Full-time employees shall earn vacation leave with pay at the following rates:

   Permanent part-time employees shall be entitled to vacation leave proportionate to that which would be granted under full-time employment. Temporary employees shall not be eligible for vacation time.

   The amount of leave earned by each employee is based on the employee's years of continuous employment. For example, during the ninth year of continuous employment, vacation leave is earned at the rate of 1.5 days per month and an employee is eligible to use the earned vacation time in addition to any accumulated time based on the previous year's service. Vacation leave is earned during each pay period and credited to the employee at the end of that pay period. For example, leave earned in October is available to use on the first of November.

   Leave that is used is deducted from the employee's accumulated leave one pay period after it is used. It is the responsibility of each employee to monitor the amount of vacation leave available for use. If an employee takes vacation leave before it is earned it will result in the reduction of the employee's wages and possible disciplinary action. Vacation leave must be applied for in advance by the employee and may be used only when approved by the supervisor. However, prior approval is not required when the employee is required to use vacation leave as sick leave or chooses to use vacation leave instead of going on unpaid family/medical leave. Supervisors can only approve vacation leave after it has been earned, unless advanced with the approval of the State Court Administrator or State Probation Administrator, up to a maximum of 40 hours. Vacation leave shall be designated so as not to interfere with the efficient operation of the Nebraska Court System. Vacation leave need not be taken all at one time during the year. All employees must be given the opportunity to take their vacation leave before it expires.

   An employee who has terminated employment with the state for any reason other than disciplinary or retirement and who returns to state employment with the Nebraska Court System within 5 years from the date of termination shall have service for vacation leave entitlement computed by combining prior continuous service with current continuous service, disregarding the period of absence.  An employee who transfers to the Nebraska Court System from another state agency will continue to earn vacation leave at the same rate as the employee did with the former agency. No more than 40 hours of accumulated vacation leave may be transferred to the Nebraska Court System with approval from the administrative office. The employee must arrange payment for accumulated vacation leave above 40 hours with the former agency.

 Each employee, upon retirement, dismissal, or voluntary separation from Nebraska Court System employment, shall be paid for unused accumulated vacation leave. Upon the death of the employee, the employee's beneficiary shall be paid for all unused accumulated vacation leave. 

   Vacation leave shall not be earned during a leave of absence or while the employee is removed from the payroll for any reason.

   Each employee's vacation leave account shall be balanced as of the closing date of the last pay period of each calendar year. Vacation leave in excess of 35 days shall be forfeited.  In special and meritorious cases, when it would cause hardship for any employee to take earned vacation leave before December 31, excess carryover leave may be approved by the Administrative Office. In these cases, the hours carried over shall be used within the next 6 months. In no case shall carryover vacation continue from year to year.

   Some employees of the offices of the Supreme Court (staff of the Clerk and Library who were hired before 1980), some probation employees (who either joined the Nebraska Court System in July 1985 or July 1986), and some county court employees (who joined the Nebraska Court System in July of 1985 as a result of legislation merging the municipal and county courts) shall continue on the same leave schedules they were on prior to their becoming employees of the Nebraska Court System.

Amended 7-9-15.