The University supports employees who need to take time away from work to care for themselves and their families. In addition to the traditional sick leave time bank, the State of Minnesota also enacted a separate category known as Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST). For absences that meet the criteria for both traditional paid sick leave and ESST, the employee has the discretion to use whichever time bank they prefer.
You can view the balance of your sick leave and ESST time banks, rates of accrual, and request time away in MyU by clicking My Time.
Traditional Sick Leave
Sick leave is time away from work to care for your own wellbeing or for the wellbeing of your family members. A list of eligible family members, which are the same for both traditional sick time and ESST, can be found in the University of Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time policy.
Refer to your employee group governance document or the Paid Medical Leave and Disability Benefits for Faculty and P&A Employees Administrative Policy for details about your eligibility and guidelines for using sick leave.
Vacation Donation Program
The Vacation Donation Program supports eligible Civil Service and non-faculty Labor-Represented employees who are experiencing serious medical hardship or are caring for immediate family members with serious medical conditions and have exhausted all their paid leave options.
Note: The Vacation Donation Program is only for the traditional sick leave time bank. ESST cannot be donated to another employee.
Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST)
Refer to the University of Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time policy for specific details, including the purposes for which ESST can be used, eligibility requirements, and the definition of family members, which includes up to one non-family individual designated annually by the employee.
2026 Changes to ESST
Beginning January 1, 2026, the University will simplify how employees access and use time away for health and safety needs. As part of a broader effort to make time-away programs easier to understand and more flexible, the separate ESST bank used for tracking will be phased out for most employees.
January 1, 2026
- ESST will stop accruing for employees who have a traditional sick bank or Academic Disability. This includes non-labor represented faculty, civil service, and P&A employees. These employees will have one year to use any remaining ESST hours.
- Employees who do not have a traditional sick bank or Academic Disability will continue to accrue ESST and are not impacted by this change. This includes temporary and casual employees, student workers, and professionals in training.
- Labor-represented employees’ sick leave benefits, including ESST, will continue to be governed by their applicable collective bargaining agreements.
- University sick banks will be renamed to show that they can be used for both “sick” and “safe” time, including all ESST-eligible absences. The accrual rate per year for the traditional sick bank will stay the same–it will not accrue time at a faster rate, nor will accrued ESST time be transferred to the traditional bank.
January 1, 2027
- The separate ESST time bank will be removed for employees who stopped accruing in 2026. Any unused time in the ESST bank will be forfeited.
What These Changes Mean for You
Non-labor-represented faculty and P&A employees
You will stop accruing time in your separate ESST bank starting January 1, 2026. After your separate ESST bank is emptied, you can use the Medical Leave Benefit under the Academic Disability policy. You should report your use of the Medical Leave Benefit following departmental and/or campus, college, or administrative unit procedures.
Note: Now you are able to use the Medical Leave Benefit for all eligible sick time and ESST reasons, including caring for yourself, a loved one, or for an absence due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.
Reminder: The separate ESST time bank will be removed on January 1, 2027, and any unused time will be forfeited.
Civil service employees
You will stop accruing time in your separate ESST bank starting January 1, 2026. After your separate ESST bank is emptied, you can use your traditional sick bank. The traditional sick bank will be renamed in MyU to indicate that it can be used for all eligible ESST absence reasons, including caring for yourself, a loved one, or for an absence due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.
Note: Although you can use the traditional sick bank for more eligible reasons, the accrual rate per year for the traditional sick bank will stay the same–it will not accrue time at a faster rate.
Reminder: The separate ESST time bank will be removed on January 1, 2027, and any unused time will be forfeited.
Labor-represented employees
Your sick leave benefits, including ESST, will continue to be governed by your applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Why the Change?
1. Updated State Laws
In 2025, all time banks that can be used for sick time were required to also be available for ESST-eligible absences. To meet these new law requirements, the University expanded the use of existing sick banks, creating overlap between programs. Ending the separate ESST bank simplifies time-away benefits and aligns the University’s practices with other major Minnesota employers.
2. Coordination with Minnesota Paid Leave
With MN Paid Leave launching on January 1, 2026, the University has reviewed and updated its time-away policies to ensure they work together smoothly and meet new state requirements.
3. Expanded Time-Away Benefits
Although the separate ESST bank will phase out for most employees, the University now offers more comprehensive and flexible options for taking time away. With existing University programs and the addition of MN Paid Leave, all employees will have more support and protection when they need time away for their health, caregiving, or safety.
Support During the Transition
If you have questions about how these changes to ESST affect you, please contact the OHR Contact Center at [email protected] or call 612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363 and select option 1.
If you have questions about MN Paid Leave and your other leave options available at the University, the Leave Administration team is here to help you make the most of your time-away benefits. Reach out to them at [email protected].