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Federal employees would be able to use up to 12 weeks of accrued sick leave each year to care for seriously ill family members, under a proposed regulation issued Wednesday by the Office of Personnel Management.

The proposed regulation, issued in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, would replace the current 13-day limit on the number of sick days employees can take to care for family members.

"Allowing an employee to use up to 12 weeks of his or her own accrued sick leave each year would reduce the need for extended periods of leave without pay, which has a negative effect on an employee's pay and benefits, such as within-grade increases and health benefits," OPM said in its proposal. "As a result, employees would be better able to deal with the financial and personal strain caused by a family member's medical needs."

Federal employees earn 13 days of sick leave each year, and there is no limit on how much sick leave employees can accrue. It would take just under five years to accrue 12 weeks of sick leave.

To take advantage of the new limit of up to 12 weeks of sick leave for family care, an employee would be required to keep a balance of 10 sick days. But employees could use up to five days of sick leave for family care no matter how much sick leave they would have left.

Employees whose family members have serious health conditions - such as cancer, heart disease, strokes, severe injuries, Alzheimer's disease, pregnancy and childbirth - can take advantage of the expanded leave. "Family members" are defined as spouses, parents, children and their spouses, siblings and their spouses and "any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship."

The proposed regulations follow on a May 24, 1999 memorandum issued by President Clinton, which directed OPM to offer federal employees more paid time off to care for their families.

OPM did not release the effective date of the proposed regulation. The agency is accepting comments on the proposal until March 27.