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Leaves of Absence General Guidelines

Archco grants eligible employees leave of absence from their jobs under certain circumstances, and protects their rights under company policy, state and federal regulations.

A leave of absence is intended as a benefit for employees who expect to return to work at the end of such leave. Reasons for leave of absence are: medical, family, personal, job-related (industrial) injury/illness or military. A leave of absence will not be granted to the employee who is not intending to return to work, seeking other employment, becoming self-employed or returning to school. A leave of absence is not granted for employees being laid-off because of lack of work.

Employees must request a leave of absence whenever an absence occurs for five (5) or more consecutive workdays. Request for a leave of absence must be submitted by the employee on a "Request for Leave of Absence" form with as much advanced notice time as possible, and no later than one week in advance of the leave, or in the case of emergencies, within 48 hours of the occurrence. The supervisor and the Human Resources department will review and approve leave requests.

Consideration for leave will depend on the reason for the request, the department workload, the employee's length of service, the employee's attendance record, prior leave and overall work performance. Leave approval is requested before the employee departs, unless the leave is the result of a serious medical condition.

All medical or family related leave of absences must be supported by the documentation of a health care provider. If the company questions the certification of a health care provider, the company may, at its own expense, request a second opinion from a different health care provider of its choice. In cases of conflict, the company may, at its own expense, require a third opinion from a provider jointly designated by the company and employee; the third opinion will be binding.

The employee, on leave of absence, is responsible for payment of their share of the health insurance premiums to avoid lapse in his/her insurance coverage. Coverage will be terminated for non-payment of premiums. If the employee does not return to work at the end of the leave period, he/she will be offered the opportunity to continue health benefits as provided by the Plan's Continuation of Coverage provisions.

If an employee is unable to return to work at the conclusion of an approved leave, the employee must request an extension of the leave of absence. All requests for extension of leave must be accompanied by the required documentation and submitted to Human Resources. Verbal extensions will have no validity.

When returning from any leave of absence (unless protected by law), employment is contingent upon the availability of a position for which the employee is qualified. An employee returning from any leave of absence will be reinstated to the same or similar job when possible, providing he or she follows all applicable procedures outlined in this policy.

An employee who enters into gainful employment, or works for pay or profit elsewhere while on a leave of absence, will be terminated immediately.

Unless the employee receives approval for an extension of a leave of absence, the employee's failure to report to work will be deemed and accepted as the employee's resignation from employment with Archco. An employee who is unable or unwilling to return to work when his/her leave of absence expires may be terminated.

Should Archco experience a reduction in work force or lay-off during an employee's leave, and if the employee would have been laid off if not on leave, the employee's right of reinstatement is the same as if he/she were not on leave when the lay-off occurred.

When an employee is deemed to be on a leave of absence, the employee will be considered to be applying such leave to any available Federal or State law afforded to the employee on leave and all provisions will apply first to any available Family Leave. Any leave that qualifies under FMLA will be considered to be FMLA. All leave, protected by law, should not exceed the maximum allowable time that such leave protection allows.

With the exception of Workers' Compensation, or when protected by law, employees are eligible for a total of three (3) months of Medical Leave in a rolling twelve (12) month period. Leave period may be extended subject to approval, and at the discretion of senior management.