With recovery efforts continuing after the California wildfires and a devastating hurricane season, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released new guidelines for agencies on how to administer multiple emergency leave transfer programs (ELTP). The guidance relaxes certain restrictions on participating in leave transfer programs both as donors and recipients.
NTEU worked with federal agencies to establish these programs after urging OPM to authorize their use.
OPM has authorized ELTPs that allow federal employees to donate unused annual leave to colleagues affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as destructive wildfires in northern California.
According to the guidance announced last week, an agency may allow donors to allocate leave donations to a specific emergency on one form or designate that the leave be used as needed.
Employees may also redesignate their donation request if it hasn’t already been processed. When a specific disaster or emergency is terminated, unused leave donations must be returned to the donor who may choose to use the leave or donate it to another ELTP.
The guidelines also allow agencies to waive the 104-hour limit on the number of hours donors can contribute each year, along with the 240-hour limit on donated time an employee harmed by a disaster can receive through a single leave transfer program.
Employees may request leave without pay or advanced sick or annual leave while waiting for donated annual leave to become available.
Read the full guidance here or contact your agency’s human resources office with questions about donating or receiving leave.