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1. LEAVE

2. Navigating this Presentation • Hyperlinks are underlined text, such as “Title,”that may or may not be the same color as the surrounding text. • Clicking on a hyperlink will bring up additional information on a particular topic. • Clicking anywhere on the page will advance to the next slide, which may contain additional information on that specific topic or return the viewer to the previous page. • Notes may appear at the bottom of the page to direct the viewer.

3. Leave Leave is defined as: Approved, authorized absence from duty during an employee’s regularly scheduled tour of duty

4. Leave Policy Policy reference: General Manual Title 360, Personnel, Part 415 - Leave

5. General Provisions • All leave is charged in 15-minute increments. • Any leave in excess of three consecutive work days must be requested on Form OPM-71, Request for Leave or Approved Absence. • Employees must obtain advanced authorization for absence from duty, whenever possible. • Where absence results from illness or emergency, employee (if incapacitated, another individual) must notify his/her supervisor or other appropriate person prior to the beginning of employee’s tour of duty. • If employee fails to properly notify his/her supervisor, that absence may be charged as an unauthorized absence (Absence Without Leave [AWOL]).

6. Supervisor Responsibilities • Schedule employee absences in order to: • Maintain workforce necessary to accomplish mission • Allow employees the flexibility to meet both work and family needs • Ensure that absences are charged to appropriate leave category • Ensure that employees understand the proper procedures for requesting and using leave • Maintain a thorough understanding of leave policies and provisions • Supervisor has authority to approve or deny any type of leave based on workload and work requirements

7. Approving Leave • Supervisors should consider the following when approving leave usage: • Mission • Workload • Work requirements • Employees • Impact on other employees’ workload • Potential for forfeiting leave at year-end • Morale • Approve/disapprove leave in the manner in which it was requested: • Form OPM-71 • E-mail response, etc.

8. Employee Responsibilities • Observe designated duty hours • Be punctual in reporting for work and returning from lunch • Obtain advanced authorization for absence from duty, whenever possible • Correctly report all leave taken in WebTCAS

9. Form • Form OPM-71, Request for Leave or Approved Absence, available online at: http://www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/forms/frequent.html • Employee submits request for leave and explains reason/purpose • Supervisor approves/disapproves leave requested

10. Annual AWOL Excused Absence Leave Transfer Program Leave LWOP Court Holiday Family Care Military Sick FMLA Home Religious Purposes Parenting Comp Time Form Credit Leave Click HERE when completed. Click on hyperlink for additional information.

11. Advanced Leave Use or Lose Requesting/ Using Leave Restoration Accrual Rates Ownership Annual Leave Balances NOTE: Click HERE to return to the LEAVE menu.

12. Serious Family Health Condition Advanced Adoption Sick Leave Family Medical Leave General Family Care NOTE: Click HERE to return to the LEAVE menu.

13. Examinations Volunteer Activities Office Closure Blood Donation Funerals Excused Absences Organ Donation Change of Duty Station On-the-Job Injury Preventive Health Voting Official Travel NOTE: Click HERE to return to the LEAVE menu.

14. Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) Supervisor Duties Role of the Donor Definitions Role of the Timekeeper Required Documentation Forms Application Process NOTE: Click HERE to return to the LEAVE menu.

15. End of Presentation Press “ESC” key to exit.

16. Annual Leave • Provided to allow employees an annual vacation period for rest and recreation • May be used to conduct personal business which must be conducted during working hours • Accrues while employees are in pay status • Use requires supervisor approval

17. Annual Leave Accrual Rates Amount of annual leave earned is based on years of Service and type of employment

18. Annual Leave Balances • Generally, 240 hours is the maximum amount of annual leave an employee may carry forward from one leave year to the next • Employees who have served in a foreign area may be able to carry 360 hours forward from one leave year to the next • Annual leave in excess of the maximum carryover is forfeited at the end of the leave year • A new leave year begins with the first full pay period in January • Separated employees are entitled to a lump sum payment for all “accumulated annual leave” to their credit at the time of separation

19. “Use or Lose” Annual Leave • Slang term for annual leave in excess of the maximum carryover that may be forfeited at the end of the leave year • Should be scheduled and requested prior to the last quarter of the leave year

20. Strange Questions & Answers Instead of losing my “use or lose” leave, why can’t I cash it in? The reason annual leave exists is so employees will take a break and get away from the work and worksite without suffering financially. Cashing in annual leave would simply increase an employee’s compensation; it doesn’t encourage rest and recreation. Those employees who need a vacation the most are usually the ones who recognize that fact the least. NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

21. Restoration of Annual Leave • Forfeited annual leave may only be restored in cases of: • Administrative error, • Illness, or • Exigency of public business • Restoration cannot be requested until forfeited after the end of the leave year • Restoration must be requested prior to April 1 of the new leave year • Leave must have been scheduled and approved in writing before the start of the third biweekly pay period prior to the end of the leave year NOTE: Click on a topic for definition. Click on page for more information on restoration of annual leave.

22. Administrative Error • Employing agency determines what constitutes an administrative error • Usually, errors over which neither the employee or the supervisor has any control NOTE: Click to return to the previous page.

23. Illness The employing agency determines: • If forfeited annual leave was due to an employee illness or injury that occurred late in the leave year, OR • If the absence was of such duration that the excess annual leave could not be rescheduled for use before the end of the leave year NOTE: Click to return to the previous page.

24. Exigency of Public Business • Employing agency determines that an exigency (i.e., an event that created an urgent need for employee to be at work) is of major importance and that “use or lose” annual leave previously approved will have to be cancelled • Employee’s use of earned compensatory time or credit hours does not constitute an exigency of public business NOTE: Click to return to the previous page.

25. Procedures for Requesting Restoration of Annual Leave • Employee submits request for restoration of annual leave to supervisor with supporting information • Supervisor recommends approval/disapproval • If supervisor recommends approval, request is forwarded to state conservationist (STC) for approval • Requires STC approval

26. Request for Restoration of Annual Leave Employee’s request should include: • Leave ceiling and balance at the end of leave year • Number of scheduled annual leave hours forfeited • WebTCAS record showing time of illness, if applicable • Written evidence (normally Form OPM-71) of the scheduled and approved annual leave that was cancelled • Copy of Agency’s declaration of exigency, if applicable • Declaration of exigency of public business must: • Be dated • Include beginning and ending dates • Include a description of the emergency situation, AND • Be signed by the state conservationist or other appropriate authority

27. Restored Annual Leave • Restored annual leave is placed in a separate leave account, not added to the employee’s regular annual leave balance • Restored annual leave must be scheduled and used no later than the end of the leave year ending two years following: • Date of restoration due to administrative error • Date fixed as the ending date of the exigency of public business, OR • Date employee is determined to be recovered from illness or injury NOTE: Click to return to ANNUAL LEAVE menu.

28. Requesting/Using Annual Leave • Leave may be used once the employee has requested and received supervisor approval in advance • Supervisor should inform employees of the process to be followed when requesting leave of less than three consecutive days in order to avoid any potential leave abuse problems • When it is not possible to schedule leave in advance, the employee must request leave from his/her supervisor before the beginning of his/her tour of duty

29. Using Leave • Leave used is recorded in WebTCAS • Document hours and type of leave taken • Add comments as necessary to ensure a third party will understand the reporting of time

30. Leave Approval Authority • The supervisor has the authority to approve/disapprove annual leave requests based on workload and work requirements to accomplish the Agency’s mission • An employee has a right to use annual leave, subject to the right of the supervisor to schedule the time at which annual leave may be taken

31. Using Leave - A Few Things To Remember An employee cannot be: • Required to use annual leave • Involuntarily placed on annual leave • Penalized/disciplined by removing annual leave NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

32. Advanced Annual Leave • Supervisor has authority to approve up to five days advanced leave for employees under their supervision • Limited to the amount the employee will earn during the remainder of the leave year or through the end of his/her appointment, whichever is less • Employee must request advanced annual leave in writing on Form OPM-71 and provide the reason for the request • Requests of more than five days advanced leave requires state conservationist approval

33. Advanced Annual Leave (continued) • Annual leave should not be advanced to an employee who: • Has submitted a resignation • Has applied for disability retirement • Has received notice of separation, furlough, or reduction in force • Advanced leave does not carry over from one leave year to the next • The National Finance Center automatically converts advanced leave to leave without pay and deducts monies owed from the employee’s Pay Period 1 earnings • If an employee separates from Service, unearned advanced leave must be repaid to the government NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

34. Ownership of Annual Leave • Major difference between annual leave and other types of leave • Employees “own” annual leave • Annual leave is paid out in a lump sum upon separation • The employer “owns” other types of leave, such as sick, holiday, administrative, etc. (no cash value to employee)

35. Ownership of Annual Leave(continued) • Employees may donate annual leave to other Federal employees through the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program • If employees do not plan and manage annual leave usage carefully throughout the year, it may result in forfeiture of “use or lose” annual leave at the end of the leave year

36. Strange Questions & Answers If the employee “owns” annual leave, why does he/she have to get supervisor approval to use it? Each employee is compensated for being available to work during his/her scheduled tour of duty. The supervisor is responsible for managing that time based on Agency mission and workload, including when the employee will not be at work or performing work-related duties. NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

37. Absence Without Leave(AWOL) • UNAUTHORIZED absence • Charged when an employee is gone from the worksite without being on approved leave when he/she is otherwise scheduled or directed to report for duty • Basis for formal disciplinary action, including separation from Federal employment • Supervisor has authority to charge AWOL

38. Reasons to Charge AWOL • Employee on sick leave restriction fails to provide medical documentation to support his/her absence • Employee inaccurately reports time that he/she actually arrived at, or departed from work • Employee fails to request leave properly • Employee fails to report for work after leave request has been denied • Employee leaves work without requesting leave NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

39. Leave Without Pay (LWOP) • Temporary non-pay status and absence from duty • Normally requested when an employee lacks sufficient annual or sick leave to cover all, or a portion of, a requested period of absence • Supervisor must reasonably expect the employee will return at the expiration of the LWOP period • Supervisor has authority to approve up to five days LWOP • Requests for more than five days must be submitted to state conservationist for approval • Approved absence of 30 calendar days or more requires a Form SF-52, Request for Personnel Action, be sent to the Human Resources Staff documenting the approval

40. Leave Without Pay LWOP (continued) • An employee requesting LWOP is not required to exhaust all annual and/or sick leave to his/her credit before being granted LWOP • LWOP is an approved leave status and does not have a disciplinary connotation NOTE: Click to return to the previous menu.

41. Leave for “Parenting” Purposes • Length of maternity leave is determined by the employee, her physician, and her supervisor • Appropriate leave use for maternity reasons: • Sick leave for period of incapacitation due to delivery and recuperation • Advanced sick leave may be granted for period of incapacitation due to delivery and recuperation • LWOP may be substituted for sick or annual leave • Employees may use annual, sick, or LWOP to assist with or care for his/her minor children, or the mother of his/her newborn child while incapacitated for maternity reasons

42. Leave for Religious Purposes • Employee may elect to earn compensatory time (CT) in order to use CT to meet religious obligations • Employee must state in writing, the date and time being requested, along with a proposal for when the CT will be earned • Supervisors are encouraged to accommodate and approve such requests

43. Credit Hours • Hours worked in excess of basic work requirement at employee’s election under the flexi-tour work schedule • With supervisor approval, employees may earn a maximum of two credit hours on a scheduled workday • Full-time employees may carry a maximum of 24 credit hours from one pay period to another • Supervisor has authority to approve or deny employee’s request to use credit hours

44. Compensatory Time • Hours worked in excess of basic work requirement at supervisor’s direction • Must be used before employee may be granted annual leave, provided it will not result in the employee forfeiting accrued annual leave • Must be used within 26 pay periods from the pay period in which it was earned, or • Paid to non-exempt employees • Forfeited by exempt employees (as of May 26, 2007)

45. Home Leave Employees assigned to duty locations outside the U.S. are eligible to earn home leave for each 12 months of Service abroad

46. Military Leave • Absence with full pay for certain types of active duty, active duty training, and inactive duty training • A member of the National Guard or Reserves is eligible to receive 15 days military leave each fiscal year and may carry 15 days over from the prior year • Granted to an eligible part-time employee on a prorated basis • Use must be supported by military orders directing the employee to report for duty

47. Excused Absence • Excused absence and administrative leave are interchangeable terms • Approved absence during regular tour of duty without loss of pay, and without charge to other types of leave • Reason must always reflect favorably upon the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Federal government • No “automatic” entitlement to administrative leave

48. Qualification Examination • Administrative leave may be authorized when exam is required for: • Current position • A position the Agency has recommended the employee be transferred, promoted, or reassigned to, OR • Professional licensure or certification which is considered advantageous to NRCS • Includes actual examination time • Requires state conservationist approval

49. Court Leave • Authorized when employee is: • Summoned to serve as a juror in a judicial proceeding • Summoned as a witness in a judicial proceeding in which the Federal, state, or local government is a party • Does not include administrative proceedings (i.e., Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC], Merit Systems Protection Board [MSPB], or arbitration hearings) NOTE: When summoned as a witness in an “official” capacity on behalf of the Federal government, the employee is on official duty.

50. Funeral Leave • Authorized for: • Veterans actively participating in a funeral service for military personnel whose remains are returned from overseas • Immediate relatives of military members who died as a result of serving in a combat zone • Amount of time is defined in General Manual Title 360, Part 415, Subpart A • Requires supervisor approval