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

Supervisors may grant employees up to two (2) hours of administrative leave (TC 66) to attend the local funeral or memorial service of:

• A current employee whose death occurred during the performance of official duties;
• A current employee whose death occurred after duty hours; or
• A retired employee.

In addition:

• Employees granted administrative leave (TC 66) are not entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses.
• The two (2) hours includes travel time to/from the funeral or memorial service.
• Any additional time must be charged to leave, earned credit hours, earned compensatory time off for travel, earned compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay, and/or LWOP. Employees on maxiflex may make-up time taken during the pay period in lieu of a charge to leave.
• “Local” means the local commuting area as defined in the USDA/Federal Travel Regulations.

In lieu of or in addition to the above, Programs may designate an Agency representative to attend a service. The designated representative is on official duty and is to code his/her time as official time (TC 01). The written determination is to be placed in the employee’s T&A file. In instances where travel is involved outside of the local area, Programs must consider designating a local person to serve as the official Agency representative. Temporary duty (TDY) expenses may be authorized when travel is outside of the local area. Contact your servicing Travel Specialist with TDY related questions.

AMS exception: The Deputy Administrator is delegated the authority to approve administrative leave (TC 66) or excused absence (TC 01) for this purpose. This authority may not be re-delegated to a lower level.

In approving travel, Programs must determine, in writing that attending such a service serves the Governmental purpose of sustaining employee morale and reinforcing to employees and others the significance of the deceased to the Program. The written approval must be uploaded to the employee’s electronic travel system authorization request.

Note: Comptroller General's Decision, volume 70, page 200 (70 Comp. Gen. 200) sets forth that an officially designated representative may be designated and approved in writing to travel to and attend the funeral as official business.

A supervisor may grant administrative leave (TC 66) to an employee to participate in a volunteer activity if the activity:

• Is directly related to the mission of USDA or the agency,
• Is officially sponsored or sanctioned by the agency, or
• Will clearly enhance the professional development or skills of the employee in his/her current position.

Before granting administrative leave, the supervisor should ensure that the employee's absence will not have an adverse impact on work operations.

Programs are encouraged to support employees' volunteer efforts that do not meet the above criteria by ensuring employees are aware of the available work scheduling and leave flexibilities and by allowing them the flexibility to adjust their schedules to accommodate the volunteer activity, if possible.

Generally, an employee is not covered under OWCP for an injury which may occur during a period of administrative leave. However, an employee who believes the injury should be covered under OWCP may file a claim to be evaluated by the Department of Labor.

An employee who is a veteran of any war, campaign, or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or is a member of an honor or ceremonial group of a veteran's organization will be granted administrative leave (TC 66) (not to exceed 4 hours in any 1 day) to participate as an active pallbearer, member of a firing squad, or honor guard in a funeral ceremony for a member of the Armed Forces returned to the United States for burial(5 U.S.C.6321).

An employee may be granted up to 3 days of administrative leave to make arrangements for, or attend funeral or memorial services for, certain members of the Armed Forces when (5 U.S.C. 6326):

• The decedent member of the Armed Forces is a family member (as defined in this Subchapter); and
• The decedent died as the result of a wound, disease, or injury incurred while serving in the Armed Forces in a combat zone.

If additional leave is required, annual leave, sick leave, or LWOP may be requested as appropriate.

An employee will be granted administrative leave (TC 66) to take a job qualification examination or to obtain a professional license:

• To remain in the position the employee currently occupies;
• For a position to which the Department has recommended the employee be transferred, promoted, or reassigned; or
• For a professional license or certification (Certified Public Accountant certification, engineer's license, etc.) which is considered advantageous to the agency.

For bullets 1 and 2 above, Programs may grant a reasonable amount of administrative leave to prepare.

Employees will be granted administrative leave to participate in local in-person or telephonic interviews for other USDA jobs.

When a field office is closed and work cannot be properly performed due to a local, State, territorial or foreign holiday, field employees may be granted administrative leave (TC 66). 

To the extent practicable, heads of offices in common geographical areas should collaborate on this determination. To determine if an employee is actually prevented from working, appropriate officials should consider the following factors:

• The building or office in which the employee works is physically closed, or building services essential to proper performance of work are not operating;
• Local transportation services are discontinued or interrupted; or
• The employee's duties consist largely or entirely of dealing directly with employees and officials of business or industrial establishments or local government offices which are closed in observance of the holiday, and there are no other duties consistent with his/her normal duties to which the employee can be assigned.

Heads of field offices are responsible for:

• Strictly applying standards to hold office closings to a minimum; and
• Notifying Division/Program headquarters whenever a field office must be closed for such a holiday.

Supervisors are responsible for determining needed actions to ensure a safe work environment. This includes determining whether administrative leave (TC 66) should be granted to violent or potentially violent employees, to other affected employees, in what amount, and for how long.

See your Agency's policy for additional guidance on Workplace Violence.

Federal employees are encouraged to volunteer to support children and youth at local elementary, middle, and high schools. Through APHIS' Partnership in Education Program and AMS' Adopt-a-School Programs, Marketing and Regulatory Programs employees have many ways to volunteer. They may mentor, tutor, serve as science fair judges, participate in annual events such as National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, Dr. Seuss Reading Day, Career Day- - just to name a few. MRP employees across the nation can work with neighborhood schools close to their homes or at schools close to their work sites.

Agencies may provide employees up to 2 hours of administrative leave (TC 66) per week to volunteer as mentors or tutors in Agency-sponsored schools (Federal Personnel Letter 992-1 dated April 19, 1991 sunseted but still used as guidance). Employees must notify their supervisor in advance when they are invoking the 2 hours of administrative leave (TC 66).

To get started:

• You must complete a Participation Form  Employees Only
• Get it signed by your immediate supervisor, and
• Submit it to your Agency's designated Program Coordinator.

Each school has a liaison who will assist you by providing orientation information on school procedures and how to be a successful mentor/tutor. The liaison will also coordinate your participation in special events at the school.

Your Agency's designated Program Coordinator will have a list of Agency- sponsored schools. These schools will have a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed between the agency and the school.

If you want to volunteer at a school that is not on the list, you may work with your agency's Program Coordinator and the school's principal or his/her designee to agree on your volunteer responsibilities. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be completed with the signature of the Principal and the Agency Administrator.

• How many hours of administrative leave (TC 66) may I use to mentor?
  You may use up to 2 hours of administrative leave (TC 66) per week.
• How should I code the administrative leave on my Time and Attendance (T&A)?
  Code the administrative leave as Transaction Code (TC) 66 on the T&A Log.
• Can I carry over unused hours from week to week?
  No.
• Does the administrative leave include my travel time?
• Yes, the two hours of administrative leave includes your travel time to and from the school in the local area. Your home to work commute will be on your time.
• What if the mentoring / tutoring activities exceed 2 hours?
  If the activity exceeds this time frame, you may take annual leave, leave without pay (LWOP), use earned credit hours, or if you are on a maxiflex schedule you may make up the time during the pay period.
• If I am a participant in the Telework program, may I tutor on my scheduled work-at-home day?
  With supervisory approval, you may tutor on your scheduled work-at- home day.
• If you begin your official tour of duty with your tutoring assignment, your work day will begin when you sign in at the school. In this instance your commute time to the school would be on your own time. The time you spend tutoring and your return commute to your home or satellite office would be recorded as excused absence (TC 66) on your T&A and would be considered part of the 2 hours allowed per week.

In accordance with the MRP Motor Vehicle Fleet Management Manual, transporting children and mentored students in government owned or leased vehicles (GOV's) is not allowed.

Instead, we recommend students be transported by vehicles owned or leased by their school district. You may transport students in your privately owned vehicle if you have gotten permission from the school and the student's parent or guardian.

Refer questions to your Agency's designated Mentoring/Tutoring Coordinator.

MRPHRD Employment Policy Branch will provide guidance in interpreting policy and procedures for employees participating in the program.

Emergency Program Assignments
(APHIS Only)



 

If you are sent on a temporary duty assignment (TDY) to an emergency program, you will be granted administrative leave (TC 66) in the amounts listed below upon your return from each TDY assignment.

Emergency program assignments typically last:

• One (1) administrative workweek (7 consecutive calendar days);
• Three (3) administrative workweeks (21 consecutive calendar days); or,
• Four (4) administrative workweeks (28 consecutive calendar days).

Note: The MRP administrative workweek is Sunday through Saturday. While at the TDY site, you will be provided an unpaid day(s) off within your rotational TDY assignment.

The administrative leave (TC 66):

• Must be used at the beginning of the first day you are expected to return to duty at your ODS for your regularly scheduled TOD.
• May not be used at a later time.
• Must be granted upon return from each assignment.
• May not be granted when the report day is a holiday. For example if you return from assignment on Sunday, you are expected to report for duty on Monday but Monday is a holiday. Additional time off is not granted and you are expected to report for duty on Tuesday.
• Does not apply to TDY emergency program assignments outside of APHIS.

The following chart provides examples of when the administrative leave would/not be granted. These are examples only and other scenarios are possible.

Note: The approving official must include a written statement with supporting documentation which is placed in the employee’s T&A file and must be maintained for six (6) years.

On November 14, 2003, President Bush granted five (5) days of administrative leave (TC 66)to employees returning to Federal civilian employment who were on active military duty in connection with:

• Operation Noble Eagle,
• Operation Enduring Freedom,
• Operation Iraqi Freedom, or
• Any other military operations subsequently established under EO 13223 and deemed to be part of the continued Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).

To qualify for the administrative leave (TC 66), an employee must have been on active duty in support of GWOT for at least 42 consecutive days (See OPM's CPM 2008-21 dated 12/16/2008). An employee does not qualify for the administrative leave if:

• A subsequent deployment was less than 42 consecutive days, or
• For multiple deployments in which each deployment was for less than 42 consecutive days, and
• Subsequent deployments occur within the same 12-month period.

The administrative leave:

• Must be granted as soon as the employee reports back for Federal civilian duty but prior to the actual resumption of duties or notifies the agency of his or her intent to return.
• Will be granted to those employees who were called to active duty in support of the GWOT
• Must be granted to employees on a part-time work schedule. For these employees, the time is prorated based on the number of hours in the employee's regularly scheduled workweek.
• Is granted for subsequent activations however, it may only be granted once within a 12-month period. The 12-month period begins on the first day of excused absence and ends 365 days later.
• Must be used all at once.
• Does not affect the time limits for exercising restoration rights. The five days is granted in addition to restoration rights.
• May not be granted to a new employee who was not a Federal civilian employee at the time of his or her activation.

Employees who are subject to the Military Selective Service Act:

• Must be granted administrative leave (TC 66) for the time necessary to register.
• Must register in accordance with the instructions provided in the Act
• May register before a board having jurisdiction in the area of their permanent home, or wherever the employee may be on the days he or she is subject to registration whichever results in the lesser amount of administrative leave.