap of 40 hours per anniversary year. Once an employee accrues 40 hours within a single anniversary year, no further PTO hours shall accrue for that year. At the end of an anniversary year, up to 20 accrued but unused PTO hours may be carried forward into the next anniversary year, and up to another cap of 40 PTO hours may be accrued in the same manner as described above, with an overall cap of 60 PTO hours (40 accrued and 20 carried over) available for use in an employee’s second and subsequent anniversary years of continuous employment with the Company.   If an employee has more than 20 accrued but unused PTO hours at the end of an anniversary year, only 20 such hours may be carried forward; all remaining PTO hours in excess of 20 from that anniversary year are lost forever and cannot be carried over or used thereafter.

Accrual begins with an employee’s last date of hire with the Company; however, an employee is not entitled to use PTO until he or she has been employed for 180 consecutive days of employment.  An employee may use no more than 40 hours of PTO in a single 2-week pay period.  PTO benefits are not to be regarded as “earned” time off, as being “vested” at any time, or as an additional form of compensation.  Effective May 8th, 2017, under no circumstances shall an employee be entitled to receive the cash equivalence of the employee’s accrued but unused PTO except as expressly stated in this policy.  

To take time off from work using accrued PTO benefits, an employee must submit a PTO Request form. Doing so does not guarantee approval for time off from work. If the need for PTO is foreseeable, an employee should provide reasonable advance notice. If the need for PTO is not foreseeable, an employee must provide notice as soon as possible. Accrued PTO is not the same as excused absences. The Company reserves the right to discipline an employee, up to and including termination, for excessive unexcused absences regardless of whether or not the employee has accrued but unused PTO.  

Approved PTO hours must be submitted via email, in person, or through Zoho.  PCAs and HHAs are paid PTO at their usual hourly base/QPB pay rate for client services. Approved PTO time off and PTO benefits do not count for determining holiday premiums, overtime premiums, shift differentials or similar pay provisions. PTO payment is made through the normal payroll system and schedule, and is therefore subject to all applicable withholdings, taxes, etc.

Upon resignation or termination of employment for any reason, an employee forfeits all available but unused PTO.  Such PTO is lost forever, even if the employee is rehired by the Company.  Employees who provide a two-week resignation notice are not entitled to receive accrued but unused PTO benefits during the two-week resignation period.