23-373. Use of earned paid sick time

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies)

A. Earned paid sick time shall be provided to an employee by an employer for:

1. An employee's mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; an employee's need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; an employee's need for preventive medical care;

2. Care of a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; care of a family member who needs medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; care of a family member who needs preventive medical care;

3. Closure of the employee's place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency or an employee's need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or care for oneself or a family member when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the employee's or family member's presence in the community may jeopardize the health of others because of his or her exposure to a communicable disease, whether or not the employee or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease; or

4. Notwithstanding section 13-4439, Arizona Revised Statutes, absence necessary due to domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking, provided the leave is to allow the employee to obtain for the employee or the employee's family member:

(a) Medical attention needed to recover from physical or psychological injury or disability caused by domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking;

(b) Services from a domestic violence or sexual violence program or victim services organization;

(c) Psychological or other counseling;

(d) Relocation or taking steps to secure an existing home due to the domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking; or

(e) Legal services, including but not limited to preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or resulting from the domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking.

B. Earned paid sick time shall be provided upon the request of an employee. Such request may be made orally, in writing, by electronic means or by any other means acceptable to the employer. When possible, the request shall include the expected duration of the absence.

C. When the use of earned paid sick time is foreseeable, the employee shall make a good faith effort to provide notice of the need for such time to the employer in advance of the use of the earned paid sick time and shall make a reasonable effort to schedule the use of earned paid sick time in a manner that does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.

D. An employer that requires notice of the need to use earned paid sick time where the need is not foreseeable shall provide a written policy that contains procedures for the employee to provide notice. An employer that has not provided to the employee a copy of its written policy for providing such notice shall not deny earned paid sick time to the employee based on non-compliance with such a policy.

E. An employer may not require, as a condition of an employee's taking earned paid sick time, that the employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which the employee is using earned paid sick time.

F. Earned paid sick time may be used in the smaller of hourly increments or the smallest increment that the employer's payroll system uses to account for absences or use of other time.

G. For earned paid sick time of three or more consecutive work days, an employer may require reasonable documentation that the earned paid sick time has been used for a purpose covered by subsection A. Documentation signed by a heath care professional indicating that earned paid sick time is necessary shall be considered reasonable documentation for purposes of this section. In cases of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking, one of the following types of documentation selected by the employee shall be considered reasonable documentation:

1. A police report indicating that the employee or the employee's family member was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking;

2. A protective order; injunction against harassment; a general court order; or other evidence from a court or prosecuting attorney that the employee or employee's family member appeared, or is scheduled to appear, in court in connection with an incident of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking;

3. A signed statement from a domestic violence or sexual violence program or victim services organization affirming that the employee or employee's family member is receiving services related to domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking;

4. A signed statement from a witness advocate affirming that the employee or employee's family member is receiving services from a victim services organization;

5. A signed statement from an attorney, member of the clergy, or a medical or other professional affirming that the employee or employee's family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking; or

6. An employee's written statement affirming that the employee or the employee's family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking, and that the leave was taken for one of the purposes of subsection A, paragraph 4 of this section. The employee's written statement, by itself, is reasonable documentation for absences under this paragraph. The written statement does not need to be in an affidavit format or notarized, but shall be legible if handwritten and shall reasonably make clear the employee's identity, and if applicable, the employee's relationship to the family member.

H. The provision of documentation under subsection G does not waive or diminish any confidential or privileged communications between a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking with one or more of the individuals named in subsection G.

I. An employer may not require that documentation under subsection G explain the nature of the health condition or the details of the domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking.