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Conditions for Granting Sick Leave

Sick leave will be granted when the employee:

• Receives medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment;

• Is incapacitated for the performance of duties by physical or mental illness, injury, pregnancy, or childbirth;

• Provides care for a family member who is incapacitated as a result of physical illness, mental illness, injury, pregnancy, or childbirth; or who receives medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment;

• Provides care for a family member with a serious health condition;

• Makes arrangements necessitated by the death of a family member; or attends the funeral of a family member;

• Would, as determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider, jeopardize the health of others by his/her presence on the job because of exposure to a communicable disease; or

• Must be absent from duty for purposes relating to the adoption of a child, including appointments with adoption agencies, social workers, and attorneys; court proceedings; required travel; and any other activities necessary to allow the adoption to pr oceed.

Also see Section F, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). An employee may use sick leave under this Section without invoking FMLA. If FMLA is invoked, the employee may elect to use accrued sick leave, in accordance with applicable r egulations, for all or a portion of the 12-week period.

Bullets 3 and 5 above reflect provisions of the Federal Employees Family Friendly Leave Act (FEFFLA). 

Eligibility 

All full-time and part-time employees are eligible to earn sick leave, regardless of the type of appointment. An employee must be on the rolls for the entire pay period in order to accrue sick leave (this could b e a combination of pay and nonpay status).

Intermittent employees are not eligible to earn or use sick leave.

Recredit of Sick Leave

Sick leave is transferrable under the same conditions as annual leave. An employee who has had a break in service is entitled to a recredit of sick leave without regard to the date of his/her separation if he/she returns to Federal employment on or after December 2, 1994, unless the sick leave was forfeited upon reemployment in the Federal Government before December 2, 1994. Sick leave forfeited prior to this date may only be recredited by obtaining approval of a variation from the Office of Personnel Management.