Shared Benefits
The Shared Benefits Program provides relief to eligible employees who have exhausted all accumulated leave time in the event of catastrophic illness or injury. Employees who have accrued at least 11 sick, vacation days, or both, may donate a minimum of one full day of benefit leave to the pool to the pool. Employees who have contributed to the pool to receive up to 45 days of pay a year when they face a health issue that requires a long absence from work.
The donation provides “membership” in the pool for as long as the employee remains at Illinois. When a person is dealing with a health crisis that exhausts paid sick leave and vacation benefits, Shared Benefits often fills the gap between the end of university benefits and the start of SURS or government-sponsored disability benefits.
Although Shared Benefits can only be used when a university employee is ill, the support it provides offers financial security for the employee’s entire family. Shared Benefits keeps the employee in pay status with full health benefits, so it’s a very family-friendly program, and it removes one major worry people face when they have a long-term illness.
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Inside Illinois article on Shared Benefits Program