(A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, employees whose salaries or wages are paid by warrant of the director of budget and management and who have accumulated sick leave under section 124.38 or 124.382 of the Revised Code shall be paid for a percentage of their accumulated balances, upon separation for any reason, including death but excluding retirement, at their last base rate of pay at the rate of one hour of pay for every two hours of accumulated balances. An employee who retires in accordance with any retirement plan offered by the state shall be paid upon retirement for each hour of the employee's accumulated sick leave balance at a rate of fifty-five per cent of the employee's last base rate of pay.

An employee serving in a temporary work level who elects to convert unused sick leave to cash shall do so at the base rate of pay of the employee's normal classification. If an employee dies, the employee's unused sick leave shall be paid in accordance with section 2113.04 of the Revised Code or to the employee's estate.

In order to be eligible for the payment authorized by this section, an employee shall have at least one year of state service and shall request all or a portion of that payment no later than three years after separation from state service. No person is eligible to receive all or a portion of the payment authorized by this section at any time later than three years after the person's separation from state service.

(B) A person initially employed on or after July 5, 1987, by a state agency in which the employees' salaries or wages are paid directly by warrant of the director of budget and management shall receive payment under this section only for sick leave accumulated while employed by state agencies in which the employees' salaries or wages are paid directly by warrant of the director of budget and management. Additionally, a person initially employed on or after July 5, 1987, but before October 1, 2017, by the state department of education as an unclassified employee shall receive payment under this section for sick leave placed to the employee's credit under division (E)(2) of section 124.382 of the Revised Code.

(C) For employees paid in accordance with section 124.152 of the Revised Code and those employees listed in divisions (B)(2) and (4) of section 124.14 of the Revised Code, the director of administrative services, with the approval of the director of budget and management, may establish a plan for early payment of accrued sick leave and vacation leave.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Effective Date: 06-15-2000; 12-01-2006; 07-01-2007.