Position Conversions

Following is information on leave and retirement plan impacts and changes when staff and faculty positions are converted within the university structure. For information on how to complete a conversion transaction, go to the Employee Transactions site. 

Classified to university staff conversion

• Employees will earn annual leave based on the university staff accrual schedule.
• Employees are automatically enrolled in the Vrignia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP) and earn sick as detailed on the staff leave page.
• There are differences in retirement plans.

NOTE: See the classified to university staff conversion page for more information.

Staff to regular faculty conversion

• Employees can choose to remain in the Virginia Sick and Disability Plan (VSDP) or may go to the faculty sick leave plan, which provides them with 1,040 hours of sick leave annually.
  
• Retirement options are to remain in VRS or go to ORP.
• Employees will be paid for all compensatory leave from the staff position.

Note: There is a 60-day election period from date of conversion. Elections are irrevocable.

Staff to restricted faculty conversion

• Employees can choose to remain in the Virginia Sick and Disability Plan (VSDP) or may change to the faculty sick leave plan where they will accrue 5 hours of sick leave per pay period.
• Retirement options are to remain in VRS or go to ORP.
• Employees will be paid for annual and compensatory leave from the staff position, up to the maximum allowed.

Note: There is a 60-day election period from date of conversion. Elections are irrevocable.

Regular faculty to restricted faculty conversion

• Employees must remain in the elections that were chosen at the time of hire or in a previous conversion election period.
• Employees will be paid out for annual leave balances up to the maximum amount that they earned as regular faculty and begin earning leave in the restricted faculty position. They will also be switched to the faculty sick leave plan for restricted faculty.

Restricted faculty to a regular faculty conversion

• Employees must remain in the elections that were chosen at the time of hire or in a previous conversion election period.
• Annual leave balances will transfer and they will be switched to the faculty sick leave plan for regular faculty.

Regular faculty to staff conversion

• Employees will be automatically placed in the Virginia Sick and Disability Plan (VSDP) sick plan.
• Annual leave balances will transfer to the staff position.

Restricted faculty to staff conversion

• Employees will automatically be placed in the Virginia Sick and Disability Plan (VSDP) sick plan.
• Annual leave balances will not transfer; employees will start with zero annual balance. Restricted faculty are not eligible for pay out or transfer of annual leave.

Notes

• If ORP is chosen as the retirement plan, the employee must be placed in the faculty sick leave plan that corresponds to their new regular or restricted faculty appointment.
• If choosing the faculty sick leave plan, VRS requires the employee to fill out an Opt Out form VSDP2.  

*Effective September 1, 2017, VRS directive disallows VSDP opt-out election.