810 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Condition (c) is made up of a group of facts or circumstances which must combine 

 to authorize the granting of leave on account of personal illness. The caae must be 

 (1) exceptional, (2) meritorious, and (3) such that a denial of the leave would work 

 not ordinary but peculiar hardship. What will in this connection constitute an 

 "exceptional" case, a "meritorious" case, and "peculiar hardship" can not be 

 defined in any general rule, but must depend upon the exercise of a reasonable 

 discretion in the consideration of the circumstances. 



27. Leave may be granted before annual leave. — Extension of annual leave 

 on account of sickness may be granted at any time during the year, even though no 

 annual leave shall have been granted at the time of such extension. 



28. Applications for leave; physician's certificate. — Applications for sick 

 leave must be filed on the form prescribed by the department and be accompanied 

 by a certificate, therein provided for, of the attending physician where one waa 

 employed, and in all cases where no physician was employed the specific reasons for 

 not employing one must be stated. 



29. Only regularly practicing licensed physicians. — Certificates of sicknesa 

 will be accepted from none but regularly practicing physicians, licensed according 

 to law. 



30. Without physician's certificate. — Sick leave will not be allowed without a 

 physician's certificate unless application is accompanied by a sworn statement that 

 the absence was due to illness, tnat the employee was unable to perform official duties, 

 and that no physician was employed. (See par. 31.) 



31. Limitation of leave based on affidavit. — Periods not exceeding 2 days may 

 be granted on affidavit, and the aggregate of affidavit sick leave shall not exceed 12 

 days in one year. 



32. Not less than 1 day granted. — Sick leave will not be granted for less than 1 

 day; absence for less than 1 day shall be charged against annual leave. 



33. Slight ailments. — Slight ailments or indisposition will not be accepted aa 

 sufficient cause for allowing sick leave; such absences should be charged to annual 

 leave. 



34. Absentees must report fact within 24 hours. — An employee absent on 

 account of personal illness must report the fact to the chief clerk of the bureau in which 

 employed immediately; if such report is not made within 24 hours, the time lost may 

 be charged to annual leave or leave without pay. 



35. Application must be made within 3 days. — Application for sick leave must 

 be made within 3 days after the return of the employee to duty. 



36. Quarantine. — When an employee has been exposed to a contagious disease 

 against which the medical authorities quarantine the patient, he should immediately 

 file with the chief clerk of the bureau in which employed a certificate from the attend- 

 ing physician, where such be the case, stating that in his judgment the presence of 

 the employee in the office would jeopardize the health of fellow clerks. Application 

 for leave with pay for the time lost must be accompanied by a certificate of the attend- 

 ing physician certifying that all danger from contagion has passed. 



37. Modifying annual leave to sick le.we. — No modification of annual to sick 

 leave will be made unless sickness begins on or before the first day of the period 

 granted as annual leave, when the latter may be surrendered and sick leave granted 

 instead under the usual limitations. The circumstances and surroundings of an 

 employee on vacation are usually so different from when on official duty that it seema 

 beyond the intent of the law and regulations to grant sick leave during a period of 

 annual leave. 



38. Deduction from allowance because of leave without pay. — Proportion- 

 ate deduction from sick leave shall be made at the rate of 1 day for each 12 days, and 

 multiples thereof, of furlough or leave without pay. This applies also to reinstated 

 employees in regard to the period of their separation from the department in the cur- 

 rent year. (See pars. 44, 45, and 46.) 



39. Investigation. — The chief of bureau "hall carefully consider the merits of 

 every application for an extension of leave with pay l)eyond 30 days which shall be 

 presented by his employees, in so far as the actual sickness or exposure to contagion 

 IS concerned; and shall cause to be investigated those employees who habitually 

 apply for excessive sick leavo, and if abuse of the privilege be found, report the 

 same to the office of the Secretary. 



40. Penalties for deception. — All employees will be held to a strict account- 

 ability for statements made by them of inability to perform duty. When sick leave 

 has been granted and subsequent developments prove that it was obtained by mis- 

 representation, it will be charged to leave without pay, even if the offender has annual 

 leave still due. A second attempt to mislead or deceive official superiors, directly 

 or indirectly, in regard to absence on account of alleged sickness, will be deemed 

 sufficient cause for dismissal. 



