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Leave for personal matters for B.C. government employees

Last updated on April 3, 2024

For any kind of leave, obtain permission from your supervisor. Provide them with as much notice as possible.

Enter the time away from work with the proper pay code in:

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Medical and dental appointments 

Time off with pay is available to attend medical and dental appointments for you and dependent children.

In some cases, leave is also available to take dependent parents to medical and dental appointments requiring travel (please check your collective agreement for details); your dependent parent must live with you on a permanent basis and medical or dental care must be unavailable locally.

Appointments must be for services covered by the B.C. Medical Services Plan, the public service dental plan, extended benefit plan or Employee and Family Assistance Services.

Travel for out of area medical appointments

Leave with pay, and reimbursement of reasonable travel and accommodation expenses are provided when adequate medical or dental care isn't locally available.

Appointments must be for yourself, your spouse, a dependent child or a dependent parent who permanently lives with you. Please check the provisions of your collective agreement.

To claim reimbursement for travel and accommodation, fill out the Reimbursement of Incidental Expenses (PDF, 86KB) form.

Submit the reimbursement form and receipts to your supervisor for approval.

Once your supervisor approves the expenses, they will enter the reimbursements for travel out of area medical appointments in Time and Leave.

Your supervisor will retain the form and original receipt for their records as they are not required to send copies to Payroll.

If you're not in Time and Leave, your supervisor will send a copy of the form through an AskMyHRRestricted Access service request, using the categories My Team or Organization > Pay > Allowances & Reimbursements—and retain the original and receipt(s) for their records.

Leave to care for others

These leaves allow you to take time off when a family member needs your care.

Family illness

In the case of the illness or hospitalization of your spouse or a dependent child, paid leave up to a maximum of two days at any one time can be requested when no one at the employee's home other than the employee can provide for their needs. 

Enter time off in Time and Leave using the leave code 'Family Illness' when caring for a spouse or child.

PEA employees should enter time off using the code 'General Leave.' For more information, please see Article 24.08 of the PEA Main Agreement (PDF, 1.1MB).

If you're a parent who must be away from work to provide care or support to your critically ill or injured child, you may be eligible for Employment Insurance special benefits.

Learn more about the Family Caregiver Benefit for Children (previously Parents of Critically Ill Children) on the Government of Canada website.

This may be taken as a leave of absence without pay.

Please review Benefits while on leave or layoff to continue benefits coverage and Purchase of service to learn about purchasing a leave of absence.

Illness of a parent

You may request up to two days leave, with pay, per calendar year to care for a seriously ill or hospitalized parent or step-parent when there is nobody else available to provide for their needs.

The illness of a parent leave can be used in increments of a half-day shift, up to two days per calendar year. 

Enter time off in Time and Leave using the leave code 'Illness of Parent' when caring for a parent.

Family caregiver benefit for adults

You may be eligible to receive up to 15 weeks of financial assistance through Employment Insurance to provide care or support for a critically ill or injured adult. Learn more on the Service Canada website.

This may be taken as a leave of absence without pay.

Please review Benefits while on leave or layoff to continue benefits coverage and Purchase of service to learn about purchasing a leave of absence.

Compassionate care

You may take a leave of absence, without pay, to care for a gravely ill family member at risk of dying. 

Financial assistance is available through Employment Insurance (EI) caregiving benefits. Find out how to apply for Compassionate Care benefits.

If you have applied for employment insurance benefits, provide your supervisor with a copy of the confirmation letter from EI.

If you don't intend to apply for EI, or were denied EI compassionate care benefits, you need to provide your supervisor with a medical certificate indicating the family member is gravely ill and in danger of passing away within the next 26 weeks from the date of the medical certificate.

Please let your supervisor know about your leave right away.

Your supervisor will send a service request to AskMyHRRestricted Access using the categories MyTeam or Organization > Leave & Time Off > Special or Other Leaves, to advise them that you are on Compassionate Care Leave and to ensure that your benefits coverage and seniority accrual (if applicable) continues when you’re away.

Please review Purchase of service to learn about purchasing a leave of absence.

Donor

A leave with pay can be granted to an employee scheduled to undergo surgery for the purpose of donating bone marrow or an organ.

Enter time off in Time and Leave using the leave code 'Donor Leave.'

Weddings

For your wedding, or your child’s wedding, you may be able take time off to celebrate with pay in accordance with the provisions of your collective agreement.

Give your supervisor at least two weeks' notice. 

For your child’s wedding use the leave code 'Attend Wedding of a Child'; for your own, enter the leave code 'Attend (Own) Wedding of Employee.'

Birth or adoption

You're eligible for two days off with pay to attend the birth of your child. If you're adopting a baby, please contact AskMyHR to find out if you're eligible.

Submit an AskMyHRRestricted Access service request using the categories Myself > Leave & Time Off > Special or Other Leaves to see if you qualify for this leave upon the baby's birth.

In Time and Leave, enter leave code 'Birth or Adoption.'

Moving

If you're moving, you may be eligible for paid leave of one day to move household furniture and effects.

Provide your supervisor with two weeks' notice of your leave.

Approval from your manager or supervisor is necessary prior to taking any type of leave.

A relocation allowance is sometimes provided in addition to leave time for employees required to move for work. 

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Moving Household Effects.'

Household emergencies

Employees can request up to one day off of work, with pay, to manage serious household or domestic emergencies, but only when:

  • The employee is faced with a sudden, unexpected and unforeseen critical situation that demands the employee’s immediate action
  • There's risk or threat of damage to the employee’s residence and/or risk or danger to the physical safety of their immediate family
  • The emergency occurs on the same day the leave is requested

All other situations may be covered using a General leave without pay or Vacation time.

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Household/Domestic Emergency.'

Supplemental Leave

An employee is entitled to two days of supplemental leave at their regular rate of pay per calendar year.  These days are subject to operational requirements and cannot be attached to other leaves of absence, including vacation and statutory holidays.  This leave may be used in one-half shift increments.

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Supplemental Leave' for included employees and ‘Supplemental Leave – Excluded’ for excluded employees.

Victim of domestic violence

As per the Employment Standards Act, employees are eligible for up to five days with pay per calendar year if the employee, or the employee’s child, is a victim of domestic violence. 

Employees are eligible for an extra five days of unpaid leave in units of one or more days, or in one continuous period, and an additional 15 weeks of unpaid leave. 

For the five days paid leave, complete a Leave Management Transaction (PDF, 121KB) form indicating it’s paid leave and your supervisor will submit an AskMyHRRestricted Access service request.

Time taken over the five days must be sent in by the supervisor in an AskMyHRRestricted Access service request for entry into PeopleSoft indicating it's unpaid leave.

Funeral

Employees are granted a half-day leave with pay to attend a funeral. 

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Funeral/Pall-Bearer/Mourner.'

Bereavement

This leave with pay is for employees coping with the death of an immediate family member—a parent, step-parent, spouse, child, grandchild, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, or any other relative permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

This leave normally doesn't exceed five days.

Please check the provisions of your collective agreement. 

If the deceased is the employee's grandparent, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, one full day is provided to attend the funeral. 

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Bereavement Leave.'

Religious observances

Members of non-Christian religions can take up to three days, without pay, per year in order to celebrate spiritual or holy days.

Provide your supervisor or manager with as much notice as possible (preferably two weeks) to take this leave.

If approved, enter the time taken off in Time and Leave using the leave code 'Religious Observation LWOP.'

Cultural Leave for Indigenous Employees

Indigenous employees are entitled to take up to two days leave with pay per calendar year to observe or participate in traditional Indigenous activities that connect these employees to their culture and language.

Provide your supervisor or manager with as much notice as possible (preferably two weeks) to take this leave.

In Time and Leave, use the leave code 'Cultural Leave – Indigenous.'

Legal hearings

Employees who have been called to serve as a juror or witness in court are able to take leave with pay.

However, if an employee’s private affairs are the reason for their need to appear in court, only leave without pay may be granted.

Employees can take one day off, with pay, in order to appear in court for a hearing for their child; child custody hearings have separate leave provisions that also allow for one day of paid leave for an employee to attend this type of hearing.

The time off work must be taken on the day that the hearing (including a child custody hearing) occurs.

  • Notify your supervisor as soon as possible.
  • Enter time off in Time and Leave using the appropriate leave code:
    • Court Appearance LWP – if you're required as a juror.
    • Court Appearance – Child – if the hearing is for your child.
    • Personl Court Appear LWOP – if the court appearance has resulted from personal affairs.

Penal restrictions

When unable to work because of penal restrictions, PEA employees may apply to take a leave of absence without pay until the court reaches a decision. 

Other employees in this situation may be eligible for a General leave without pay.

If an employee is under penal restrictions because of inappropriate behaviour while at work, disciplinary action would be taken and a leave without pay isn't granted.

Elections and voting

During federal, provincial, aboriginal community government and municipal elections (including by-elections), it's expected that employees will use time outside of work while polls are open to vote.

If you need time off to vote, talk to your supervisor to arrange a time that works for both of you. 

Paid leave is available on Election Day if the hours of your shift and polling times don't allow you enough consecutive hours free from work to cast your ballot. 

You may take up to four consecutive hours for provincial elections and up to three for federal, municipal and First Nations elections. 

As polls are normally open before and after usual work hours, not all employees need to take the full entitlement to ensure they have enough consecutive hours away from work to vote.