§398A-3 Leave requirement. (a) Subject to subsection (d), an employer shall provide to an employee leave of absence not exceeding:

(1) Seven days each calendar year to serve as a bone marrow donor or peripheral blood stem cell donor; and

(2) Thirty days each calendar year to serve as an organ donor;

provided that the employee shall submit written verification to the employer that the employee is an organ donor, bone marrow donor, or peripheral blood stem cell donor and that there is a medical necessity for the donation of the organ, bone marrow, or peripheral blood stem cells.

(b) Any period of time during which an employee is required to be absent from work to serve as an organ donor, bone marrow donor, or peripheral blood stem cell donor shall not constitute a break in the employee's continuous service for the purpose of the employee's right to salary adjustments, sick leave, vacation, annual leave, or seniority. During any period that an employee takes leave pursuant to subsection (a), the employer shall maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan, as defined in section 5000(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for the full duration of the leave, in the same manner as the coverage would have been maintained if the employee had been actively at work during the leave period.

(c) This chapter shall not affect the obligation of an employer to comply with any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan that provides greater leave rights to employees than the rights provided under this chapter.

(d) An employer may require as a condition of an employee's initial receipt of leave provided pursuant to this section that the employee take up to three days of earned but unused sick leave, vacation, or paid time off, or unpaid time off, for bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donation and up to two weeks of earned but unused sick leave, vacation, or paid time off, or unpaid time off, for organ donation, unless doing so would violate the provisions of any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, leave provided pursuant to this section shall not be taken concurrently with any leave taken pursuant to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.) or chapter 398.

(f) Leave provided pursuant to this section may be taken in one or more periods, but in no event shall exceed the amount of leave prescribed in subsection (a). [L 2014, c 161, pt of §1]