Section 24-33.5-825 - Qualified volunteers - leave of absence - public employees(1) Any qualified volunteer who is an officer or employee of the state or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or other public agency of the state and who is called into service by a volunteer organization is entitled to a leave of absence from the qualified volunteer's employment for the time when the qualified volunteer is serving, without loss of pay, seniority, status, efficiency rating, vacation, sick leave, or other benefits. The leave without loss of pay that is allowed pursuant to this section shall not exceed a total of fifteen workdays in any calendar year; except that such leave without loss of pay shall be allowed only if the required volunteer service is satisfactorily performed, which shall be presumed unless the contrary is established.(2) The leave allowed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be allowed only if the qualified volunteer returns to his or her public position the next scheduled workday after being relieved from emergency volunteer service; except that leave shall be allowed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section if the employee is unable to return to work due to injury or circumstances beyond the employee's control and the employee notifies the employer as soon as practicable, but prior to the next scheduled workday.(3) A state agency or any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or other public agency of the state may hire a temporary employee to fill a vacancy created by a leave of absence allowed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.(4) Upon returning from a leave of absence allowed pursuant to this section, a qualified volunteer is entitled to return to the same position and classification held by the qualified volunteer before the leave of absence for the emergency volunteer service or to the position, including the geographic location of the position, and classification that the qualified volunteer would have been entitled to if the qualified volunteer did not take a leave of absence for the emergency volunteer service.(5) A qualified volunteer who is an officer or employee of the state or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or other public agency of the state, receiving a leave of absence pursuant to this section, and having rights in any state, municipal, or other public pension, retirement, or relief system shall retain all of the rights accrued up to the time of taking the leave and shall have all rights subsequently accruing under such system as if the qualified volunteer did not take the leave. Any increase in the amount of money benefits accruing with respect to the time of the leave is dependent upon the payment of any contributions or assessments, and the right to the increase is dependent upon the payment of contributions or assessments within a reasonable time after the termination of the leave and upon such terms as the authorities in charge of the system may prescribe.(6) Notwithstanding this section, an employer shall not be required to provide leave pursuant to this section to more than twenty percent of the employer's employees on any workday.(7) Notwithstanding this section, an employer shall not be required to allow leave pursuant to this section for any employee designated as an essential employee. For the purposes of this subsection (7), "essential employee" means an employee who the employer deems to be essential to the operation of the employer's daily enterprise and whose absence would likely cause the employer to suffer economic injury.L. 2012: Entire part RC&RE with relocations, (HB 12-1283), ch. 240, p. 1097, § 10, effective July 1.This section is similar to former § 24-32-2225 as it existed prior to 2012.