4.8 Terminating Salary Contracts and Separation of Employees from CSM

Governing Policies

Section 9, Faculty Handbook – Termination of Employment

Procedure

Termination of faculty is governed by policies defined in Section 9 of the Faculty Handbook. Within these policies, however, when an employee leaves CSM for any reason, it is required that the Department/Division complete a Separation Form. This form is available at http://inside.mines.edu/HR_Forms

Please note that the Separation Form is required for all employees, including temporary and adjunct faculty, whether they receive benefits or not. 

The “end-date” specified on the Separation Form used for personnel payroll actions specifies the date upon which salary payroll actions against the account number(s) are terminated for an employee.  The “end-date” does not signify termination of employment or resignation by the employee from the Colorado School of Mines.  On the contrary, for many employees, especially those working on research accounts, departments activate a new HRS form for a period immediately beyond the previously expired “end-date” and keep the employee in continuous employment of the School.

Any assumption that the Separation Form “end-date” automatically invokes a full employer-employee separation is incorrect.  While salary actions will cease, continuing payment of health premiums by CSM for an eligible faculty member do not.  This is advantageous for employees who serve continuously, but whose salary payments must be renewed periodically as funding changes, and as implemented through successive filings of HRS forms with sequential start-end periods. 

However, for employees who are truly terminating employment, if we do not inform them of their rights to continuing benefits through COBRA within 14 days of separation, the School could face significant liabilities and penalties.  There are also PERA complications:  failure to get timely termination information to PERA has an impact on service dates and final payout of any balances, which in turn can negatively affect (for the individual) the calculation of highest average salary.

It is therefore essential, and required, that when an individual is not only ending his or her salary contract period (per the Payroll Action Form) but is also leaving the Colorado School of Mines, that Departments and Divisions complete the Office of Human Resources Separation Notice.

This form alerts the HR Office to the fact that we have an intentional termination of an individual, and triggers the appropriate health, COBRA and PERA separation actions.

Last Revision:

December 20, 2019