Headquarters
Employee/Labor Management Relations
Voluntary Leave Transfer Program
Application for Leave Transfer Program
Using Donated Leave
Donating Leave to the Leave Transfer Program
Under the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program you can apply, based on a medical emergency, to receive annual leave donated by other employees. A medical emergency is generally defined as a medical condition of the employee or family member that is likely to keep you (the employee) away from work and cause a loss of pay of at least 24 hours.
Application for Leave Transfer Program
You are required to submit a written request through your supervisor to be considered for the program. The application must include an explanation of the reason the donation is needed (including a brief description of the nature, severity and anticipated duration of the medical emergency), and supporting medical documentation from a doctor or practitioner. The supervisor (who need not approve the request--he/she must simply be informed of the request) will forward the request to the Headquarters Employee/Labor Relations Services Team for review and coordination with the Health Unit. Based on that review, the Headquarters Employee/Labor Relations Services Team will approve or disapprove the employee's participation.
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There is no limit on the amount of donated leave an employee may receive from other employees. (There is a limit on the amount of leave an employee may donate to another employee.) An employee who receives donated leave may only use this leave for the reason for which they were approved in the Program.
Generally, you are required to use most of your available annual and sick leave before you can use donated leave. While you are using donated leave, the agency is required to maintain separate annual and sick leave accounts (called "set-aside" accounts) for you with 40 hours of your leave in each account. This leave can only be used when the medical emergency terminates or if the medical emergency continues and you run out of donated leave.
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Donating Leave to the Leave Transfer Program
You may donate annual leave to the leave account of an employee who has been approved to receive donated leave. (The employee may be an employee of the Department, or if they meet the requirements of the regulations, they may be an employee of another Federal agency.)
The amount of leave you may donate is limited to the lesser of one half of the annual leave you will earn during the year or, if you are projected to have "use or lose" leave at the end of the year, the number work hours you are scheduled for duty during the remainder of the year. The form to donate leave is attached as Appendix "A" or may be obtained from your supervisor or the Headquarters Employee/Labor Relations Services team.
Any leave unused by the employee who receives it will be returned to the donor(s) when the medical emergency ends or when the employee leaves Federal service.
Questions about the leave transfer program can be answered by your supervisor by calling the Headquarters Employee/Labor Relations Services team at 202-586-2130.
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