8.2 Leave & Authorized Absences
Key Takeaways
- Members accrue 2.5 days of leave for each month of RegAF status and may accumulate a maximum of 60 days by the end of a fiscal year.
- Bereavement leave allows up to 14 days of non-chargeable leave for the death of a spouse or child, and requires the member to have less than 30 days of accrued ordinary leave on the date of death.
- The Military Parental Leave Program authorizes 12 weeks of non-chargeable leave after a qualifying birth event, adoption, or long-term foster placement.
- Leave must begin and end in the local area, and nonduty days and holidays occurring during authorized leave are chargeable leave days.
- Special passes are three or four days, ending at the beginning of normal work hours on the fourth day for a three-day pass and the fifth day for a four-day pass.
Why Leave Is a Military Requirement
AFH 1 frames leave in readiness terms, not as a perk: "Lengthy respites from the work environment tend to have a beneficial effect on an individual's psychological and physical status. Therefore, an effective leave program is an essential military requirement." Unit commanders establish leave programs to encourage the use of leave for the maximum benefit of the member.
Processing Through LeaveWeb
LeaveWeb is the automated method of requesting and processing leave. The chain runs:
- The member requests leave, generating an e-mail to the leave approval authority
- Commanders have final approval authority but may delegate — normally no lower than the first-line supervisor
- Approved requests go to the unit leave monitor for validation
- Once validated, the request goes electronically to finance
- The member prints a copy of the approved leave form to hand-carry during leave
- On return, the member completes updates in LeaveWeb and forwards the e-mail to the approval authority for endorsement
When LeaveWeb is unavailable, procedures may require the DAF Form 988, Leave Request/Authorization.
Beginning and Ending Leave
Leave must begin and end in the local area — defined as "the place of residence from which the member commutes to the duty station on a daily basis." For leave en route to a PCS or TDY, the old permanent duty station is for beginning leave and the new permanent duty station is for ending leave.
Three rules generate scenario items:
- Nonduty days and holidays are chargeable leave days if they occur during an authorized period of leave.
- If leave includes a weekend, a member cannot end leave on a Friday and begin leave again on Monday.
- Unit commanders will not approve successive Monday-through-Friday leaves (or periods of leave surrounding other nonduty days) except under emergency or unusual circumstances.
Together these close the loophole of "bookending" weekends to avoid charging them.
Extensions and recalls. A member must request an extension orally or in writing, sufficiently in advance to permit returning to duty on time if the request is disapproved. Unit commanders may recall members from leave for military necessity or in the best interest of the USAF; if leave resumes after the recall duty, a new DAF Form 988 or orders must be prepared.
Accruing Leave
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Accrual rate | 2.5 days per month of RegAF status |
| Maximum carried at end of fiscal year | 60 days (more only when specifically authorized) |
| Career maximum sell-back | 60 days, at points such as reenlistment, retirement, separation under honorable conditions, or death |
Members do not earn leave when they are absent without official leave, in an unauthorized leave status, in confinement as a result of a court-martial sentence, in an excess leave status, or on appellate leave.
AFH 1 adds a policy statement worth remembering for scenario items: DoD policy encourages members to use leave to relax from the pressures of duties and not as a method of compensation.
Types of Leave
Governed by DAFI 36-3003.
| Type | Chargeable? | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Annual (ordinary) | Chargeable | Vacations, family needs, traditional holidays, significant events, or terminal leave |
| Advance | Chargeable | Granted on reasonable expectation the member will accrue at least that amount during the remaining period of RegAF status; for emergencies or urgent situations with limited or no accrued leave. Once exhausted, commanders change the status from advance to excess |
| Bereavement | Non-chargeable | Up to 14 days for the death of a spouse or child. Member must have less than 30 days of accrued ordinary leave on the date of death to be eligible |
| Excess | No-pay status | Entitlement to pay, allowances, and leave accrual stops on the first day. No disability pay for injuries during excess leave. The period does not count toward a service commitment. Member is charged for each day plus an additional half day for every 6 days of negative leave |
| Convalescent | Non-chargeable | The minimal time needed for recuperation, when a medical or behavioral health provider determines the member is not yet fit for duty. May include convalescence following stillbirth or miscarriage. Overseen by the Air Force Surgeon General under AFMAN 41-210 |
| Emergency | Chargeable | For emergencies involving the immediate family. Approved by unit commanders, delegable no lower than the first sergeant for enlisted personnel. Initial period usually no more than 30 days, with a possible 30-day extension. Beyond 60 days, commanders should advise applying for humanitarian or EFMP reassignment or hardship discharge |
| Emergency Leave of Absence | Non-chargeable | Up to 14 days for a qualifying emergency. Granted once during an entire career, and only to prevent the member from entering advanced or excess leave status |
| Enroute | Chargeable (ordinary) | Used during a PCS. Losing commander normally approves up to 30 days. After basic or technical training: 10 days if the first duty station is in the continental United States, 14 days for an overseas assignment |
| Terminal | Chargeable | Taken with retirement or separation; the last day of leave coincides with the last day of RegAF status; cannot exceed the leave balance at separation |
| Environmental and Morale | Chargeable as ordinary | Overseas, where adverse environmental conditions require special arrangements. Funded: military transportation, travel time not charged as leave. Unfunded: space-available transportation, travel time is charged as leave |
| Military Parental Leave Program | Non-chargeable | 12 weeks after a qualifying birth event, adoption of a minor child, or placement for adoption or long-term foster care |
The three non-chargeable programs with day counts are the most tested set: bereavement (14 days, spouse or child), emergency leave of absence (14 days, once per career), and the Military Parental Leave Program (12 weeks). Note that emergency leave — despite the name — is chargeable, while emergency leave of absence is not.
The funded/unfunded environmental and morale leave distinction turns entirely on travel time: funded does not charge travel time; unfunded does.
Permissive Temporary Duty
Permissive TDY is "an administrative absence for which funded TDY is not appropriate." The prohibition is explicit: commanders may not authorize permissive TDY in place of leave or a special pass, or in conjunction with special passes.
Authorized uses include:
- Traveling to or near a new permanent duty station to secure off-base housing
- Accompanying a military or dependent patient to a designated medical treatment facility not in the local area
- Attending a DoD-sponsored assistance seminar under the Transition Assistance Program
- Attending national conventions or meetings hosted by service-connected organizations
Regular and Special Passes
A pass period is "an authorized absence from duty for a relatively short amount of time." There are no mileage restrictions, though members may be expected to return within a reasonable time for a recall, unit alert, or unit emergency.
Regular pass. Normally begins at the end of work hours on Friday and continues until the beginning of normal work hours on the following Monday where nonduty days are Saturday and Sunday. On non-traditional (alternate or compressed) schedules, a regular pass may not exceed the four-day special pass limit, and neither may the combination of nonduty days and a public holiday. However, three nonduty days plus a public holiday during a compressed work schedule is a regular pass period. Where DoD or higher management designates a compensatory day off around a Tuesday or Thursday holiday, a regular pass may consist of a weekend, a comp day off, and a public holiday.
Special pass. Unit commanders may award three- or four-day special passes for special occasions, circumstances, special recognition, or compensatory time off. Approval is delegable no lower than squadron section commander, deputies, or equivalents.
The stop times are exact: special passes start after normal work hours on a given day and stop at the beginning of normal work hours on the fourth day for a three-day pass, or the fifth day for a four-day pass.
Which type of leave is non-chargeable, limited to 14 days, and granted only once during an entire career?
An Airman takes authorized leave from Thursday through the following Tuesday, which includes a Saturday, a Sunday, and a federal holiday on Monday. How is that period charged?
A member returning from basic and technical training is assigned to a first duty station in the continental United States. How many days of leave en route may they request, and how does that change for an overseas assignment?