The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an emergency leave transfer program (ELTP) for federal employees who were adversely impacted by Hurricane Milton.
This is the second ELTP OPM has established in just over a week. On October 2, 2024, OPM established one to help federal employees impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What is an Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP)?
OPM will sometimes establish an ELTP to help federal employees impacted by a disaster or emergency situation. Impacted employees can then receive leave donations from other federal employees.
According to the OPM website:
In the event of a major disaster or emergency as declared by the President that results in severe adverse effects for a substantial number of employees, the President may direct the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish an emergency leave transfer program (ELTP). Under an ELTP, a covered employee in an executive agency or the judicial branch, or an agency leave bank, may donate annual leave for transfer to employees of the same or other agencies who are adversely affected, or have family members who are adversely affected, by the disaster or emergency (e.g., floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, bombings).
Family members are more than just immediate spouses or children; they include spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, brothers/sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, stepparents, stepchildren, foster parents, foster children, guardianship relationships, and domestic partners.
How Do Impacted Federal Employees Get Leave Donations?
After an ELTP has been established by OPM, impacted federal employees must apply in writing to become leave recipients. Employees are considered impacted “if the disaster or emergency has caused him or her severe hardship to such a degree that his or her absence from work is required.” If employees are incapable of making a written application, a personal representative may make the application on their behalf.
Hurricane Milton ELTP Directive to Agencies
OPM said that agencies are in the best position to determine the needs of their employees, so agencies are directed to:
- Determine which employees are affected and whether, and how much, donated
annual leave they need; - Determine the period of time for which donated annual leave may be accepted for
distribution to approved leave recipients; - As appropriate, approve leave donors and/or leave recipients in their agencies;
- Facilitate the distribution of donated annual leave from approved leave donors or
(with the concurrence of an agency leave bank board) from an agency leave bank to
approved leave recipients within their agencies; and - Educate adversely affected employees that, dependent on agency policy, they may
request advanced annual or sick leave, as appropriate (even if they have available
annual and sick leave) or leave without pay, so that they are not forced to use
accrued leave before donated annual leave becomes available. This is necessary
since donated annual leave may not be retroactively substituted for accrued annual
or sick leave used because of the disaster or emergency; it may only be substituted
retroactively for any period of leave without pay or advanced annual or sick leave
used because of the disaster or emergency.
Agencies are responsible for administering the ELTP for their own affected employees, so federal employees who wish to donate annual leave must contact their own agencies rather than OPM to determine if there are any affected employees in their agency and how to make annual leave donations.
OPM’s memo contains additional details, such as which states and counties were declared disaster zones under Hurricane Milton.
