Excused absence (aka “administrative leave”) describes times when you’re absent from work but still receive full pay, and the time is not charged to your personal leave account.

There are several situations in which excused absence may be approved, that both you and your leave-approving official should know.

Excused Absences Essentials

• Excused absences are almost always limited to brief periods of time.
• Excused absences must be authorized by your leave-approving official.
• There is some room for supervisors to exercise judgment in deciding whether to authorize excused absence. However, they must follow clear guidelines. These guidelines help ensure that everyone in the Department is treated fairly.
• If an excused absence is authorized in emergency conditions at a time when you’re already in some other pay status (sick leave, annual leave, etc.), your time may be charged to the status you’re in; it won’t necessarily be changed to excused absence.

Civic Duty

Voting. Employees may receive up to four hours of administrative leave to vote in federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial elections. Employees may also use up to four hours of administrative leave per year to serve as non-partisan poll workers or observers, or to obtaining training for such service; total administrative leave for this service may not exceed four hours.

Civil Defense Pre-Emergency Training Programs. If you’re a full-time employee, you may be excused for up to 40 hours a year to participate in training, tests, or drills at the request of state or local civil defense authorities. For absences longer than 8 hours, you will need to provide certification from a responsible local official confirming your participation.

Civil Air Patrol activities are the exception; they are not eligible for excused absence.

Voluntary Service. Because an agency is authorized to pay the salaries only of employees who perform work related to the agency's mission and because pay levels for those employees are determined by the official duties they perform for the employing agency, it is generally inappropriate to pay an employee for performing volunteer service during work hours. Credit hours, annual leave, accrued compensatory time, or LWOP should be considered before granting an employee excused absence to engage in volunteer service during normal work hours. Notwithstanding these considerations, employees may be granted excused absence of short duration for volunteer service if such service:

• Is directly related to the Department's mission;
• Is officially sponsored or otherwise sanctioned by a bureau or by the Secretary;
• Will clearly enhance the professional development or skills of the employee in their current position; or
• The absence is brief and is determined to be in the interest of the agency by the leave approving official.

Civic, Patriotic, or Community Activities. You may be granted excused absence for certain activities if they are sanctioned for Department employees by the White House or the Secretary. Examples include:

• viewing a parade
• welcoming visiting dignitaries
• other public ceremonies

There are instances in which you’re absent from work for “civic duty” types of activities, but you are still considered to be on official duty. In these cases, you are not granted excused absence but instead remain in your regular base pay status. Examples include:

• testifying at administrative proceedings
• pursuing or providing evidence for an EEO complaint

Emergency Conditions

When weather or other safety-related conditions prevent employees from safely traveling to, or safely performing work at, an approved location due to an act of God, terrorist attack, or other applicable condition, they may be granted Weather and Safety Leave in accordance with 5 CFR 630 Subpart P and OPM’s Government-Wide Dismissal and Closure Procedures.

Within the “Washington Capital Beltway,” DOC facilities will follow the directions of OPM as posted on the Washington, DC Operating Status page. When such condition impacts a facility outside this area, authorized facility Directors may utilize one of the available “Standard Operating Status” options described in OPM’s Government-Wide Dismissal and Closure Procedures. Prior to executing an office status change, facility Directors should consider any OPM operating status announcement, the guidance of the local Federal Executive Board, the status determinations made by other government agencies (and other DOC offices in particular) and should consult with their Bureau leadership.

Involuntary Removal

Removal or Suspension. If your removal or suspension is proposed your supervisor can put you on excused absence if they believe that having you in the workplace might constitute a threat to public property or the health and safety of coworkers or the public.

Reduction in Force. If you’ve received notice of an upcoming reduction in force, you can be given excused absence in order to interview for other jobs within the Department.

Medical and Health-Related Excused Absences

Medical Exams. If you’re required to have a medical examination in connection with your job, you’ll be granted excused absence for that purpose.

Workplace Injuries. If you’re injured on the job, you’ll be granted excused absence for immediate treatment. If you are stationed outside of the U.S. and local treatment is not available, you may be excused for whatever period is required for travel to and from the nearest medical facility for necessary treatment.

Illness at Work. If you become ill while at work, you can have up to one hour excused absence for consultation and treatment at the nearest medical facility. Also, if you’re able to work but your physician advises rest or treatment, you may be given excused absence for up to one hour a day for that purpose.

Blood Donations. You may be given excused absence of up to 4 hours to make blood donations.

Organ Donations. If you choose to donate an organ, you may be given excused absence for up to 30 days. If you make a bone marrow donation for another person, you may be given excused absence for 7 days. Find out more about organ donations.

Health and Fitness. You may be granted excused absence to participate in health and fitness activities, if the activity is:

• sanctioned by the Secretary
• the amount of time is short and of fixed duration, and
• your leave-approving official agrees that your participation will benefit the organization

Travel-Related

Travel for Leave. If you return to the U.S. from a duty station elsewhere in order to take leave, you will be granted excused absence for the travel time if you’re entitled to accumulate up to 45 days annual leave, and the travel time charged to excused absence is what is required using authorized modes of transportation. You’re only allowed excused absence for this purpose once during each tour of duty abroad.

Travel Between Duty Stations. Excused absence isn’t needed for the time you spend traveling to a new duty station, because you’re considered to be in duty status. If you extend the trip for personal reasons, the additional travel time is charged to your personal leave, or leave without pay.

Moving Arrangements Due to change in Duty Stations. If you change duty stations for Government purposes (as opposed to a transfer you request) between any locations more than 100 miles apart, you will be given excused absence to arrange the move; up to 16 hours before the move, and up to 8 hours on arrival.

Rest After Travel. If you are required to travel on government business for more than 14 hours, crossing multiple time zones and using non-premium accommodations, you may be granted excused absence the day following the travel.

Transition Leave. If you are a non-career civil service employee at an overseas post and return from abroad and exercise your reemployment rights, you be granted up to ten working days of excused absence to “transition” back to the U.S. This type of leave is to be used before reporting to a new assignment in the U.S.

Miscellaneous

In some situations, excused absence may not be justified and your absence may simply be charged to regular time or a leave category (with supervisory permission).

Tardiness. You may be excused by your leave-approving official for being late or for some other brief absence of less than one hour, if the tardiness or absence is for justifiable reasons (for example, metro delays or traffic incidents affecting a majority of employees, etc.).

Conferences. You may be granted excused absence to attend conventions, conferences, or meetings that are not directly related to your duties, if your participation will contribute to the goals of the Department.

Exams. If you are taking an examination, such as a CPA exam or Bar exam, that is directly related to your current or prospective duties, you may be granted excused absence for the purpose. You may also be granted excused absence to travel to and take other exams.