VOLUNTARY LEAVE SHARING BECOMES MORE FLEXIBLE
AND RESPONSIVE

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Jim King recently issued interim regulations intended to give federal agencies and employees more flexibility and control in balancing the demands of the workplace with medical emergencies.

The interim regulations give agencies independent authority to establish voluntary leave transfer programs, which allows contributors to donate leave directly to an employee and leave bank programs which serve as a repository of donated leave within an agency to aid employees facing personal or family medical emergencies. Prior to the regulations, agencies had to have approval from OPM to develop their own leave programs.

"This program exemplifies the dual goals of the Clinton-Gore Administration," said OPM Director Jim King. "It creates a family-friendly federal workplace and gives agencies the flexibility they need to be responsive to their employees."

The new rules also provide more flexibility for employees to donate their leave to anyone in the federal government for medical emergencies. Under the old rules, employees covered under an agency leave bank were unable to donate or receive transferred leave from employees in other agencies. In addition, agencies that now have only a leave transfer program can establish a leave bank program. Eligible employees would be able to participate in both programs for the same medical emergency.

In addition, the new family friendly rules make it easier for employees to qualify as leave recipients. Under the old rules, an employee facing a medical emergency could only qualify as a recipient of donated leave based on the amount of sick, annual and advanced leave they had accrued. Now, advanced leave is no longer considered for eligibility as a leave recipient.

Finally, if the medical emergency continues after the employee depletes all voluntary donated leave, he or she can use any annual or sick leave that was accrued while in a shared leave status.

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Web page created 2 December 1997