Bereavement Leave

California Government Code Section 12945.7 entitles County employees up to five (5) days of leave upon the death of a family member. Family member is defined as a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law:

• Child: A biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, a child of a domestic partner, or a person to whom the employee stands in loco parentis. 
•  Parent: A biological, foster, or adoptive parent, a parent-in-law, a stepparent, a legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee was a child.
• Sibling: A person related to another person by blood, adoption, or affinity through a common legal or biological parent.
• Grandparent: A parent of the employee’s parent.
• Grandchild: A child of the employee’s child.
• Domestic Partner: Two adults who have chosen to share one another’s lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring.
• Parent-in-law: The parent of a spouse or domestic partner.

Regular County employees receive up to forty (40) hours of family death leave with pay that must be used concurrently with any bereavement leave taken. The amount of paid family death leave is prorated for regular part-time employees. An employee on an alternate work schedule that is assigned to work more than eight (8) hours in a day, who has exhausted their family death leave with pay, may choose to use any available leave balances or take the remaining leave unpaid.

Eligibility: All County employees are eligible for 5 days of bereavement leave. Prior to the commencement of leave, an employee must be employed for at least 30 days.

Regular County employees are eligible for up to 40 hours of paid family death leave that runs concurrently with bereavement leave.

Entitlement: An employee has the right to take up to five (5) days of bereavement leave, which need not be consecutive, but shall be completed within 3 months of the date of death of the family member.

Use of Balances: Bereavement leave is unpaid, except paid family death leave will run concurrently for regular employees. An employee who is not eligible for family death leave with pay, or who has exhausted family death leave, may choose to use any available leave balances, or take the leave unpaid.

Request Procedure: The request must be provided in writing, in accordance with department procedures, identifying the relationship of the family member and requested days off. Employees may be required to provide documentation of the death of the family member within 30 days of the first day of leave.