3.4.1. Prerequisites

The following documents and data are required to process and approve a sick leave request.

• Validate Eligibility: Check that the staff member has not exceeded their maximum entitlement based on their appointment status and years of service. Umoja provides the balance of the sick leave entitlement for the staff member.
• Sick Leave Request: The staff member should submit a request for both uncertified and certified sick leave through ESS. Staff members are expected to enter these requests as soon as possible, and in the case of certified sick leave requests must be submitted no later than the 20th working day following the initial absence for duty. A certificate submitted more than 20 days after the commencement of the sick leave will not be certified and will be charged against the staff member’s uncertified sick leave entitlement, accrued annual leave, or special leave without pay.
• Medical Certificate: ESS requests for certified sick leave must include a licensed medical practitioner certificate clearly indicating the date or dates of absence from duty by reason of illness, injury, or incapacitation, without identification of diagnosis and expected date of return to duty. After 20 working days of certified sick leave during the same 12-month period, the request is routed to the Medical Director or designated medical officer for certification. In this case, a detailed medical report from a licensed medical practitioner including the diagnosis must be submitted for their review.
• Check for Exceptions/Special Cases: When a staff member has exhausted his or her entitlement to sick leave with full pay, the situation should be brought to the attention of the Medical Director who will determine whether that staff member should be considered for a disability benefit. If the staff member is being considered for a disability benefit and all annual and sick leave entitlements have been exhausted, because of a delay in the medical determination of the staff member’s incapacity for further service or in the decision by the United Nations Staff Pension Committee, the staff member is placed on special leave with half pay until the date of decision of the Pension Committee to award a disability benefit. The staff member’s appointment may then be terminated by the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management for reasons of health under staff rule 9.6(g) as of the date of the decision of the Pension Committee.
  If a staff member is awarded a disability benefit by the UN Staff Pension Committee and he or she has not yet exhausted all sick and annual leave entitlements, the staff member’s appointment may be terminated by the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management for reasons of health under staff rule 9.6(g) after the exhaustion of all sick and annual leave entitlements. You may want to consult the section on special leave in this manual as these situations for additional information on how to deal with them.
  If the request is sent to the Time administrator for submission on behalf of the staff member, a justification as to why it is not possible to submit through ESS is also required.
  

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