Topics Map > 10. Compensation > 10.07 Continuous Service

Continuous Service

The purpose of this policy is to define continuous service and applicable adjustments to a continuous service date for UW–Madison employment.
Functional Owner

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources

Executive Sponsor

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

Policy Contact

Director, Titling and Compensation

Policy Summary

The purpose of this policy is to define continuous service and applicable adjustments to a continuous service date for UW–Madison employment.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to any UW–Madison employee in a leave-eligible position as defined in Sick Leave .

Rationale

Prior to July 1, 2015, continuous service for classified employees (university staff effective July 1, 2015) was provided for in Wis. Stat. Chapter 230 and Wis. Admin. Code Chapter ER 18. Wis. Stats. § 36.115(2) and § 36.115(3) require the Board of Regents and the UW–Madison chancellor to develop personnel systems that are separate and distinct from the personnel system under Wis. Stat. Chapter 230.

Effective July 1, 2015, continuous service for all individuals employed by UW–Madison employees will be in this policy.

Continuous service for UW–Madison employees hired by another state agency will be calculated in accordance with s. ER 18.02, Wis. Admin. Code, with UW–Madison employment after July 1, 2015, treated as unclassified employment.

Policy Detail

An employee’s service duration, which is used in benefit eligibility and entitlement calculations, is based on the employee’s continuous service date.

The continuous service/adjusted continuous service date is the date on which an employee’s current period of continuous service is considered to have begun. This date is adjusted for any breaks in service or time in service that is not eligible. Continuous service is not prorated for part-time employment. Continuous service determines the amount of annual leave university staff members earn and the eligibility for and amount of supplemental sick leave credits for employees at retirement.

  1. Continuous Service vs. WRS Creditable Service

    1. Continuous service is not the same as Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) creditable service. Creditable service is defined by the Department of Employee Trust Funds as the years of service for which a WRS participant has received credit under the WRS. This includes all service for which contributions have been made, purchased service, and any retirement service credit granted by the employer prior to the date the employer joined the WRS.
    2. For example, an employee who worked for city or county government prior to the employee’s state employment and was a participant in the (WRS) Wisconsin Retirement System earned WRS-creditable service for that employment. Thus, that employee’s total years of WRS-creditable service would most likely be greater than the employee’s years of adjusted continuous service. Differences between the two types of service might also exist if a state employee left state service, took a separation benefit from the WRS, and reinstated to state employment within the time period for the previous state employment to count for continuous service seniority purposes. In this example, the employee’s continuous service years would likely be greater than the employee’s WRS creditable service years. An employee who works less than full-time for an entire year earns a full year of continuous service regardless of the number of hours worked that year, but the amount of WRS-creditable service the employee earns may be less than a full year.
  2. Eligibility for Continuous Service

  3. An employee is eligible to earn continuous service for UW–Madison employment if the employee is in a sick leave-earning University Staff, Faculty, Academic Staff or Limited appointment as outlined in UW–Madison Campus-wide Operational Policy: Sick Leave. UW–Madison will recognize the time in continuous employment status at other State of Wisconsin agencies as outlined by the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER) as defined in ER 1.02(6) and ER 18.01 (3). This computation is covered in the WHR Manual Chapter 732. Service at an authority does not count towards state continuous service.

  4. Breaks in Service/Reinstatement Periods for Continuous Service

    Continuous service is adjusted for any break in service or time in service that does not count as continuous service. Adjustments to the continuous service date due to a break in employment must be calculated using the Continuous Service Date Calculator. The continuous service of an employee is considered uninterrupted and shall not be adjusted for the break if the employee:

    1. Was on an approved leave of absence as provided under Family-Related (Parental) Leave Policy or Leave of Absence Without Pay
    2. Was absent on military leave as outlined in Military Leave.
    3. Was absent due to injury or illness arising from state employment and covered by Hazardous Employment.
    4. Was on temporary layoff not to exceed 20 working days as outlined in Layoff of University Staff.
    5. Was employed in a leave-eligible position at another UW System institution or State of Wisconsin agency.
  5. Reinstatement for Purposes of Continuous Service

    1. Continuous service shall also be considered uninterrupted if an employee leaves eligible service through resignation or layoff and is reemployed to eligible university employment within the employee’s reinstatement period. The time between an employee’s resignation and reinstatement shall not be counted towards the employee’s continuous service and the original service date must be adjusted for any such period. Reinstatement periods are as follows:
      1. If a Faculty, Academic Staff, or Limited appointee terminates university employment and returns to an eligible Faculty, Academic Staff or Limited appointment at the university within three years (Wis. Admin. Code Chapter UWS 19), the employee’s continuous service will be adjusted to reflect the total duration of service for both periods of employment, adjusted for any breaks.
      2. If a Faculty, Academic Staff, or Limited appointee terminates university employment and returns to an eligible University Staff appointment at the university within five years, the employee’s continuous service will be adjusted to reflect the total duration of service for both periods of employment, adjusted for any breaks.
      3. If a University Staff employee terminates university employment and returns to any eligible appointment at the university, UW System institution or State of Wisconsin agency within five years, the employee’s continuous service will be adjusted to reflect the total duration of service for both periods of employment, adjusted for any breaks.
      4. If a University Staff employee is terminated due to layoff and is reemployed through the mandatory placement provisions found in Layoff of University Staff , the employee’s continuous service will not be considered interrupted.

      5. If an employee of a State of Wisconsin agency terminates classified or unclassified employment and starts an eligible appointment at the university within five years, the employee’s continuous service will be adjusted to reflect the total duration of service for both periods of employment, adjusted for any breaks.
        1. UW–Madison will recognize the time in continuous employment status at other State of Wisconsin agencies as outlined by the Office of State Employment Relations in ER 1.02(6). This computation is covered in the WHR Manual Chapter 732.
        2. Service at an authority does not count towards state continuous service unless the employee has reinstatement eligibility as outlined in ER 18.02, Wis. Admin. Code.
    2. Termination from the university due to misconduct or delinquency may result in the loss of all continuous service. Any return to service following termination for misconduct or delinquency is deemed to not be a qualifying reemployment under this provision, even though the return is within the three- or five-year period.
    3. If the break in employment is longer than the specified reinstatement period, the continuous service is considered interrupted and the continuous service date shall start with the current appointment (if eligible for continuous service). Any service earned in previous positions prior to the break or in non-leave earning positions may not be counted when calculating continuous service.
  6. Sick Leave Conversion at Layoff, Retirement or Death

    1. UW–Madison employees may be able to convert their sick leave credits to pay for State Group Health Insurance at retirement, layoff or death. Covered survivors of employees who die and/or dependents may be eligible to use the employee’s sick leave credits to pay state group health insurance premiums. In addition, employees who terminate with 20 years of WRS creditable service may be eligible to use or preserve sick leave credits to pay health insurance premiums. Eligibility requirements under the ASLCC and SHICC programs are outlined in Wisconsin Human Resources Handbook, Chapter 758 and Wis. Stats. §§ 40.05(4)(b) and 40.95.
    2. For sick leave credit purposes, an employee must cross the continuous service date to earn a full year of continuous service unless the employee is serving in a Faculty, Academic Staff or Limited position that has an academic contract period of less than 12 calendar months at the time of retirement. Employees who meet any of the following criteria are eligible for a full year of continuous service for the final year of employment:
      1. Continuous service date is the start of an academic year and retirement date is the end of an academic year or is during the summer following the end of an academic year; or
      2. Continuous service date is during the summer preceding the start of an academic year and the retirement date is either the end of an academic year or during the summer following the end of an academic year.
  7. Continuous Service Upon Movement to/from a UW System Institution or State Agency

    1. Time worked in a leave-eligible position at a State of Wisconsin agency counts towards an employee’s continuous service date if the employee moves to a leave-eligible position at UW–Madison.
    2. Time worked in a leave-eligible position at UW–Madison counts towards an employee’s continuous service date if the employee moves to another UW System Institution or a State of Wisconsin agency.
  8. Continuous Service Upon Movement to/from UW–Madison or State Authority

    Service at an authority does NOT count towards continuous service however there are some special circumstances with certain authorities.

    1. University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC)
      Former UWHC Board employees became UWHC Authority employees on June 29, 2011. If these employees return to UW–Madison within 5 years (by June 29, 2016), the employee’s continuous service date is reinstated – adjusted for the time spent as an authority employee.
    2. Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
      Former Department of Commerce employees became WEDC employees on July 1, 2011. If these employees return to UW–Madison within 5 years (by July 1, 2016), the employee’s continuous service date is reinstated – adjusted for the time spent as an authority employee.

Consequences for Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy will result in employees not receiving the correct level of benefits that are based on the continuous service date calculation.

Supporting Tools

WHR Manual Chapter 732

Continuous Service Date Calculator

Adjusted Continuous Service Date Job Aid

How to Determine the Effective Date for a Hire to coincide with the RAS Toolkit

Definitions

Continuous Service or Adjusted Continuous Service: all the time in a position with a State of Wisconsin agency as defined in Wis. Admin. Code § ER 18.01(3) or with the UW System in a position with an expectation for continued service, adjusted for any breaks in service. Continuous service at the University of Wisconsin System does not include time served in positions that are ineligible for leave per Sick Leave .

Continuous Employment: employment in a leave-earning position within the University of Wisconsin System or the State of Wisconsin that has not experienced a break in service longer than the reinstatement period for the applicable employment category. Continuous employment will be counted in determining an employee’s length of continuous service.

State of Wisconsin Authority: There are several “authorities” that participate in the State of Wisconsin Retirement System that are not considered full state agencies for the purposes of leave transfer. Movement between an authority and UW–Madison is unlike a regular ‘UW–Madison to state agency’ transfer. The following authorities are listed in the 2012-2013 Wisconsin Blue Book:

  • Fox River Navigational System Authority
  • Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan Authority (HIRSP)
  • University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (UWHC)
  • Wisconsin Aerospace Authority (under Legislative Assembly)
  • Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
  • Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority (WHEFA)
  • Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA)

Responsibilities

Office of Human Resources (OHR)
  • Provides policy oversight to ensure compliance with campus policy
  • Conducts periodic reviews of the policy with campus human resources departments
  • Implements changes to the policy as needed
  • Updates continuous services dates in HRS as requested by College/School/Division HR
Deans and Directors
  • Ensure division human resources comply with campus policy
College/School/Division HR
  • Ensures that all eligible employees have the correct continuous service date in the Human Resources System
  • Calculates adjusted continuous service dates in compliance with this policy
  • Serves as records custodians for continuous service date adjustments in their employing unit
Supervisor
  • Consult with their College/School/ Division HR Departments on any of the information found in this policy

Link to Current Policy

https://kb.wisc.edu/ohr/policies/page.php?id=53399

Links to Related Policies

Vacation

Sick Leave

Wisconsin and Federal Family and Medical Leave Acts

Leave of Absence Without Pay

Military Leave

Layoff of University Staff

WHR Manual Chapter 732

ER 1.02(6)

Wis. Stats. §§ 40.05(4) (b) and 40.95

Links to Policy History

Wis. Admin. Code UWS 19

WI Handbook Chapter 732

WI Handbook Chapter 758

Chapter 230.35

ER 1.02(6)

ER 18.02

ER-MRS 22



Keywordscreditable, wrs, eligibility, break, reinstatement, period, duration, time, sick leave, conversion, uw, wisconsin, system, state, government, university   Doc ID53399
OwnerJonathan D.GroupHR Policies
Created2015-06-29 10:13:16Updated2020-03-24 14:55:45
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