3 FAH-1 H-3460
OTHER PAID LEAVE
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Office of Origin: HR/ER)
3 FAH-1 H-3461 EXCUSED ABSENCE
3 FAH-1 H-3461.1 Definition
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
Excused absence is an absence from duty administratively
authorized or approved and does not result in a charge to leave of any kind or
in loss of basic salary.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.2 Granting Authorities
3 FAH-1 H-3461.2-1 Granting
Authority for Nonconduct-Related Administrative Leave
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
Excused absence for the purposes shown in 3 FAM 3464.1-1 and this associated handbook subchapter may be
authorized by the leave approving officer authorized to grant annual leave
listed in 3
FAH-1 H-3417.2.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.2-2 Granting
Authority for Conduct-Related Administrative Leave
(CT:POH-157; 03-07-2013)
(State/USAID Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. Excused absence for the purpose shown in 3 FAM 3464.1-2 may be authorized as shown below, following the
procedures of 3 FAH-1
H-3461.6:
|
Employee
|
Period of Excused Absence
|
Approval Officer
|
|
Foreign Service Employees at Post
|
Not to exceed 16 hours
|
Ambassador or Deputy Chief of Mission at Post
|
|
Foreign Service Employees in the U.S. and Civil Service
Employees
|
Not to exceed 16 hours
|
Executive Directors of employing bureau
|
|
Foreign Service and Civil Service
|
More than 16 hours
|
DAS for Human Resources with disciplinary portfolio
|
b. For USAID: Excused absence
may be authorized for conduct-related reasons in limited circumstances as
provided by 3
FAM 3464.1-2. Any requests for excused absence for conduct-related reasons
should be coordinated with the Employee and Labor Relations Division (OHR/ELR)
and approved by the DAA/HR.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.3 Granting Excused
Absences of 1 Hour or Less for Tardiness or Emergency
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. In accordance with 3 FAM 3464.1,
absences from duty for emergencies and tardiness not in excess of 1 hour may be
excused. However, leave approving officers are reminded that this authority to
grant excused absences should be used judiciously. It must not be used, in any
event, to shorten the regular workday of an employee.
b. Timekeepers will report incidents of tardiness and
temporary absences to the employees leave approving officer. Under ordinary
circumstances when such absences are unavoidable or unexpected and necessary
for adequate reasons, they should be excused. The leave approving official
will determine, based on the circumstances, whether the employee is to be
granted excused absence or charged leave and will notify the timekeeper
accordingly.
c. In the event the employee abuses this privilege,
such absence and tardiness shall be handled by a charge against annual leave or
absence without leave, or by disciplinary action.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.4 Consultation with
Counselors
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
Excused absence may be granted for an absence from
official duty during which an employee is utilizing the service of a counselor
provided by the Department. Except in unusual cases, however, the total period
of absence authorized for this purpose should not exceed 2 hours.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.5 Grievance
Preparation and Presentation
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
A member of the Foreign Service (FS) who is a grievant
under Chapter 11 of the Foreign Service Act, and any employee serving as a
representative of the member will be granted excused absence for a reasonable
period in order to prepare for and present the grievance.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.6 Conduct-Related
Administrative Leave
3 FAH-1 H-3461.6-1 Conduct-Related
Administrative Leave 16 Hours or Less
(CT:POH-157; 03-07-2013)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. Administrative leave for conduct-related reasons,
which will not exceed 16 hours in total, may be approved by bureau executive
directors or, at post, by ambassadors or deputy chiefs of mission.
b. An official described above or his or her designee
must notify the Director, Office of Employee Relations (HR/ER), of any
administrative leave approved under this section. The notification must be in
writing and explain the basis for placing the employee in a paid nonduty
status. It must be submitted to the (HR/ER) within 1 business day of the start
of administrative leave.
c. If it is anticipated that more than 16 hours of
administrative leave will be necessary, an official described in 3 FAH-1
H-3461.2-2 may authorize the initial
16 hours and submit a request for approval of additional time within 1 business
day, as provided in 3 FAH-1
H-3461.6-2.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.6-2 Conduct-Related
Administrative Leave More than 16 Hours
(CT:POH-157; 03-07-2013)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. Administrative leave anticipated to last more than
16 hours must be approved in advance by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Human Resources (DAS) responsible for the discipline portfolio.
b. All requests for approval of administrative leave
must be submitted to the DAS in writing with a copy to the Director, Office of
Employee Relations (HR/ER).
c. Written requests for administrative leave approval
must include:
(1) Specific information about the nature of the
misconduct and the employees position;
(2) The problem the employees continued presence in
the workplace may cause (e.g., physical harm to self or others, destruction of
official records, etc.);
(3) What actions management will take while the employee
is on leave (e.g., completion of investigation or inquiry, initiation of
disciplinary action, enforced leave, indefinite suspension, etc.); and
(4) What consideration has been given to other
alternatives such as restricted access or temporary assignment to another
available position.
d. In an emergency situation requiring the immediate
removal of an employee from the workplace before obtaining approval of the DAS,
the employee may be placed on administrative leave not to exceed 16 hours by
the appropriate approval officer with a written request for approval of an
extension of administrative leave submitted to the DAS as provided in 3 FAH-1
H-3461.6-2, paragraphs a, b, and c within 1 business day of the start of
administrative leave.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.6-3 Employee
Notification of Conduct-Related Administrative Leave
(CT:POH-157; 03-07-2013)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
An employee who is placed on administrative leave for
conduct-related reasons must receive timely written notice from the authorized management
official.
3 FAH-1 H-3461.6-4 Reporting
Requirement for Conduct-Related Administrative Leave
(CT:POH-157; 03-07-2013)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. An official described in 3 FAH-1
H-3461.6-1 or his or her designee is
responsible for ensuring that conduct-related administrative leave is
accurately reflected on the employees timesheet.
b. Conduct-related administrative leave must be
recorded as code XA, and the remarks section of the XA code must reflect admin
leave per memo dated xx-xx-xxxxx throughout the period of administrative leave
regardless of its duration.
c. Each U.S. mission abroad that granted
administrative leave for a conduct-related reason during the previous quarter
must submit a summary report to the Director, Office of Employee Relations
(HR/ER). The reports must provide the name of each employee and the inclusive
dates of the period of administrative leave. Reports are due as follows:
First Quarter April 30
Second Quarter July 31
Third Quarter October 31
Fourth Quarter January 31
3 FAH-1 H-3462 LOCAL HOLIDAYS
3 FAH-1 H-3462.1 Absence on Local
Holidays
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. 3 FAM 3464.1,
subparagraph (8), provides that, under certain circumstances, a post may be
closed due to a local holiday. Other than as provided in 3 FAM 3464.1,
subparagraph (8), there is no administrative discretion to excuse U.S. citizen
employees from duty without charge to annual leave solely on the ground that
the days of absence are local holidays at the place of employment.
b. American direct-hire employees assigned abroad are
eligible to receive local holidays when outside of country of assignment on
personal travel. Employees who travel on government-funded travel are not
authorized local holidays once they leave the country of assignment.
3 FAH-1 H-3462.2 Duty on Local
Holidays
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
When a post has been closed for a local holiday under the
provisions of 3
FAM 3464.1, subparagraph (8), the approving officer for each agency has
authority to order U.S.-citizen employees to work on local holidays that fall
within the basic workweek. Work on local holidays by U.S.
citizen employees does not entitle them to holiday pay or compensatory time off
and does not constitute overtime unless it is in addition to the basic
workweek.
3 FAH-1 H-3463 VOTING
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
3 FAM 3464.2
provides the most common circumstances in which administrative leave for voting
may be authorized. In those rare circumstances where an employees voting
place is beyond normal commuting distance and vote by absentee ballot is not
permitted, the employee may be granted sufficient time off in order to be able
to make the trip to the voting place and to cast a ballot:
(1) The employee must submit a written request for
excused absence in excess of 3 hours; and
(2) Time off in excess of 1 day must be charged to
annual leave or, if annual leave is exhausted, to leave without pay. A liberal
policy shall be observed in granting the necessary annual leave for this
purpose.
3 FAH-1 H-3464 TIME ZONE DISLOCATION
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
When an employee is granted a time zone dislocation
adjustment period upon arrival at a new temporary or permanent duty station as
provided in 14
FAM 584.5, no leave will be charged for any portion of that adjustment
period which falls during an employees normal working hours.
3 FAH-1 H-3465 PACKING AND UNPACKING
EFFECTS
(CT:POH-218; 05-17-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID/USAGM/Commerce/Foreign Service Corps-USDA)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
a. A supervisor may excuse a member of the Service to
be present at the members residence for a period not to exceed 16 work hours
for packing and 8 hours for unpacking when required in connection with the
members:
(1) Permanent transfer abroad;
(2) Transfer from one post to another;
(3) Transfer from abroad to an assignment in the
United States; or
(4) Transfer between domestic assignments located more
than 100 miles apart.
b. In exceptional circumstances, where the member can
document the need for more time for packing or unpacking, a supervisor may
excuse up to an additional 16 work hours for packing and 8 work hours for
unpacking.
c. For Department of Commerce employees: Where a
member can document the need for more time for packing and unpacking, a
supervisor may excuse up to an additional 16 work hours for packing and 8 work
hours for unpacking. If three or more companies are involved in the packing
and unpacking of household effects (HHE), a supervisor may excuse, for packing
and unpacking, up to an additional 8 work hours for each additional company.
d. The periods of leave need not be consecutive.
e. Absence for this purpose in excess of the specified
periods in paragraphs a, b, and c of this section must be charged to annual
leave, compensatory time, or leave without pay.
3 FAH-1 H-3466 THROUGH 3469 UNASSIGNED