Memo: Employees may take advanced leave for family issues

President Obama has issued a memorandum directing agencies to allow federal employees to receive six weeks—240 hours—of advanced leave to care for a newborn or adopted child, help ill family members, or other sick-leave eligible uses.

According to the White House, the move will give mothers the chance to recuperate after child birth—even if they have not yet accrued enough sick leave—and without compelling them to use accrued vacation leave. It also will let spouses and partners care for mothers during recuperation, as well as enable both parents to attend proceedings related to adoption.

Advanced annual leave also is to be made available to employees for placement of a foster child in their home.

The memo also directs agencies to consider offering employees help in finding emergency backup care for children, seniors, and adults with disabilities—or perhaps even providing that care. Some agencies already provide the benefit through their Employee Assistance Program, the White House noted.

Federal unions and family organizations applauded the memo.

“This proposal helps narrow a gaping hole in the benefits offered to federal employees, who currently receive no paid leave upon the birth, adoption or fostering of a child," American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. said in a statement.

“Federal employees are only able to accumulate a maximum of 30 days of annual leave, which is hardly enough time to provide care to a newborn or newly adopted child," Cox said. "Because of this, employees are forced to either take off work without pay or return to work far too soon, robbing their children of early nurturing that’s vital for future development."

The president also will propose a measure in his fiscal 2016 budget that would give federal employees up to six weeks of paid administrative leave for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. That proposal also would allow employees to use sick days to care for a healthy child after a birth mother’s period of incapacitation or after an adoption.

Cox noted that the federal government already reimburses its contractors for the cost of paid parental leave.