When disaster strikes, we come together. The Major Disaster Leave Sharing Plan empowers USC employees to voluntarily donate their unused vacation time or paid time off (PTO) to a pool of employees facing unforeseen challenges due to major disasters – like the 2025 LA wildfires. Together, we create a safety net of care and support for our community.
We want to thank our generous faculty and staff for contributing a great number of donated hours to support our Trojan community! The program is now closed to incoming donations, and employees affected by the wildfires are encouraged to apply for them.
How it works
- Eligibility: Employees impacted by a major disaster can request vacation hours through the program.
- Impact: The donated leave is allocated to eligible employees, ensuring they have the time they need to recover or support their families.
How to apply for vacation hours
Recipient eligibility
You may be eligible to receive donated hours if you meet the following criteria:
- Employment status: You are a benefits-eligible USC employee, including faculty, full and part-time staff, vacation accruing post-docs, and Keck Medicine of USC employees.
- Disaster impact: You or a family member have been displaced or impacted by the LA wildfires, requiring you to be absent from work.
- Exhausted leave: You have used most of your accrued vacation/PTO hours. (However, Winter Recess and Personal Day hours may still be available.)
- Maximum allowance: You have not already received 150 hours (160 hours for employees who work 40-hour work weeks) within a rolling 12-month period under the Major Disaster Declaration.
Complete the Workday Form:
- Click here to log in to Workday, after which you’ll see a pop-up box to “Create Request.”
- Under “Request Type,” enter “USC Major Disaster Leave Sharing Program: Recipient Request Form.”
- Complete and submit the request form.
What Can I Expect After I Request Hours?
- Application review process: University HR will review your completed application. If it meets the initial requirements, it will be forwarded to the review committee, which meets weekly to evaluate requests based on eligibility criteria and available funds. You will receive a notification regarding the status of your request within one week.
- Fund distribution: This program relies on voluntary vacation hours donations from fellow employees. Approved requests are entered into a queue, and funds are distributed accordingly. The review committee ensures all applicants are equally considered.
- Processing time: If funds are available, processing time takes approximately 1 weeks from the time your application is received.
- Maximum hours: Eligible recipients are encouraged to reapply as needed. They may receive up to a total of 160 hours within a rolling 12-month period.
- Usage deadline: Recipients must utilize the donated hours by June 30, 2026.
- Tax implications: Received donations are considered wages of the recipient and are taxed accordingly. All regular withholdings will be deducted according with standard payroll practice.