King County’s leave donation programs allow you to help colleagues affected by catastrophic health conditions or injuries, or those who are caring for family members, by donating sick or vacation hours.

The Emergency Medical Leave Fund allows you to donate accrued leave to a central fund that can be distributed to other employees who have a qualifying need. You can donate up to 80 hours of accrued vacation and 25 hours of accrued sick leave each calendar year.

The Employee-to-Employee Medical Leave Donation Program allows you to donate any amount of your accrued vacation time directly to another employee, and up to 25 hours of your sick leave per year, as long as you have 100 hours or more of sick leave remaining.

Donated leave can only be used for a qualifying family or medical reason—such as your own serious health condition or the serious health condition of an eligible family member, or to bond with a new child—and can only be used after you’ve exhausted all of your own accrued leaves.

For more information, including forms and an FAQ, go to the Taking leave webpage. If you have questions about donating leave, contact the Benefits Team 206-684-1556 or KC Benefits.

From the Sheriff’s Newsletter

In the early morning hours of Feb. 16, Master Police Officer (MPO) Omar Jackson contacted the occupants of a vehicle parked outside a gas station-car wash- laundromat. He learned that a family of seven was living in that car.

In speaking with the father, MPO Jackson was told that recently the entire family had moved to the area from the southeast and the father had also lost his job. As an experienced tradesman, he was willing and able to work.

The five kids ranged in age from two months to eight years. MPO Jackson and Mental Health Professional (MHP) Daisy Espinoza reached out to the Salvation Army Street Level team to assist the family. The Salvation Army coordinated a hotel stay for them until they move into their new home.

MHP Espinoza and MPO Jackson later met with the family of seven at the Salvation Army Street Level office in Tukwila. They provided them with a week’s worth of food, baby formula, and diapers. Initially, the father was hesitant, but MPO Jackson let the man know that he would try to connect them with the services they so badly needed. Eventually, he was accepting of the combined efforts and follow-through. The Salvation Army even coordinated a job interview for the father.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank everyone involved. This collaborative effort shows the effectiveness of working with the Salvation Army’s Street Level team to help those needing services.

If you still have funds remaining in last year’s Health Care or Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), be sure to get reimbursed for expenses incurred in 2022. There are a variety of ways to submit claims and the deadline is March 31, 2023.

Click here for details and information on how to submit claims.

If you have questions about your FSA, contact Navia at 800-669-3539 or Navia Customer Service.