Subpart I—Voluntary Leave Transfer Program

(a) Purpose. The purpose of this subpart is to set forth procedures and requirements for a voluntary leave transfer program under which the unused accrued annual leave of one agency officer or employee may be transferred for use by another agency officer or employee who needs such leave because of a medical emergency.

(b) Applicability. This subpart applies to officers and employees to whom subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, applies.

Agency means—

(a) An Executive agency, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105;

(b) A military department, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 102; or

(c) Any other entity of the Federal Government that employs officers or employees to whom subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, applies. Agency does not include the Central Intelligence Agency; the Defense Intelligence Agency; the National Security Agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or any other Executive agency or unit thereof, as determined by the President, whose principal function is the conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities.

Available paid leave means accrued or accumulated annual or sick leave under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, and recredited and restored annual or sick leave under subpart E of this part. Available paid leave does not include annual or sick leave advanced to an employee under 5 U.S.C. 6302(d) or 6307(c) or any annual or sick leave accrued under § 630.907(a) that has not been transferred to the appropriate leave account under § 630.907(c).

Committed relationship means one in which the employee, and the domestic partner of the employee, are each other's sole domestic partner (and are not married to or domestic partners with anyone else); and share responsibility for a significant measure of each other's common welfare and financial obligations. This includes, but is not limited to, any relationship between two individuals of the same or opposite sex that is granted legal recognition by a State or by the District of Columbia as a marriage or analogous relationship (including, but not limited to, a civil union).

Domestic partner means an adult in a committed relationship with another adult, including both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

Employee has the meaning given that term in 5 U.S.C. 6301(2), except an individual employed by the government of the District of Columbia.

Family member means an individual with any of the following relationships to the employee:

(1) Spouse, and parents thereof;

(2) Sons and daughters, and spouses thereof;

(3) Parents, and spouses thereof;

(4) Brothers and sisters, and spouses thereof;

(5) Grandparents and grandchildren, and spouses thereof;

(6) Domestic partner and parents thereof, including domestic partners of any individual in paragraphs (2) through (5) of this definition; and

(7) Any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.

Leave donor means an employee whose voluntary written request for transfer of annual leave to the annual leave account of a leave recipient is approved by his or her own employing agency.

Leave recipient means a current employee for whom the employing agency has approved an application to receive annual leave from the annual leave accounts of one or more leave donors.

Medical emergency means a medical condition of an employee or a family member of such employee that is likely to require an employee's absence from duty for a prolonged period of time and to result in a substantial loss of income to the employee because of the unavailability of paid leave.

Paid leave status under subchapter I means the administrative status of an employee while the employee is using annual or sick leave accrued or accumulated under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code.

Parent means—

(1) A biological, adoptive, step, or foster parent of the employee, or a person who was a foster parent of the employee when the employee was a minor;

(2) A person who is the legal guardian of the employee or was the legal guardian of the employee when the employee was a minor or required a legal guardian; or

(3) A person who stands in loco parentis to the employee or stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee was a minor or required someone to stand in loco parentis.

(4) A parent, as described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this definition, of an employee's spouse or domestic partner.

Shared leave status means the administrative status of an employee while the employee is using transferred leave under this subpart or leave transferred from a leave bank under subpart J of this part.

Son or daughter means—

(1) A biological, adopted, step, or foster son or daughter of the employee;

(2) A person who is a legal ward or was a legal ward of the employee when that individual was a minor or required a legal guardian;

(3) A person for whom the employee stands in loco parentis or stood in loco parentis when that individual was a minor or required someone to stand in loco parentis; or

(4) A son or daughter, as described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this definition, of an employee's spouse or domestic partner.

[59 FR 67125, Dec. 29, 1994, as amended at 75 FR 33496, June 14, 2010]

Each Federal agency shall establish and administer procedures to permit the voluntary transfer of annual leave consistent with this subpart.

(a) An employee may make written application to his or her employing agency to become a leave recipient. If an employee is not capable of making application on his or her own behalf, a personal representative of the potential leave recipient may make written application on his or her behalf.

(b) Each application shall be accompanied by the following information concerning each potential leave recipient:

(1) The name, position title, and grade or pay level of the potential leave recipient;

(2) The reasons transferred leave is needed, including a brief description of the nature, severity, and anticipated duration of the medical emergency, and if it is a recurring one, the approximate frequency of the medical emergency affecting the potential leave recipient;

(3) Certification from one or more physicians, or other appropriate experts, with respect to the medical emergency, if the potential leave recipient's employing agency so requires; and

(4) Any additional information that may be required by the potential leave recipient's employing agency.

(c) If the potential leave recipient's employing agency requires that a potential leave recipient obtain certification from two or more sources under paragraph (b)(3) of this section, the potential leave recipient's employing agency shall ensure, either by direct payment to the expert involved or by reimbursement, that the potential leave recipient is not required to pay for the expenses associated with obtaining certification from more than one source.

(a) The potential leave recipient's employing agency shall review an application to become a leave recipient under procedures established by the employing agency for the purpose of determining that the potential leave recipient is or has been affected by a medical emergency.

(b) Before approving an application to become a leave recipient, the potential leave recipient's employing agency shall determine that the absence from duty without available paid leave because of the medical emergency is (or is expected to be) at least 24 hours (or, in the case of a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty, at least 30 percent of the average number of hours in the employee's biweekly scheduled tour of duty).

(c) In making a determination as to whether a medical emergency is likely to result in a substantial loss of income, an agency shall not consider factors other than whether the absence from duty without available paid leave is (or is expected to be) at least 24 hours (or, in the case of a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty, at least 30 percent of the average number of hours in the employee's biweekly scheduled tour of duty).

(d) If the application is approved, the employing agency shall notify the leave recipient (or the personal representative who made application on behalf of the leave recipient), within 10 calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the date the application was received (or the date the employing agency established its administrative procedures, if that date is later), that—

(1) The application has been approved; and

(2) Other employees of the leave recipient's employing agency may request the transfer of annual leave to the account of the leave recipient.

(e) If the application is not approved, the employing agency shall notify the applicant (or the personal representative who made application on behalf of the potential leave recipient), within 10 calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays) after the date the application was received (or the date the employing agency established its administrative procedures, if that date is later)—

(1) That the application has not been approved; and

(2) The reasons for its disapproval.

[59 FR 67125, Dec. 29, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 26979, May 22, 1995; 61 FR 64451, Dec. 5, 1996]

(a) An employee may submit a voluntary written request to his or her own employing agency that a specified number of hours of his or her accrued annual leave be transferred from his or her annual leave account to the annual leave account of a specified leave recipient. Except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section, annual leave may be transferred only to a leave recipient employed by the leave donor's employing agency.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section and subject to the limitations on the amount of annual leave that may be donated by a leave donor under § 630.908, all or any portion of the annual leave requested under paragraph (a) of this section may be transferred to the annual leave account of the specified leave recipient under procedures established by the leave recipient's employing agency.

(c) An agency having employees who earn and use annual leave on the basis of an uncommon tour of duty shall establish procedures for administering the transfer of annual leave to or from such employees under this subpart.

(d) A leave recipient's employing agency shall not transfer annual leave to a leave donor's immediate supervisor.

(e) Annual leave transferred under this section may be substituted retroactively for period of leave without pay (LWOP) or used to liquidate an indebtedness for advanced annual or sick leave granted on or after a date fixed by the leave recipient's employing agency as the beginning of the period of medical emergency for which LWOP or advanced annual or sick leave was granted.

(f) A leave recipient's employing agency shall accept the transfer of annual leave from leave donors employed by one or more other agencies when—

(1) A family member of a leave recipient is employed by another agency and requests the transfer of annual leave to the leave recipient;

(2) In the judgment of the leave recipient's employing agency, the amount of annual leave transferred from leave donors employed by the leave recipient's employing agency may not be sufficient to meet the needs of the leave recipient; or

(3) In the judgment of the leave recipient's employing agency, acceptance of leave transferred from another agency would further the purpose of the voluntary leave transfer program.

(g) The employing agency of a leave donor who wishes to donate annual leave to a leave recipient in another agency shall verify the availability of annual leave in the leave donor's annual leave account, determine that the amount of annual leave to be donated does not exceed the limitations in § 630.908, and ascertain that the leave recipient's employing agency has made any determination that may be required under paragraph (f) of this section. Upon satisfying these requirements, the leave donor's employing agency shall—

(1) Reduce the amount of annual leave credited to the leave donor's annual leave account, as appropriate; and

(2) Notify the leave recipient's employing agency in writing of the amount of annual leave to be credited to the leave recipient's annual leave account.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, while an employee is in a shared leave status, annual and sick leave shall accrue to the credit of the employee at the same rate as if the employee where then in a paid leave status under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, except that—

(1) The maximum amount of annual leave that may be accrued by an employee while in a shared leave status in connection with any particular medical emergency may not exceed 40 hours (or, in the case of a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty, the average number of hours in the employee's weekly scheduled tour of duty); and

(2) The maximum amount of sick leave that may be accrued by an employee while in a shared leave status in connection with any particular medical emergency may not exceed 40 hours (or, in the case of a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty, the average number of hours in the employee's weekly scheduled tour of duty).

(b) Any annual or sick leave accrued by an employee under this subpart and subpart J of this part—

(1) Shall be credited to an annual or sick leave account, as appropriate, separate from any leave account of the employee under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code; and

(2) Shall not become available for use by the employee and may not otherwise be taken into account under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, until it is transferred to the appropriate leave account of the employee under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, as provided in paragraph (c) of this section.

(c) Any annual or sick leave accrued by an employee under this section shall be transferred to the appropriate leave account of the employee under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, and shall become available for use—

(1) As of the beginning of the first pay period beginning on or after the date on which the employee's medical emergency terminates as described in § 630.910(a)(2) or (3); or

(2) If the employee's medical emergency has not yet terminated, once the employee has exhausted all leave made available to such employee under this subpart or subpart J of this part.

(d) If the leave recipient's employing agency advances at the beginning of the leave year the amount of annual leave the employee normally would accrue during the entire leave year under 5 U.S.C. 6302(d)—

(1) The leave recipient's employing agency shall establish procedures to ensure that 40 hours (or, in the case of a part-time employee or an employee with an uncommon tour of duty, the average number of hours in the employee's weekly scheduled tour of duty) of annual leave are placed in a separate annual leave account and made available for use by the employee as described in paragraph (c) of this section; and

(2) The employee shall continue to accrue annual leave while in a shared leave status to the extent necessary for the purpose of reducing any indebtedness caused by the use of annual leave advanced at the beginning of the leave year.

(e) If the employee's medical emergency terminates as described in § 630.910(a)(1), no leave shall be credited to the employee under this section.

[59 FR 67125, Dec. 29, 1994, as amended at 60 FR 26979, May 22, 1995; 61 FR 64451, Dec. 5, 1996]

(a) In any one leave year, a leave donor may donate no more than a total of one-half of the amount of annual leave he or she would be entitled to accrue during the leave year in which the donation is made.

(b) In the case of a leave donor who is projected to have annual leave that otherwise would be subject to forfeiture at the end of the leave year under 5 U.S.C. 6304(a), the maximum amount of annual leave that may be donated during the leave year shall be the lesser of—

(1) One-half of the amount of annual leave he or she would be entitled to accrue during the leave year in which the donation is made; or

(2) The number of hours remaining in the leave year (as of the date of the transfer) for which the leave donor is scheduled to work and receive pay.

(c) Each agency shall establish written criteria for waiving the limitations on donating annual leave under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section. Any such waiver shall be documented in writing.

(d) The limitations in this section shall apply to the total amount of annual leave donated or contributed under subparts I and J of this part.

(a) A leave recipient may use annual leave transferred to his or her annual leave account under § 630.906 only for the purpose of a medical emergency for which the leave recipient was approved.

(b) Except as provided in § 630.907, during each biweekly pay period that a leave recipient is affected by a medical emergency, he or she shall use any accrued annual leave (and sick leave, if applicable) before using transferred annual leave.

(c) The approval and use of transferred annual leave shall be subject to all of the conditions and requirements imposed by chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, part 630 of this chapter, and the employing agency on the approval and use of annual leave accrued under 5 U.S.C. 6303, except that transferred annual leave may accumulate without regard to the limitation imposed by 5 U.S.C. 6304(a).

(d) Transferred annual leave may be substituted retroactively for any period of leave without pay or used to liquidate an indebtedness for any period of advanced leave that began on or after the date fixed by the agency as the beginning of the medical emergency.

(e) Transferred annual leave may not be—

(1) Transferred to another leave recipient under this subpart, except as provided in § 630.911(e)(3);

(2) Included in a lump-sum payment under 5 U.S.C. 5551 or 5552; or

(3) Made available for recredit under 5 U.S.C. 6306 upon reemployment by a Federal agency.

(a) The medical emergency affecting a leave recipient shall terminate—

(1) When the leave recipient's Federal service is terminated;

(2) At the end of the biweekly pay period in which the leave recipient's employing agency receives written notice from the leave recipient or from a personal representative of the leave recipient that the leave recipient is no longer affected by a medical emergency;

(3) At the end of the biweekly pay period in which the leave recipient's employing agency determines, after written notice from the agency and an opportunity for the leave recipient (or, if appropriate, a personal representative of the leave recipient) to answer orally or in writing, that the leave recipient is no longer affected by a medical emergency; or

(4) At the end of the biweekly pay period in which the leave recipient's employing agency receives notice that the Office of Personnel Management has approved an application for disability retirement for the leave recipient under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System.

(b) The leave recipient's employing agency shall continuously monitor the status of the medical emergency affecting the leave recipient to ensure that the leave recipient continues to be affected by a medical emergency.

(c) When the medical emergency affecting a leave recipient terminates, no further requests for transfer of annual leave to the leave recipient may be granted, and any unused transferred annual leave remaining to the credit of the leave recipient shall be restored to the leave donors under § 630.911.

(d) An agency may deem a medical emergency to continue for the purpose of providing a leave recipient an adequate period of time within which to receive donations of annual leave.

(a) Under procedures established by the leave recipient's employing agency, any transferred annual leave remaining to the credit of a leave recipient when the medical emergency terminates shall be restored, as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section and to the extent administratively feasible, by transfer to the annual leave accounts of leave donors who, on the date leave restoration is made, are employed by a Federal agency and subject to chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code.

(b) The amount of unused transferred annual leave to be restored to each leave donor shall be determined as follows:

(1) Divide the number of hours of unused transferred annual leave by the total number of hours of annual leave transferred to the leave recipient;

(2) Multiply the ratio obtained in paragraph (b)(1) of this section by the number of hours of annual leave transferred by each leave donor eligible for restoration under paragraph (a) of this section; and

(3) Round the result obtained in paragraph (b)(2) of this section to the nearest increment of time established by the leave donor's employing agency to account for annual leave.

(c) If the total number of eligible leave donors exceeds the total number of hours of annual leave to be restored, no unused transferred annual leave shall be restored. In no case shall the amount of annual leave restored to a leave donor exceed the amount transferred to the leave recipient by the leave donor.

(d) If the leave donor retires from Federal service, dies, or is otherwise separated from Federal service before the date unused transferred annual leave can be restored, the employing agency of the leave recipient shall not restore the unused transferred annual leave.

(e) At the election of the leave donor, unused transferred annual leave restored to the leave donor under paragraph (a) of this section may be restored by—

(1) Crediting the restored annual leave to the leave donor's annual leave account in the current leave year;

(2) Crediting the restored annual leave to the leave donor's annual leave account effective as of the first day of the first leave year beginning after the date of election; or

(3) Donating such leave in whole or part to another leave recipient.

(f) If a leave donor elects to donate only part of his or her restored leave to another leave recipient under paragraph (e)(3) of this section, the donor may elect to have the remaining leave credited to the leave donor's annual leave account under paragraph (e)(1) or (e)(2) of this section.

(g) Transferred annual leave restored to the account of a leave donor under paragraph (e) (1) or (2) of this section shall be subject to the limitation imposed by 5 U.S.C. 6304(a) at the end of the leave year in which the restored leave is credited to the leave donor's annual leave account.

(h) If a leave recipient elects to buy back annual leave as a result of claim for an employment-related injury approved by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs under 20 CFR 10.202 and 10.310, and the annual leave was leave transferred under § 630.906, the amount of annual leave bought back by the leave recipient shall be restored to the leave donor(s).

[59 FR 67125, Dec. 29, 1994, as amended at 61 FR 64451, Dec. 5, 1996]

(a) An employee may not directly or indirectly intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other employee for the purpose of interfering with any right such employee may have with respect to donating, receiving, or using annual leave under this subpart.

(b) For the purpose of paragraph (a) of this section, the term “intimidate, threaten, or coerce” includes promising to confer or conferring any benefit (such as an appointment or promotion or compensation) or effecting or threatening to effect any reprisal (such as deprivation of appointment, promotion, or compensation).

(a) Each agency shall maintain records concerning the administration of the voluntary leave transfer program and may be required by the Office of Personnel Management to report any information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

(b) Agencies shall maintain the following information:

(1) The number of applications approved for medical emergencies affecting the employee and the number of applications approved for medical emergencies affecting an employee's family member;

(2) The grade or pay level of each leave recipient and leave donor, the gender of each leave recipient, and the total amount of transferred annual leave used by each leave recipient; and

(3) Any additional information OPM may require.