Travel Comp Time Rules Published

Interim rules effective January 28 carry out legislation enacted
last year authorizing federal employees to get compensatory time
off for time they spend traveling for official purposes during
off-duty hours. Qualifying time includes not only the time spent
in transit but also “usual waiting time” such as time used when
arriving early for a flight. The time will accrue in increments of
six or 15 minutes and will have to be used within 26 pay periods
of being earned. There are some limited situations in which employees
traveling on their own time are paid; in those cases, the individual
would not receive both pay and comp time. The rules also spell out
what is considered travel time and reaffirm that comp time cannot
be converted to cash.