Your Leave

An employee may request to use up to 104 hours (13 workdays) of sick leave for the following family reasons in accordance with the "Limitations" provided below:

Bereavement Purposes: To make arrangements necessitated by the death of a family member or attend the funeral of a family member.

Care for a Family Member: To care for a family member who is incapacitated as a result of physical or mental illness, injury, pregnancy, or childbirth; and to care for a family member as a result of medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment.

An employee may request sick leave for purposes connected with the adoption of a child. For example, sick leave is appropriate for appointments with adoption agencies, social workers, and attorneys; court proceedings; required travel; and any other activities necessary to allow the adoption to proceed.

 An employees is entitled to request up to 7 days of paid leave each calendar year to serve as a bone-marrow donor. Employees are also entitled to up to 30 days of leave to serve as an organ donor.

A Federal employee may use a total of up to 12 workweeks of sick leave each leave year to care for a family member with a serious health condition. If an employee previously has used any portion of the 13 days of sick leave for general family care or bereavement purposes in a leave year, that amount must be subtracted from the 12-week entitlement. If an employee has already used 12 weeks of sick leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition, he or she cannot use an additional 13 days in the same leave year for general family care purposes. An employee is entitled to a total of 12 weeks of sick leave each year for all family care purposes.

Full-time employees: A full-time employee with a 40-hour basic workweek, regardless of his/her length of service, earns sick leave at the rate of four (4) hours for each full biweekly pay period.

Part-time employees: An employee with a regular tour of duty who works less than a 40 hour workweek is credited with 1 hour of sick leave for each 20 hours in a pay status. Credit may not exceed 4 hours for 80 hours in a pay status during any full biweekly pay period.

Unused Sick Leave: There is no limitation on the amount of sick leave that may be carried forward from one leave year to another. Unused sick leave remains to the employee's credit and is available for use any time before his or her separation.