University Medical Center PTO Accrual Rate Change

Dear Team Members,

We have some good news to share! As part of our long-standing commitment to offer competitive benefits consistent with peer institutions, today we are excited to announce adjustments to the University Medical Center’s Paid Time Off (PTO) Accrual Plan, which will recognize and reward our dedicated UVA Health team members who have committed their careers to UVA Health

The changes — scheduled to go into effect June 22, 2025 — will increase the rate at which PTO accrues for individual contributors reaching their five and 15-year service anniversaries, adding an additional incentive for achieving these significant milestones. It is effective for those hired on or after July 7, 2002, defined as “Group B” in the Paid Time Off Medical Center HR Policy. The new rates, detailed below in bold, comes after University Medical Center leadership conducted an extensive PTO benchmarking review to ensure our time off practices remain competitive and aligned with industry standards. More information can be found below.

Non-Managerial Team Members hired or re-hired on or after 7/7/2002

  Current Accrual Rate days/yr New Accrual Rate days/yr
0-4 years 26 26
5-9 years 29 30
10-14 years 32 32
15-19 years 32 34
20+ years 36 36

To view your Time Off Service Date to determine your number of years of service and the subsequent accrual rate, follow these instructions: 

  • In Workday, go to your Profile Page 
  • Click on Overview 
  • Click on Service Dates (tab at top of page)
  • View the Time Off Service Date to calculate your years of service 

In addition to reviewing PTO accruals for the service milestones listed above, we also assessed holiday time off to ensure consistency with peer institutions. Today, team members who are not required to support 24/7 patient care must use PTO or leave without pay on specified holidays when clinics are closed. In assessing this practice, our goal was to ensure PTO accrued at a high enough rate to allow team members to use PTO for holidays, while also maintaining a healthy pool to use at their discretion. Following this review, we determined our policy to be in line with other medical centers, meaning we will stay the course and continuously monitor the market to ensure competitiveness.

To every team member who shared feedback through surveys or informal conversations — thank you. Your voice helped guide these enhancements. I hope you find this as great news on our continued quest to be a best place to work. Whether it is ensuring sufficient PTO, acknowledging years of service, or offering generous cash out options that allow for greater flexibility, our goal is to ensure your hard work is complemented with time-off practices that support your life and well-being. 

Thank you for your contributions to UVA Health and for making a difference in the lives of our patients and families.

With gratitude,

Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, FACHE

Chief Executive Officer

UVA Health University Medical Center 

Karmen Fittes

Chief, Human Resources

UVA Health University Medical Center 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the change?

University Medical Center has approved a revision of the HR policy that increases accrual for the five to nine years of service group from 29 to 30 annual accrual days. It also splits the 10-19 years tier into two tiers, with the 10-14 years tier having no change, and the 15-19 years tier increasing accrual from 32 annual accrual days to 34 days.

When will the change take place?

Beginning June 22, 2025, team members will accrue at the new pay period rate. That means that affected team members will not receive the full years' worth of increased accrual days in 2025; they will see the accrual rate change reflected in their payslips dated June 22 through December 31, 2025. Team members will realize the full year of accrual rate change starting in 2026.

Why is this change taking place now?

As part of our long-standing commitment to offer competitive benefits consistent with peer institutions, we updated PTO accruals to recognize and reward many of our tenured team members. This change followed a recent review of our PTO practices, during which HR identified a couple instances where accrual rates for certain years of service tiers were not fully aligned with benchmarks. For almost all years of service, University Medical Center’s PTO accrual rates are above benchmark levels, reflecting its commitment to supporting team members’ well-being and work-life balance. With this change, University Medical Center will offer PTO accrual benefits in line with its benchmark institutions and will continue our commitment to recruit and retain a talented workforce. 

Who is affected by the change in PTO accrual days?

The PTO accruals changes will affect staff employees hired or re-hired by the Medical Center on or after 07/07/2002 and who are defined within Chart B in the Paid Time Off Medical Center HR Policy as individual contributors (excludes managers and staff from any other entity) with give to nine years of service or 15-19 years of service.

Why are there no changes to the PTO accruals for team members in Chart A?  

The accrual rates for team members in Chart A are already competitive across all service bands, so no change is needed.

How do I calculate my years of service to determine if this change applies to me?

To view your Time Off Service Date to determine your number of years of service and the subsequent accrual rate, follow these instructions:

  • In Workday, go to your Profile Page
  • Click on Overview
  • Click on Service Dates (tab at top of page)
  • View the Time Off Service Date to calculate your years of service

Were holidays and PTO reviewed in the benchmarking study?

We heard team members’ questions and feedback regarding how holidays and PTO are structured and used across the system. Your voices matter, and we are committed to making sure our policies reflect fairness and alignment with industry standards. Our benchmarking study reaffirmed that University Medical Center’s policies around holidays and clinic closures are consistent with peer institutions that must maintain around-the-clock operations.

Is there a change to holiday premium pay?

There is no change. Please refer to Pay Administration Medical Center HR Policy. While holiday time off is included in each employee’s PTO bank, University Medical Center recognizes staff members’ contributions who work on the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For team members who work on those holidays, they will receive — in addition to their regular pay — a premium equivalent to half-time pay for the hours worked during the 24-hour holiday that begins at midnight at the start of the holiday and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the holiday.

When do exempt employees need to take PTO for holidays? 

Unless an exempt employee is scheduled to work any portion of a named holiday, they must use PTO. Exempt employees are not eligible for Leave Without Pay unless they have exhausted all PTO.

Beyond my leader, who can answer my questions about the change in accrual rates?

Resources you may wish to access include: