The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) entitles covered Federal employees to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave (leave without pay) during any 12-month period for certain family and medical needs, including the birth and care of a newborn. An employee may elect to substitute paid leave (e.g., annual or sick leave) for the unpaid FMLA leave, but only to the extent such paid leave is permitted under current law and regulations. If an employee chooses to invoke his or her entitlement to FMLA leave to care for a healthy newborn, he or she may only substitute annual leave for the unpaid leave, as there is no authority to use sick leave to care for a healthy child. An employee's entitlement to FMLA leave expires on the first anniversary of the child's birth.

No. The Comptroller General has ruled consistently that if restored leave is forfeited again, there is no legal authority for its further restoration. Any restored leave unused at the expiration of the established time limits is again forfeited with no further right to restoration. In addition, administrative error may not serve as the basis to extend the time limit for using restored annual leave. This is so even if the agency fails to establish a separate leave account, fix the date for the expiration of the time limit, or properly advise the employee regarding the rules for using restored annual leave absent agency regulations requiring otherwise. (See Comptroller General opinions B-188993, December 12, 1977; B-213380, August 20, 1984; and B-256975, October 11, 1994.)

Agencies do not need to process any personnel actions (SF 50s) for periods of annual leave, military leave, earned compensatory time off for travel, or sick leave since the payroll system documents an employee's use of paid leave. Agencies should document an employee's use of leave without pay (LWOP) to perform duty with the uniformed services by processing a personnel action (SF 50) using nature of action "LWOP-US" (nature of action code 473). The effective date is the first day the employee begins to use leave without pay for duty with the uniformed services.

Employees may use annual leave, military leave, compensatory time off for travel, or sick leave (consistent with the statutory and regulatory criteria for using sick leave), intermittently with leave without pay while performing duty with the uniformed services. OPM does not require that agencies process return-to-duty actions for each period of paid leave. Periods of "LWOP-US" may be interrupted by periods of annual leave or military leave without the need to process any additional personnel actions.

When the need for leave is foreseeable, an employee must give 30 days notice of his or her intent to take FMLA leave. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, an employee must provide notice as soon as is practicable. In addition, an agency may require an employee on leave for a serious health condition to provide initial medical certification and recertification every 30 calendar days. If the health care provider has specified on the initial medical certification a minimum duration of the period of incapacity, the agency may not request recertification until that period has passed unless other conditions arise that permit the agency to require recertification more frequently. (See 5 CFR 630.1207(h)(2)(i).)

An agency's policies or procedures for notification of FMLA leave or medical certification may not be more stringent than required by OPM's regulations. If an employee who has been placed on leave restriction invokes his or her entitlement to FMLA leave, the agency must follow OPM's rules for notification and medical certification of FMLA leave.

The legislative history regarding leave for bone marrow/organ transplantation leave makes clear that the intent of legislation was to encourage the registration and donation of bone marrow by individuals who might not otherwise donate. It was hoped that providing such an incentive to Federal workers to be bone marrow donors would increase the size and diversity of the donor registry. It was felt that Federal workers should not be required to use their own leave to save the life of another person. There was no intent that this leave be a benefit to the donor.

An individual having bone marrow removed and stored for future use is not a "donor," and the benefit of 7 days of paid time off was not intended for someone who is undergoing such a procedure for his or her own needs. Sick leave, annual leave, and advanced annual and sick leave are available to an employee facing this type of medical procedure. In addition, leave donated under the Federal leave sharing program and leave without pay under the Family and Medical Leave Act may be used if the condition meets the requirements of these programs.