Any employee of the State Department of Developmental Services performing functions which, prior to September 9, 1981, were vested in the State Department of Developmental Services, and who is transferred on or after September 9, 1981, to a regional center for the developmentally disabled as a result of a regional center undertaking the performance of developmental service functions previously performed by the department, shall be entitled, while employed in a regional center, to use for a period of five years following transfer any unused sick leave balance the employee had accumulated while in state employment and had remaining to his or her credit at the time of termination of state employment. This sick leave shall be held in a reserve account by the state to be used, if necessary, only at such time as the transferred employee’s sick leave benefits accrued as a regional center employee become exhausted. When regional center sick leave benefits are exhausted, the employee shall be entitled to utilize his or her state reserve account sick leave until exhausted. The state reserve account for sick leave shall be administered according to the sick leave provisions of this article and corresponding department rules. Upon reemployment with the state, a transferred employee’s sick leave credits shall be reduced by the number of hours used from the state reserve during his or her employment in the regional center. The cost of preserving and paying for the state reserve account sick leave shall be totally funded by the state.

(Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1095, Sec. 17.5.)