For Hennepin County employees


Purpose

To achieve budget savings and meet the budget reduction target, the County Board of Commissioners and County Administration strongly encourage all employees to use the Special Leave without Pay Program (SLWOP) with a goal of using 20 hours on average for every employee.

Eligible Employees:

  • Permanent; or
  • Probationary

Leave duration

Eligible employees may be able to take up to a maximum of 160 hours per payroll year.

  • Can be taken as a continuous block of time; or
  • Used in increments of less than one hour

SWLOP runs concurrent with all other applicable types of leave including, but not limited to, FMLA, Hennepin County Leave for Childbirth or Adoption and Minnesota Parental Leave Act.

SLWOP impact on PERA pensions

  • PERA grants service credit for a full month, even when using unpaid leave, provided that the employee has some paid time in the month (even one hour).
  • Employee payment of PERA contributions for unpaid leave can be made at year end.
  • County will pay the employer PERA contribution once the employee contribution is made.
  • PERA impact will be minimal for employees who are not in their last five years of service before retirement.
  • Additional information regarding PERA available on Human Resources Benefits Intranet site or by contacting PERA directly.

NOTE: PERA has a program to accept one-time post tax payment via payroll deduction to accommodate employees who wish to make up PERA contributions at year end.

If you use SLWOP, ask yourself :

  1. Am I within five years of the date I plan to retire (whether based on meeting PERA’s Rule of 90 or not)?
  2. Should I pay my ‘make-up’ employee contributions to PERA for the time I used SLWOP?

If you may be within five years of the date you plan to retire...

  • Taking Special Leave Without Pay reduces your earnings which, in turn, reduces your monthly pension amount.
  • According to PERA, the reduction in your pension may be insignificant. This will depend on your particular circumstances – whether you are within five years of retirement, your age at retirement, and your years of PERA-covered employment.
  • Recommendation: To fully understand how your pension will be impacted you are strongly encouraged to contact PERA at 651-296-7460.

Repayment process

PERA established a new policy for repayment of missed contributions for time taken as SLWOP. Under the revised process, you do not need to complete a form to receive an invoice. PERA will use data provided by Hennepin County to generate a personalized invoice based on your utilization of SLWOP. You will receive this invoice prior to the end of January. Repayment of missed contributions is optional; you are not obligated to pay this invoice.

If you decide to repay your missed PERA contributions, PERA’s repayment invoice will give you instructions on how to proceed. The repayment invoice will include interest so the sooner you submit your repayment amount the less interest you will pay. PERA will contact the County once you've submitted your repayment amount and the County will submit its employer contributions.