Military Leave - Long-Term Military Leave
Conditions
The State grants long-term military leave if
- you're a permanent or probationary employee and
- you're ordered to report for active duty in the armed forces, National Guard, or Naval Militia for a period of more than six months.
Length of leave
The length of your military leave is:
- the period of active duty plus
- one day for travel going to and returning from such duty, unless your orders already provide for additional travel time.
Travel
If you need to use travel time, and you're traveling on a working day (other than when a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday is a working day) you can use vacation and/or any other leave credits except sick leave to receive pay for the travel time.
Five year limit
Long-term military leave can't exceed five years. A Federal Statute provides for an exception to the five year limit (Section 4312 [c]).
When you must begin active duty
To receive the rights and benefits of long-term military leave, you must begin your active duty within 90 calendar days after:
- the last day you physically worked, or
- your last day on vacation or compensating time off before your active duty date.
Qualifying for salary and benefits
You're entitled to your State salary and benefits if
- you haven't had a break in the continuity of your State service, and
- you have 12 qualifying pay periods of State service immediately prior to your active duty date,
Your State salary
If you meet the requirements, the State pays your salary for the first 30 calendar days of active duty you serve during a fiscal year.
You can't receive more than 30 calendar days pay in any one fiscal year.
You active duty start date determines the fiscal year when the period of active duty extends into a new fiscal year.
If you're absent longer than 30 days in one fiscal year, you can use vacation and/or any other leave credits except sick leave to cover your absence.
Certification of completion
When you've completed your active military duty, you'll need to submit a certification of completion signed by your commanding officer. This can be
- the form your department gives you when granting your leave, or
- a letter from your commanding officer certifying the dates of your active military duty. Your commanding officer should send the letter to your personnel office.
Reinstatement
If you're a permanent, probationary, or exempt State employee, and you want to return to your job after your long-term military leave, you should contact your department upon release from active duty to request reinstatement.
You must return to State service within six months after the end of your long-term military service. Your military service can't extend beyond five years except under special circumstances (CG 19780).
Updated November 13, 2007 at 11:24 AM.
