Paid Time Off: Clinic Practice Staff 

Paid Time Off (PTO) program described on this page is applicable to both full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees that are Clinic Practice Staff (formerly THM) employees working in a THPG clinic.

A Note About Holidays
Because a large part of our business operates 24/7/365, Texas Health as an organization is not closed for holidays, but we do recognize specific holidays for differential pay. Texas Health is a diverse organization with more than 29,000 individuals. Our PTO benefit is designed to provide employees with the ability to take time off on holidays important to them/holidays they observe (subject to your manager’s approval). Please note, some Texas Health clinics, departments and service lines do close on certain recognized holidays. Check the PTO FAQs at the bottom of this page for details. 

Texas Health offers the Paid Time Off (PTO) program to give you paid time away from work in whatever way you need: vacation, holidays, mental health break, sick days, personal days, injury or Family and Medical Leave. The PTO benefit is designed to give you freedom and choice in how you want to use your accrued time off. It’s time off for you to use to take time away from work in ways that works best for you (subject to your manager’s approval).

How it Works

You will earn PTO each pay period in accordance with the schedules below based on how long you have worked for Texas Health and your scheduled hours in the HR/Payroll system. Receiving PTO at the higher rate is effective the pay period during which you have your anniversary date. Your PTO begins accrual on your first day of employment. To be paid for PTO, it must be correctly entered into the system prior to the payroll cut-off for that pay cycle.

Accrual Schedule

35.00-40.00 hours per week: 

Less than 35 hours per week: 

Click here for accrual rates per pay period for those working less than 35 hours per week.

Maximum Hours

Your are encouraged to use PTO to maintain a good work life balance and may carry over up to eighty (80) hours of unused PTO each July. For 2023, the PTO bank will be reduced to (80) hours during the last pay period of July (7/16/2023- 7/29/2023). 

Additional Details 

• If you are a non-exempt employee, you are required to use PTO to bring you up to the hours for the week according to our Full-time Equivalent (FT) defined in the HR/Payroll system.
• You do continue to accrue PTO while taking PTO, which is a nice perk!
• You do not receive PTO while on an approved continuous leave of absence. 

Taking Time Off

PTO is available to use once it has been earned and is approved at the manager’s discretion based on the needs of the business. Clinic practice staff  must request PTO through their practice manager, at least (2) two weeks in advance (except for sick days) and have supervisor approval prior to the start of PTO.

• Employees are expected to manage PTO responsibly.
• Employees will be required to use for pre-approved vacation, holidays and personal time off
• Employees will be required to use PTO for any unscheduled absences or instances of tardiness.
• Employees may not use PTO during any pay week if using it would cause the employee to exceed the number of hours classified in Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) to work.
• Employees may use PTO for approved leaves of absence, but you are not required to.
• If PTO is exhausted and the employee needs to take a day off due to illness, it will be unpaid.
• Pre-approved PTO may be rescinded if the employee does not have enough hours to cover it when the time comes for the employee to be out.

You cannot use PTO if: 

• Your absence is due to jury duty.
• You are receiving bereavement pay.
• Use of PTO while on suspension or unpaid administrative leave will be determined by the applicable Texas Health policy. 

You may use PTO, but are not required to use it if:

• You are on military reserve training or duty
• You are not scheduled to work or are sent home because of low census or other business reason

Exempt Employees If you are an exempt employee, you must use PTO in full-day increments based on your schedule for the day, unless you are on an intermittent FMLA leave. If you are on an approved intermittent FMLA leave and you choose to use your PTO for the portion of the day not worked, you must use PTO in hourly increments. If you are an exempt employee who is not on intermittent FMLA and you miss a portion of a scheduled day, you are paid for the full day without the addition of PTO. If you are an exempt employee and you miss a full scheduled day, you must record PTO.  

While you can use your time any way you need, here’s how a 40 hour per week employee with one year of service might use their time off throughout one year (for a total of 24 paid days away from work):

• 8 days for holidays
• 5 days for vacation
• 4 days to care for sick children
• 3 days for personal matters
• 2 days for a mental health break
• 2 days for sick days

CONVERTING PTO

During open enrollment, you can convert up to 80 hours of PTO you will earn the next calendar year (in 8-hour increments) to pay for your benefits. The value of the PTO hours will be added to your paycheck over 26 pay periods. To be eligible to convert PTO, you must elect at least one of the following benefits: medical, dental, vision, health care spending account, day care spending account, additional life insurance, additional AD&D insurance, additional long-term disability, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, or critical illness insurance. You are limited to a combined total of 100 hours per year for converting, selling, and donating PTO.

SELLING PTO

• You may sell PTO two times a year, up to an annual total of 80 hours
• You must maintain at least 40 hours of PTO after the sale.
• You may sell a maximum of 80 hours per year.
• Due to IRS regulations, the combined amount of PTO you convert, sell, and donate must be less than 100 hours per year.
• When you sell PTO, you will receive 80% of the value of your sold PTO hours as a cash payment and will be subject to applicable payroll taxes and 401(k) deductions (if you are enrolled in the 401(k) Plan).
• PTO may not be sold from the first or last pay periods of the year. 
  • NOTE: PTO Sell link will be unavailable from Friday, Dec. 1 at 2:00 PM and will be reinstated on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.

DONATING PTO

You may donate your PTO hours to certain charities. Up to 80 hours can be donated each year as long as you maintain at least 40 hours of PTO after the sale. The hours you donate are included in the 100-hour annual maximum for the selling, converting, and donating of PTO. When you sell your PTO for donation to a charity, the proceeds are reported as taxable income to you. Your PTO donation will be subject to applicable payroll taxes.

Leaving Your Role

Leaving Texas Health

When you leave employment with Texas Health, you will be paid at straight time rate of pay for any unused PTO up to a maximum of eighty (80) hours, providing a two (2) week notice is given in writing and worked and you have more than one year of service. You must work the entire notice period in order to be paid out for PTO. You may not use PTO during the notice period unless it was previously scheduled and approved by the manager. If you fail to work through the notice period or are terminated for cause, you will not be eligible for unused PTO pay out.

Transferring to Another Position within Texas Health 

If you transfer to another position within Texas Health but outside of a clinical practice, your PTO balance will transfer with you and PTO will be received based on a different rate. 

Additional Resources

Clinic Practice Staff PTO FAQ