Leave  Handbook
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Employee Participation and
Communication Division
Office of Human Resources Management
401 M Street. S.W., Washington, DC 20460
Human Resources Management

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Introduction
'T'his Handbook provides basic
 J. information about leave for EPA
employees and supervisors. We
believe it will answer your most
frequently asked questions about
leave policies and procedures.
Unfortunately, some aspects of
Federal leave law and regulations are
complex and therefore beyond the
scope of this publication. After
reading the Handbook, if you  have an
unanswered question about leave,
you should call and discuss it with
your servicing personnel office.
  The Handbook is organized into
chapters, each one devoted  to a
separate category of leave. It does not
include a discussion of Agency
timekeeping procedures.
Timekeeping policies and procedures
are explained in the EPA
Timekeeping Manual. A glossary of
important leave terms and a list of
references appear at the end of the
Handbook.
  Bargaining unit employees and
their supervisors  are strongly urged
to review the applicable collective
bargaining agreement. Where the
provisions of a collective bargaining
agreement conflict with Agency
policy, the agreement applies.
Contents
Introduction
1. Annual Leave	1

2. Sick Leave	3
3. Excused Absence	5
4. Absence Without Pay	7
5. Absence for Parenting Reasons .. 9

6. Military Leave	10
7. Court Leave	11
8. Home Leave and Shore Leave .. 12
9. Funeral Leave	12
Glossary	13
References	13

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CHAPTER 1
Annual Leave
A nnual leave is an approved
absence with pay from official
duties. While it is mainly used for
vacation, it can also be used to allow
periods of time off for personal and
emergency purposes, such as a death
in the employee’s family, obtaining a
driver’s permit, or similar personal
business that needs to be
accomplished during duty hours.
Annual leave is a benefit and accrues
automatically. However, supervisors
have the discretion to decide when
and in what amount annual leave
may be taken. In EPA, the minimum
charge for annual leave is one hour,
and additional leave is charged in
multiples of one hour.
Earning Annual Leave
Annual Leave for full-time employees
accrues as follows:
Leave Accrual
4 hours per pay period
6 hours per pay period
(10 hours in last pay period
of year)
8 hours per pay period
Years of Service
0-3 years
3-15 years
15 years
and over
PO6ON
NY!
ENJOY
YOUR STAY
Part-time employees earn on a
prorated basis.
Limit on Accumulation
There is a ceiling on annual leave
accumulation for all employees
except those in the Senior Executive
Service. Usually, only 30 days (240
hours) of annual leave can be carried
forward into the next leave year.
Unused annual leave in excess of this
amount is forfeited. Supervisors and
employees have a joint responsibility
to see that annual leave is scheduled
and granted so that no employee is
required to forfeit leave.
Restoration of Leave
In rare cases, forfeited annual leave
can be “restored”; for example, when
it has been forfeited because of (1)
administrative error, (2) illness or
injury, or (3) because an employee is
required by an exigency of the public
business to remain on duty when
leave has already been approved. The
criteria which must be met and the
procedures one must follow to have
leave restored are too extensive to
discuss here. The important thing to
remember is that supervisors should
pay special attention early in the year
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to the scheduling of employees’
annual leave to avoid forfeiture. The
basic policy regarding annual leave
in the Federal service is “use it or
lose it!” Upon separation, employees
are paid a lump sum for unused
annual leave and any restored leave
to their credit.
Advancing Annual Leave
Employees may be advanced annual
leave that will be earned by the end
of the current leave year. However,
only leave that would be earned prior
to an anticipated date of separation or
retirement during the remainder of
the current leave year or during the
term of a temporary appointment
may be advanced. All restored leave
must be used before any annual leave
may be advanced.
Annual Leave Indebtedness
Advanced annual leave is charged
against annual leave subsequently
earned. if an employee separates from
Federal service, any indebtedness for
advanced annual leave must be
reimbursed. However, this does not
apply in cases of disability
retirement, active military service
with restoration rights, or death.
Emergency Leave
Normally, all annual leave is
requested and approved in advance.
It is EPA policy that in unplanned or
emergency annual leave situations,
an employee must notify his/her
supervisor before or as soon as
possible after the time they are
scheduled to report for work to
explain the absence and request
approval. If a supervisor determines
that the needs of the work unit
preclude a grant of leave, or if the
employee’s reasons are not acceptable
to the supervisor, the supervisor may
order the employee to report for duty.
If the employee fails to report, all or
part of the absence may be charged to
AWOL.
Misuse of Leave
If art employee appears to be
misusing the procedures for request
and approval of annual leave, a
supervisor may require the employee
to comply with special leave
approval procedures more stringent
than those for other employees in the
work unit. For example, the
employee may be required to notify
the supervisor personally or to
document with evidence any
unscheduled emergency absences. A
supervisor who places an employee
on special leave approval procedures
should give the employee advance
written notice of the procedures and
their duration.
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CHAPTER 2
Sick Leave
S ick leave is a period of approved
absence with pay from official
duty. It may be authorized only:
• When an employee personally is
unfit for duty because of sickness,
injury, or incapacitation;
• For personal medical, dental, or
optical examination or treatment,
including treatment or rehabilitation
for alcohol or drug abuse; and
• When the appropriate public
health authorities determine that an
immediate family member has a
contagious disease that requires the
care and attendance of the employee,
or when, through exposure to a
contagious disease, the employee’s
presence at work could jeopardize
the health of others.
In EPA, the minimum charge for
sick leave is one hour, and additional
charges are in multiples of one hour.
Sick Leave Benefits
Full-time employees accrue 4 hours
of sick leave each pay period.
Part-time employees earn on a
prorated basis. Sick leave
accumulates without limit. Upon
retirement, unused sick leave is
credited to length of service for
purposes of annuity computation. For
other separations, if there is a break
in service of less than three years,
sick leave is recredited upon
reemployment. If the break is longer
than three years, sick leave is lost.
Approval of Absences
Supervisors have the authority to
grant or deny any sick leave. The
only exception is in the case of a
disabled veteran who must be
granted any leave (sick, annual, or
LWOP) needed for medical treatment
or to take a physical exam in
connection with a disability or to
have a prosthetic device fitted.
Supervisors are responsible for
determining the acceptability of
evidence of incapacity for duty, and
may use any reasonable and
necessary means to determine
whether sick leave should be granted.
If an employee is absent due to
illness, the supervisor should be
notified no later than the second hour
of the employee’s normal duty. If the
supervisor is not notified, the
absence may be recorded as AWOL.
Absences for medical, dental, or
optical exams or prearranged
treatment should be approved in
advance. Disciplinary action may be
taken if the facts in requesting sick
leave are misrepresented.
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Evidence of Entitlement
Advancing Sick Leave
Requests for sick leave of more than
three consecutive workdays should
be supported by a medical certificate
or a statement by the employee as to
why a certificate was not provided.
An employee must also provide a
statement from a public health
authority when a family member has
a contagious disease requiring
isolation, quarantine, or restricted
movement. A supervisor may require
a medical certificate for an absence of
three days or less and/or may require
that air employee inform them of
their condition each day during an
absence from work. Whenever these
requirements become necessary, a
supervisor should give an employee
advanced written notice.
For serious ailment or disability,
employees may be advanced sick
leave, even if they have annual leave
to their credit. A full-time employee
may be advanced up to 30 days.
Part-time employees may be
advanced on a prorated basis.
Temporary employees may not be
advanced sick leave in excess of what
they would earn during the
remainder of their appointment. Any
request for advanced sick leave must
be supported by a medical certificate.
Sick Leave Indebtedness
Advanced sick leave is charged
against sick leave subsequently
earned, if an employee separates from
Federal service, any indebtedness for
advanced sick leave must be
reimbursed, except for disability
retirement, entrance into active
military service with restoration
rights, or death.
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CHAPTER 3
Excused Absence
P robably no other area of leave
administration creates as much
confusion for employees and
supervisors as excused absence.
Simply stated, an excused absence is
an absence from duty without loss of
pay or charge to an employee’s leave
account. It is synonymous with the
term “administrative leave,” and is
distinct from absence for officially
sanctioned purposes from the
employee’s usual worksite or regular
duties. The distinction is that an
employee, while on excused absence,
is not acting within the
employer-employee relationship and
is not deemed to be subject to the
control or responsibility of the
Agency as an employer. Employees
who are performing certain
representational functions or are
conducting the business of
organizations recognized by the
Agency (e.g., credit unions, welfare
and recreation associations, or the
Combined Federal Campaign)
generally are considered to be acting
within the employer-employee
relationship. These absences are
usually referred to as “official time.”
Supervisors may handle tardiness
and other brief absences from duty
for less that one hour in any of the
following ways: (1) by excusing
employees for adequate reasons; (2)
by requiring additional work
equivalent to the period of absence or
tardiness; or (3) by charge (in one
hour increments) against
compensatory time, annual leave,
LWOP, or AWOL. Participation in
patriotic, civic, or community
activities that are infrequent and of
limited duration, such as viewing
parades, welcoming visiting
dignitaries, dedication ceremonies,
and emergency actions to save life or
property are usually adequate
justification for excusing an
employee’s brief absence.
Other familiar (and perhaps some
unfamiliar) purposes for which
excused absence may be granted to
Federal employees are:
• Registration to Vote - When an
employee is required to register in
person, and registration is not
available outside normal work hours,
he/she may be granted up to 8 hours.
• Voting - Where the polls are not
open at least 3 hours before or after
an employee’s regular hours of work,
he/she may be granted excused
absence which will permit reporting
for work 3 hours after the polls open
or leaving work 3 hours before the
polls close, whichever requires less
excused absence.
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• Conventions, Conferences, and
Meetings - Employees authorized to
attend in connection with and as a
part of official duties are in a duty
status, and no excused absence needs
to be recorded. If not directly related
to duties, but attendance will
contribute to EPA’s mission, excused
absence may be granted. If attendance
is solely for the employee’s benefit
and no value to the Agency is
apparent, annual leave would be
more appropriate. The leave and duty
status of an employee who attends a
meeting, conference, or convention
should be clearly established in
advance.
• Funeral Services - Veterans who
are asked to attend the funerals of
deceased veterans or members of the
Armed Forces as active pallbearers,
members of firing squads, or guards
of honor may be excused up to 4
hours in any one day.
• Treatment for Illness Occurring
During Working Hours or On-the-Job
Injury - Usually 1 hour to go to
health unit.
• Emergency Conditions -
Hazardous weather conditions either
during or outside work hours and
other sudden emergencies such as
power or equipment failure, flooding,
etc.
• Deceased Military - An employee
may be granted up to 3 workdays to
make arrangements for, or to attend
the funeral of an immediate relative
in the Armed Forces who dies in the
line of duty in other than a combat
zone. (See also, Chapter 9, Funeral
Leave.)
• Blood Donation to an Outside
Organization or in an Emergency
Situation - May be excused up to 4
hours (not including the lunch
period).
iiI
“Hazardous weather conditions”
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CHAPTER 4
Absence Without Pay
T he types of absences without pay
discussed in this chapter are leave
without pay (LWOP) and absence
without leave (AWOL). These terms
have nothing to do with a period of
suspension or furlough. Let’s deal
with AWOL first.
Absence Without Official
Leave (AWOL)
AWOL is a period of absence without
pay for which an employee did not
obtain advance approval or for which
a request for leave is denied. AWOL
is based on the supervisor’s decision
that no form of leave (sick, annual, or
LWOP) has been or should be
approved. While AWOL itself is not a
disciplinary action, it may be the
basis for later disciplinary action.
Leave Without Pay (LWOP)
LWOP is an “approved” temporary
absence from duty in a non-pay
status requested by an employee.
Extended LWOP is a period
exceeding 30 days. Granting LWOP is
always a matter of administrative
discretion and may not be demanded
by an employee, except in two
situations. A disabled veteran is
entitled to LWOP, if necessary, for
medical treatment, and reservists and
National Guard members are entitled
to LWOP, if necessary, to perform
military training duties.
Granting LWOP
LWOP for 30 days or less can be
approved by the leave-approving
supervisor. Extended LWOP
procedures are more involved and
require that the absence and later
return to duty be recorded in an
employee’s Official Personnel Folder.
For extended LWOP, the approving
office must submit an SF-52, Request
for Personnel Action, and supporting
documentation to the appropriate
servicing personnel office. The
maximum initial period for which
LWOP may be approved is 12
months. (This does not apply to
employees on leave without pay
status during Intergovernmental
Personnel Act assignments.) Requests
for extensions of LWOP are reviewed
more carefully than original requests.
LWOP exceeding 24 months must be
approved by the Administrator.
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Extended LWOP
A request for extended LWOP is
usually examined very closely to
ensure that the value to the
Government or serious needs of the
employee justify the costs and
administrative inconvenience to the
Agency. These include loss of needed
services of the employee, obligation
to provide employment at the end of
the LWOP period, and full credit for
6 months of each year of absence
toward retirement.
Most requests for LWOP are not
approved unless there is a reasonable
expectation that the employee will
returns In addition, at least one of the
following should be apparent in any
request for extended LWOP: (1 )
increased ability on the job, (2)
protection or improvement of
employee’s health, (3) retention of a
desirable employee, or (4) furtherance
of a program of interest to the
Government.
Some specific examples of
situations which might justify
approval of extended LWOP are:
• Full-time study or research in a
line of work being performed by EPA.
• Service with a non-Federal public
or private organization, if in the
interest of EPA.
• Furthering a program of interest to
the Government (e.g., WA
assignments, President’s Executive
Interchange Program, member of U.S.
Olympic Team, etc.).
• Recovering from illness or
disability which is not of a
permanent nature.
• To avoid a break in service for an
employee who is relocating to
accompany a spouse in Government
service.
• To protect an employee’s status
pending: (1) final action by the Office
of Personnel Management on a claim
for disability retirement, after sick
and annual leave have been
exhausted, or (2) a Department of
Labor decision on a claim for
disability compensation resulting
from job-related injury or disease.
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CHAPTER 5
Absence for Parenting Reasons
L aw and regulations governing
Federal leave policies do not
contain a separate category for
absences for maternity or paternity
reasons. These absences are charged
to sick leave, annual leave, or LWOP.
EPA recognizes the
interrelationship between personal
life and job performance and the fact
that an employee’s maternal or
paternal responsibilities are valid
considerations in weighing leave
requests. Supervisors are expected to
carefully consider the needs and
responsibilities of expectant parents,
the parents of newborns or adoptive
parents, and to make every effort to
accommodate these needs within the
work requirements of their units.
Likewise, employees who anticipate
using leave for maternity or paternity
reasons are expected to report their
intentions well in advance to enable
supervisors to make workload
adjustments as needed.
Parenting absences are handled as
follows:
• Sick Leave - Any part of an
absence for maternity reasons may be
charged to sick leave when supported
by a statement from a physician or
other medical authority. Advanced
sick leave may also be granted if
there is reasonable assurance that the
employee will return to work.
Employees and supervisors should be
aware that any period of absence that
is not medically certified as due to
incapacitation for duty may not be
charged to sick leave. It must be
charged to annual leave or LWOP, if
requested by the employee and
approved by the supervisor. Sick
leave may not be approved for
paternity reasons.
• Annual Leave - Any part of an
employee’s approved absence may be
charged to annual leave, including
absence to care for the newborn, the
mother, or a newly adopted child.
• Other Leave - Approved absences
may also be charged to accrued
compensatory time or LWOP.
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CHAPTER 6
Military Leave
M ilitary leave is approved absence
for employees in the National
Guard or Armed Forces reserve
components on days they are on
military active duty. Both full-time
employees and part-time career
employees with permanent, TAPER,
or term appointments, or temporary
appointments of one ‘ear or more,
are entitled to military leave.
Employees with temporary
appointments of less than one year,
temporary appointments not to
exceed one year, or intermittent work
schedules are not entitled to military
leave.
Earning Military Leave
For full-time employees, military
leave accrues at the rate of 15 days
each fiscal year. To the extent that it
is not used in a fiscal year, it
accumulates for use in the next fiscal
year, until it totals 15 days at the
beginning of a fiscal year. In other
words, the military leave (not to
exceed 15 days) which is unused at
the beginning of the succeeding fiscal
year is carried forward for use in
addition to the days credited at the
beginning of that fiscal year. This
gives a full-time employee the
potential of 30 days military leave
during a fiscal year. Part-time
employees accrue military leave on a
prorated basis.
Charging Military Leave
Military leave is charged on a
calendar day basis, except that
non-workdays at the beginning or
end of the period of leave are not
charged to military leave. For
example, an employee absent on
military leave from Monday of one
week through Friday of the following
week would be charged military
leave for the intervening Saturday
and Sunday, but not the Saturday
and Sunday immediately preceding
and after the period of military duty.
Approval Procedures
When requesting military leave,
employees must present a copy of
their orders to their supervisor.
Approval of military leave is usually
mandatory. And if the employee has
exhausted his/her military leave, they
are usually granted annual leave or
LWOP, as requested, to cover the
period of active duty.
Supervisors and employees should
be aware that not all forms of military
duty qualify for military leave. For
instance, summer R.O.T.C. training,
Civil Air Patrol duty, and Temporary
Coast Guard Reserve duty are some
examples that do not qualify. Any
questions or doubts about who or
what qualifies for military leave
should be referred to your servicing
personnel office.
Exemption from Dual
Compensation Restrictions
Employees on military leave receive
their regular civilian pay and their
military pay and allowances.
However, employees on military duty
to enforce the law have their civilian
pay reduced by the amount of pay
received for military duty.
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LtIJW ILK 7
Court Leave
C ourt leave is approved absence
with pay and without charge to
leave for jury duty (Federal, state, or
local court) or for service as a
nonofficial witness in a matter in
which the U.S., the District of
Columbia, or a state or local
government is a party. Permanent
and temporary employees, both full
and part-time (unless employed on
an intermittent basis without a
regular tour of duty), are entitled to
court leave.
Approval Procedures for Jury
Duty
When employees request court leave
for jury service, they should present a
copy of their order or subpoena to
their supervisor. Upon return from
jury service, they should submit to
the supervisor a certificate of
attendance signed by a clerk of the
court or other appropriate official.
Supervisors are urged not to
request that an employee be excused
from jury duty or be granted a
deferrment except in cases of genuine
emergency. If an employee’s absence
will severely hamper operations, the
Division Director or higher level
official may write directly to the
court and request that the employee
be excused or that service be
deferred.
Period of Jury Service
An employee is granted court leave
for jury duty for the entire period of
service, regardless of the number of
hours per day or the days per week
actually served on a jury during the
period. However, court leave is not
granted during periods when the
employee is excused or discharged by
the court. A night-shift employee
who performs jury service during the
day is eligible for court leave for his
or her regularly scheduled night tour
of duty.
Absence for Witness Service
The general rule to remember is that
anytime the U.S., the District of
Columbia, or a state or local
government is a party, an employee
summoned for witness service in a
“nonofficial” capacity is entitled to
court leave.
On the other hand, an employee is
considered to be performing official
duty, and no court leave is involved,
when he or she is called to: (1) testify
or produce offical records on behalf
of the U.S. or the District of
Columbia, or (2) testify in his or her
‘official” capacity on behalf of a
party other than the U.S. or the
District of Columbia.
If witness service in a “nonofficial”
capacity is performed on behalf of a
private party and the U.S., D.C., or a
state or local government is not a
party, the employee’s absence from
duty is charged to annual leave or
LWOP.
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CHAPTER 8
Home Leave and Shore Leave
H ome leave and shore leave are
two categories that rarely apply
to EPA employees. Home leave is for
employees stationed abroad and is for
use in the United States. Employees
accumulate home leave without limit,
and depending on the nature of their
assignment, earn from 5 to 15 days of
home leave for each 12 months of
service abroad. Home leave may not
be granted until an employee has
CHAPTER 9
Funeral Leave
neral leave is for an employee to
make arrangements for, or to
attend, the funeral or memorial
service for an immediate relative who
died as a result of wounds, disease,
or injury incurred while serving in
the Armed Forces in a combat zone.
Funeral leave (up to 3 days) must be
granted when requested by an
employee.
completed 24 months of continuous
service outside the U.S. Shore leave
is for employees whose regular duties
are aboard oceangoing vessels. An
employee earns shore leave at a rate
of one day for each 15 calendar days
of absence on one or more extended
ocean voyages. Shore leave also
accumulates without limit.
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Glossary
Accrued Leave - The leave earned by
an employee during the current leave
year that is unused at any given time
in that leave year.
Accumulated Leave - The unused
leave remaining to the credit of an
employee at the beginning of a leave
year.
Armed Forces - The Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marine Corps, and Coast
Guard.
Break in Service - For leave
purposes, separation from the Federal
service for one or more workdays.
Combat Zone - Those areas in which
Armed Forces of the United States
are or have been engaged in combat
as determined by the President in
accordance with Section 112 of the
Internal Revenue Code.
Contagious Disease - A disease which
is ruled as subject to quarantine,
requires isolation of the patient, or
requires restriction of movement by
the patient for a specified period as
prescribed by the health authorities
having jurisdiction.
Immediate Relative - Spouse,
parents, children (including adopted
children) and their spouses, brothers
and sisters and their spouses and any
person related by blood or affinity
whose close association can be
regarded as the equivalent of a family
relationship.
Leave Year - The period beginning
with the first day of the first
complete pay period in a calendar
year and ending with the day
immediately before the first day of
the first complete pay period in the
following calendar year.
Medical Certificate - A written
statement signed by a registered
practicing physician or other
practitioner certifying to the
incapacitation, examination, or
treatment, or to the period of
disability while the patient was
receiving professional treatment.
References
More detailed information about
employee absences and
administration of leave in the Federal
service and EPA may be found in the
following publications:
a. Law: Chapter 63 of Title 5, U.S.
Code
b. Regulations and Guidance
1. 5 CFR 550 and FPM Chapter
550, “Pay Administration
(General)”
2. 5 CFR 610 and FPM Chapter
610, “Hours of Duty”
3. 5 CFR 630 and FPM Chapter
630, “Absence and Leave”
4. FPM Supplement 990-2, “Hours
of Duty, Pay, and Leave,
Annotated”
5. EPA Leave Manual
6. EPA Timekeeping Manual
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