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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments over the Legislature's move to cancel the state's employee-sick-leave-for-health-care program and Chief Justice Christine Durham said the court would try to provide an expedited response.
She said the court knew there were many state employees who are waiting for an outcome to make retirement decisions.
During the court's special hearing Tuesday, several justices questioned the state's claim that the offer to exchange eight hours of sick leave for one month's post-retirement health care only becomes a real benefit when an employee retires.
Many state employees have built up thousands of hours of sick leave, banking on using it to see them through their retirement years for health coverage.
State officials say that with the cost of health care doubling over the past five years, the cost to the state was becoming unrealistic. State employees can still cash in their sick leave dollar-for-dollar.
But with many employees banking their sick leave over the years, justices questioned how that doesn't amount to an incentive.
"Do they actually have to be on their way out the door in order to be eligible?" asked Justice Michael Wilkins.
Deputy Utah Attorney General Clark Waddoups said he felt the statute read that way.
Durham said the program appeared to encourage employees not to use their sick leave over the course of their employment.
Benson Hathaway, attorney for the Utah Public Employees Association, which is suing the state over the legislation, said the state has not even explored the possibility of eliminating the program just for future employees.
Waddoups said leaving the program intact would be financially devastating for the state, but said no fiscal study has been done to see if the program could be phased out.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
