Extra Leave Allowances for Spouses of Reservists

September 27, 2005

Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., proposed a pilot program that would allow federal employees who are spouses of members of the National Guard or Reserves to use extra leave.

Jeffords’ proposal, called the National Guard and Reserve Service Leave Act of 2005, was an amendment to S. 1042, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. The bill has not yet been signed into law.

If Jeffords’ act is passed into law, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would establish a pilot program to authorize federal employees at a minimum of at least five federal agencies to:

• use any sick leave the employee has during a “covered period of service” in the same manner and to the same extent as annual leave is used; and
• use any leave available to that employee as though the “covered period of service” is a medical emergency.

A “covered period of service” is the time when the federal employee’s spouse is a member of a reserve component of the armed forces and is serving on active duty in the armed forces in support of a contingency operation.

Under this bill, agencies would apply to OPM to participate and OPM would select at least five agencies for the pilot program.

The pilot program would end on Dec. 31, 2007.

The bill also includes a similar leave program for the private sector, so private sector employees with spouses in the National Guard or Reserves could also use sick leave or other leave more liberally while their spouses are on active duty.

Also, the legislation requires that the Government Accountability Office submit a report to Congress on these pilot programs no later than Dec. 31, 2006. The report would have to include: an evaluation of the success of each program; and recommendations for the continuance or termination of each program.