NAF Leave Guidance COVID-19 

(1) Administrative Leave 

Reporting Type: Weather and Safety Leave: For use during facility shut downs / people quarantined by public health authority without symptoms. RFT - work plus admin time should equal 40 hours per week; RPT - work plus admin time should equal their regularly scheduled # hours per week (or average of past 90 days if there is no regular schedule); FLEX - work plus admin time should equal their average hours of past 90 days. Newly employed FLEX less than 90 days, will get 20 hours per week. 

During periods of a shutdown caused by events beyond the control of management all appointment categories of employees at work or scheduled to be present for duty will be excused without charge to leave or loss of pay. Effective beginning approximately 24 March or date facility closed and released by supervisor.

NOTE: If an employee is diagnosed as being infected, or likely has been infected, with a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV, use of weather and safety leave would be inappropriate. Accrued or advanced sick leave would normally be used to cover such a period of sickness. Additionally, ADMIN - WSLV leave may not be used in lieu of another previously approved leave type.

OPM has determined that agencies may authorize weather and safety leave when an asymptomatic employee (i.e., healthy, not displaying symptoms of the given disease) is subject to movement restrictions (quarantine or isolation) under the direction of public health authorities due to a significant risk of exposure to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV. This determination is based on the significant safety risks for other employees and the general public that would be incurred if such an employee were allowed to travel to and perform work at the employee’s normal worksite. As with all administrative leave, if the employee is a telework program participant, the employee would generally be expected to perform telework at home as long as the employee is asymptomatic.

Employees may NOT be authorized weather and safety leave due to COVID-19 related school and child care facilities closures. However, in the case of an emergency, supervisors/telework approving authorities may increase telework frequency for authorized telework participants when there are young children or other persons requiring care and supervision in the employee’s home. Employees under these circumstances must still account for work and non-work hours during his or her tour of duty and take appropriate leave (paid or unpaid) to account for time spent away from normal work-related duties (e.g., to care for a child or dependent). Employees who are not telework program participants must use annual leave or other paid time off, such as accrued compensatory time or credit hours or, when approved, leave without pay.

(2) Sick Leave 

An employee who is symptomatic (ill) due to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV, is entitled to use his or her accrued sick leave.

Sick Leave for General Family Care - An employee is entitled to use a total of up to 104 hours (13 days) of sick leave each leave year to provide care for a family member who is ill or receiving medical examination or treatment. If an employee’s family member is symptomatic (ill) due to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV, the employee may use his or her accrued sick leave for general family care.

Sick Leave to Care for a Family Member with a Serious Health Condition - An employee is entitled to use up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of sick leave each leave year to care for a family member with a serious health condition. If an employee’s family member is symptomatic (ill) due to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV, that would generally constitute a serious health condition.

(3) Annual Leave

An employee may use any or all accrued annual leave for personal needs, such as rest and relaxation, vacations, medical needs, personal business, emergencies, or to provide care for a healthy or sick family member.

(4) Leave Without Pay

Family and Medical Leave - Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, an employee is entitled to a total of up to 12 workweeks of leave without pay for a serious health condition that prevents the employee from performing his or her duties or to care for a spouse, son or daughter, or parent with a serious health condition. An employee may substitute his or her accrued annual and/or sick leave for unpaid leave in accordance with current laws and regulations governing the use of annual and sick leave.

If an employee has exhausted his or her available annual or sick leave and other forms of paid time off, he or she may request leave without pay (LWOP). In most instances, granting LWOP is a matter of supervisory discretion and may be limited by agency internal policy.

(5) Donated Leave

If an employee has a personal or family medical emergency related to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV, and is absent (or expected to be absent) from duty without available paid leave for at least 24 work hours, he or she may qualify to receive donated annual leave under the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) or Voluntary Leave Bank Program (VLBP).

(6) Other Paid Time Off

An employee may use earned compensatory time off, compensatory time off for travel, and/or credit hours earned under a flexible work schedule to be absent from work, including reasons related to a quarantinable communicable disease, such as 2019-nCoV.

(7) Telework 

The Federal Government uses telework, among other things, to promote continuity of operations by allowing Federal employees to continue their work at an approved alternative worksite. Agencies should maximize their telework capacity by entering into telework agreements with as many telework-eligible employees as possible and by conducting exercises to test employees’ ability to access agency networks from home. Managers should ensure that there are effective processes in place for communicating efficiently with employees who are teleworking. For additional information on telework, please see www.telework.gov.

For questions, JBLM MWR team members should contact edward.j.kim3.naf@mail.mil or maria.e.prodell.naf@mail.mil.