Florida Army National Guard (FLARNG) Sgt. Jean Rodriguez, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, helps load ice into a vehicle after Hurricane Milton at a point of distribution (POD) in Venice, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024. FLARNG Soldiers have set up POD locations to distribute food, water, ice, and hurricane kits to citizens impacted by the hurricane. Image: Army Photo by Spc. Eli Johnson
OPM has authorized emergency leave transfer programs for federal employees affected by Hurricane Milton, a week after issuing one related to Hurricane Helene.
In emergency leave transfer programs, employees may donate unused annual leave for transfer to employees of the same or other agencies who are affected by a major disaster or emergency, either directly or through adversely affected family members, and who need additional time off from work without having to use their own paid leave.
The designation for Milton applies to certain areas of Florida, while the designation for Helene applies to certain areas of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Specific locations are listed in the authorizing memos for each at chcoc.gov.
As is standard with such announcements, OPM in both cases left it up to agencies to operate the program, including informing employees of its availability; determining which employees qualify for leave and how much they are eligible for; the period during which leave may be accepted for distribution; and the actual distribution of leave.
“Agencies should contact OPM for assistance in receiving additional donated annual leave from other agencies only if several internal solicitations for leave donations do not result in sufficient amounts of donated annual leave to meet the needs of emergency leave recipients within the agency. Based on the demand for donated leave, OPM will solicit and coordinate the transfer of donated annual leave among federal agencies,” both say.
Employees seeking to become emergency leave recipients must apply in writing to their agencies personally or through a representative; employees who wish to donate leave must contact their agencies to determine how to do so.
The memos also call attention to other emergency-related policies, including granting of administrative leave and time off to participate in volunteer activities. The one regarding Milton also calls attention to earlier guidance on administering multiple concurrent leave transfer programs.
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