Feds can donate leave to Sandy victims

Federal employees who want to help fellow workers affected by megastorm Sandy can donate their unused annual leave.

President Obama issued a memorandum on Friday asking the Office of Personnel Management to establish an emergency program to facilitate the transfer of leave for employees wishing to make donations. The program would permit employees to donate their leave to other employees, allowing federal workers hit by Sandy to get time off from work without having to use their own paid leave, or to have extra if they use up their own leave.

The directive is the same as the one President Bush issued in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

Obama told OPM to issue guidance to agencies on the leave transfer program.