In order to assist
our community's efforts to provide a safe and adequate blood supply,
employees are encouraged to participate in the New York City Employee
Blood Program through agency programs which offer donation sites
at the work place and at fixed sites operated by New York Blood
Center throughout the Greater New York area.
Employees who donate
blood during working hours, at on-site agency bloodmobiles provided
through the New York City Employee Blood Program, are granted
three hours of compensatory time, in addition to the time actually
used to donate blood. Following is the current policy regarding
time off for employees who donate blood.
A. Blood Donation
Through the New York City Employee Blood Program During Working
Hours
1. A productive
blood donor who donates blood through the New York City Employee
Blood Program during working hours, at an on-site agency bloodmobile,
will be granted three hours of compensatory time. This is in
addition to the time used to actually donate blood. Employees
are excused only for the amount of time it actually takes
to donate blood, including travel to and from the donation site,
up to a maximum of three hours. Any additional time off must
be charged to the employees' leave balances.
2. Only those employees
who make donations at on-site agency bloodmobiles are entitled
to receive compensatory time. This compensatory time can be
used at the employee's discretion, subject to agency approval,
immediately after donation or banked for up to one year. An
employee cannot be paid for this time in lieu of taking
it off.
3. A productive blood
donor who donates blood through the New York City Employee Blood
Program during working hours, at a fixed site operated by New
York Blood Center, or at a hospital, may be excused for only
the time needed to actually donate blood, including travel time,
up to a maximum of three hours. This donor is not entitled to
receive compensatory time.
B. Blood Donation
During Non-Working Hours
An employee who donates
blood during non-working hours shall not be credited with compensatory
time for such donation.
C. Other Types
of Donations Covered by This Policy
Apheresis and plasmapheresis
donations are types of blood donations and should be handled
in the same manner as other blood donations.
D. Autologous or
Directed Donation
An employee who
makes an autologous or directed donation is not entitled to
either time off for the actual donation or compensatory time.
In an autologous donation, the donor donates his/her blood to
be stored for personal transfusion at a future date. In a directed
donation, the donor selects the person who is to receive the
donation.
E. Uniformed Forces
Members of the Uniformed
Forces of the Correction, Fire, Police and Sanitation Departments
are not covered by the preceding policy.
F. Donation at
a Hospital
An employee who
donates blood at a hospital must bring back a receipt from the
hospital to give to the agency Blood Coordinator in order to
be credited with the blood donation, and excused for the time
if the donation was made during working hours.
William J. Diamond
Commissioner
