HRDG 4630 - Absence and Leave - Section D - Subsection c

An employee donating blood or plasma for which no compensation will be received may be granted up to 4 hours of administrative leave (TC 66) for rest and recuperation purposes. Employees must apply for the administrative leave in advance. The 4 hours:

• Is in addition to the time required for the actual donation.
• Is in addition to the time required to travel to and from the blood center.
• Is to be used at the donation site.
• May only be used on the day of the donation.

Note: Compensated blood and plasma donors are required to take annual leave, leave without pay, and/or earned credit hours, compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay and/or compensatory time off for travel for any period of absence resulting from making the blood or plasma donation.

An employee will be granted up to 7 days (56 hours) of administrative leave (TC 66) in a calendar year to serve as a bone marrow donor.

An employee may be granted up to 30 days each calendar year to serve as an organ donor. (Per the "Organ Donor Leave Act," P.L. 105-56, amending Title 5 U.S.C. Section 6327, dated 9/24/99, which increased the amount from 7 to 30 days.) The length of absence for organ donation procedures will vary depending upon the medical circumstances of each case. For medical procedures and recuperation requiring absences longer than 30 days, supervisors are encouraged to accommodate employees by granting additional time off in the form of sick leave, annual leave, advanced sick and/or annual leave, leave without pay, earned credit hours, earned compensatory time off, or donations from the Leave Transfer Program.

All absences related to on-the-job injury / traumatic injury (i.e., accident) will be charged consistent with the Office of Workers' Compensation Program (OWCP) regulations. Generally speaking, however, the following applies:

On the day an on-the-job injury / accident occurs, an employee will be granted administrative leave (TC 66) for the initial examination, treatment, and recuperation. For additional absence, the employee must apply directly to OWCP who will determine any entitlement to continuation of pay for a period not to exceed 45 calendar days, beginning the day after the injury / accident occurred. Use Transaction Code 67, Injury Leave, in the WebTA system. Otherwise, an employee may use his or her own accrued leave.

Supervisors must attempt to find light duty assignments for injured workers as soon as they are released to light duty by their physician. For additional information, contact your Agency's OWCP manager  Employees Only

An employee who is injured or becomes ill while on duty and is treated in a Government health unit or a first aid room may be granted up to 1 hour of excused absence for rest or treatment.

If an employee is not able to return to work after remaining in the health unit or first aid room for one (1) hour, the supervisor must advise the employee to go home and/or obtain further medical treatment by the health unit or other attending official, but may no longer be granted excused absence (TC 01).

All employees must be instructed to “sign in” upon entering a health unit or first aid room and “sign out” upon leaving. Programs may verify visits by contacting the health unit or first aid room.

Exception: If an employee is required by doctor's orders to rest a specified amount of time each day, such time will be charged to appropriate leave.

Employees will be granted administrative leave (TC 66) for physical examinations for reasons described in the following table. Factors to consider in determining the amount of administrative leave that should be granted include travel time and the medical procedure to be performed.

Executive memo (dated 1/4/01) from former President Clinton directed agencies to grant 4 hours of administrative leave (TC 66) each leave year to employees with less than 80 hours of accrued sick leave to participate in preventive health screenings.

Health screenings include: prostate, cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer; screening for sickle cell anemia, blood lead level, blood cholesterol level, immunity disorders such as HIV; and blood sugar level testing for diabetes.

The 4 hours may be used intermittently or all at once. The administrative leave (TC 66) is in addition to other available family friendly leave benefits and alternative work schedules. Administrative leave may not be used to accompany family members receiving preventive health screenings.