(a) An appointing authority may, with the approval of the Commissioner of Administrative Services, grant a leave of absence with full pay, part pay or without pay, subject to the regulations issued by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, to any employee in the classified service for a period not exceeding one year. Such leave may be extended beyond one year by an appointing authority, provided such action shall be approved by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. In the granting of a leave of absence without pay, the appointing authority shall notify the employee and the Commissioner of Administrative Services whether the position will be held awaiting the employee's return or whether reinstatement will be dependent upon whether or not a suitable vacancy is available. A leave of absence with full or part pay may be granted only for educational purposes in order to enable an employee to study or receive technical training which will increase his proficiency in his position or for such other purpose as may be specified by the Commissioner of Administrative Services to be in the best interests of the state.

(b) Any employee who shall enter the armed forces as specified in section 5-255 shall be entitled to a leave of absence without pay for the time served in such service, plus ninety additional days.

(c) Any full-time permanent employee in the state service who is a member of the armed forces of the state or of any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and is required to undergo field training therein shall, for the period not exceeding three calendar weeks of such field training, be entitled to a leave of absence with pay in addition to his annual vacation. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent any such employee from attending ordered annual field training while on regularly scheduled vacation if he so desires.

(d) Any full-time permanent employee in the state service who qualifies to be a member of a team recognized by the United States Olympic Committee shall, upon written application and with the approval of his appointing authority, be entitled to a leave of absence with pay, and with his position held, for a period not exceeding ninety days after so qualifying in order to compete in Olympic games sponsored by the International Olympic Committee.

(e) When any employee has been on authorized leave of absence without his position being held and is ready to report for duty when a position is available, the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall refer the name of the employee to an appointing authority for possible reinstatement to a position in a class in which the employee has attained permanent status. The employee may be reinstated at the discretion of the appointing authority, provided no other employee has rights to the position pursuant to subsection (b) of section 5-241.

(f) Any agency may reinstate, without examination, any employee who has resigned in good standing and has withdrawn his or her resignation within one year to positions in classes in which he or she has attained permanent status. A classified employee with at least five years of state service appointed to an unclassified position may be granted a leave of absence without pay from the classified service by the Commissioner of Administrative Services for such length of time as he or she shall hold such appointive position, except that no such leave of absence shall exceed two consecutive years unless such classified employee requests and is granted a renewal of such leave of absence by the commissioner.

(1967, P.A. 657, S. 56; 1969, P.A. 658, S. 16; 1972, P.A. 231, S. 1; P.A. 76-254, S. 8, 11; P.A. 77-614, S. 66, 67, 610; P.A. 79-621, S. 19, 24; P.A. 92-165, S. 30, 32; P.A. 93-274, S. 5, 7; P.A. 96-168, S. 16, 32, 34; P.A. 13-247, S. 369.)

History: 1969 act replaced 15 days with three calendar weeks of field training for which pay is allowed in Subsec. (c); 1972 act deleted phrase concerning withdrawn resignations and placement on reemployment list in Subsec. (d); P.A. 76-254 added Subsec. (e) re withdrawn resignations and reappointment; P.A. 77-614 replaced personnel commissioner and personnel policy board with commissioner of administrative services; P.A. 79-621 amended Subsec. (e) re leaves of absence for classified employees appointed to unclassified position; P.A. 92-165 deleted reference to the provisions of Secs. 5-196(w) and 5-228(d) in Subsec. (e); P.A. 93-274 amended Subsec. (d) to clarify the reinstatement rights of an employee who has been on authorized leave of absence without his position being held and to specify that such employees' rights are secondary to the rights of employees on the layoff list, effective June 30, 1993; P.A. 96-168 inserted new Subsec. (d) permitting full-time employees to take a leave of absence to compete in Olympic games and relettered former Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (e) and (f) respectively, effective June 4, 1996, and amended Subsec. (e) to rephrase the authority of an agency to reinstate a former employee who resigned in good standing, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (f) to add reference to Commissioner of Administrative Services, add provision limiting leaves of absence to 2 consecutive years unless renewal granted and make technical changes, effective July 1, 2013.

Cited. 170 C. 541.