In response to Hurricane Katrina the Office of
Personnel Management has posted on its website a
handbook on leave and pay benefits for federal
employees affected by severe weather emergencies or
other emergency situations.
The handbook – available at www.opm.gov/oca – provides
a general summary of pay and leave benefits available,
including advance payments and evacuation payments, OPM said.
It also said current federal employees or retired federal
employees or annuitants impacted by the hurricane may
call 1-800-307-8298 to get answers to questions about
health insurance, life insurance, status on paychecks,
retiree annuity payments, and disability issues, etc.
OPM has also announced plans to establish an emergency
leave transfer program, whereby employees in executive
agencies could transfer unused annual leave to employees
of the same or other agencies that were hurt by the hurricane.
However, it said most affected employees would be granted
excused absence or receive other payments to cope with the
emergency.
Agencies have been asked to determine whether and how much
additional leave their affected employees need and then to
approve and facilitate the donation and receipt of leave
within their agencies – regulations for that are available
