The Pentagon has announced a general policy of allowing 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for military personnel, up from the current six weeks—which would not apply to civilians but could help lay groundwork for allowing paid leave by federal employees.
Currently, federal workers are eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. DoD last year, as part of a package of potential changes in civilian personnel policy, advocated 18 weeks of paid parental leave for birth mothers, and 12 weeks for adoption, with 12 weeks for a father in both cases.
Under the policy announcement for military personnel, DoD will allow 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, up from the current six weeks (the Navy separately allows 18 weeks of paid maternity leave, which will still apply for a transition period). DoD currently provides 10 days of paid paternity leave to the military and will seek authority to extend that to 14 days.
Civilian DoD employees could benefit more immediately from some of the other changes announced, including extended hours to 14 hours a day in day care centers at military facilities—which are open to children of both military and civilian personnel—and wider availability of private rooms for nursing mothers.
