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Annual Leave Restoration Guidance and Instructions for Leave Year 2023

MEMORANDUM

DATE: December 26, 2023
TO: Federal Personnel and Payroll System (FPPS) User Group Representatives
FROM: Christine Zertuche-Rocha, Chief, Payroll Operations Division
SUBJECT: Annual Leave Restoration Guidance and Instructions for Leave Year 2023

Please share the following information with the Office of Human Resources (HR) at your agency. Specifically, please share this information with Human Capital Officers, Human Resources Officers, and servicing HR office team members. 

As a reminder, we encourage agencies to refer to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Fact Sheet: Restoration of Annual Leave for information on the regular process for restoration of annual leave. In place of individual approvals being sent to the Payroll Operations Division (POD), and to ease manual processing, the POD will again utilize an automated method to restore leave for leave year 2023 as outlined below. To help make this process successful, please review the following information below:

Important Reminder:

  • As a result of this automated process, it is imperative that agencies do not submit the POD-34 Form, Request for Restoration of Forfeited Annual Leave fillable form, or a spreadsheet with multiple requests for manual processing to the Payroll Operations Branch (POB) except for the below unique situations: 
    • If annual leave needs to be restored for individuals as a result of separations, transfers, or retirements, prior to restored annual leave files being processed, it is essential that these requests are emailed with the appropriate POD-34 Form to Rebecca Romero and Scott Jackson, at the email addresses provided below. 
      • To avoid duplicate requests for restored leave being received, please do not include the individual(s) on the automated method detailed below.  

Automated Submission Process for Restored Leave with Timelines: 

  • The agencies will again execute a Datamart query to identify 2023 forfeited leave data, as detailed in the attachment ‘Guidance on Executing a Datamart Query/Instructions on Returning Restored Annual Leave Data.’ Important information is listed below and also included in the guidance:
    • As a reminder, if any employees on the query are serviced by a Servicing Personnel Office (SPO) outside your Bureau, it is the agency point of contact’s responsibility to coordinate with the SPO for any restored leave. 
    • Submissions should not be any lower than Sub-Bureau, but please consolidate at whatever higher level is appropriate for your agency.
    • New from last year’s instructions:
      • This year, the Department/ECI field has been added to the submission file to help reduce the transmission of personally identifiable information (refer to the attached guidance).
      • Agencies will need to add a column R to the spreadsheet which will be a required field.
        • In column R, add the date the exigency ended (i.e. 01/13/2024 if the employee lost leave in the 2023 leave year).
    • Our expectation is that when the approved restored leave data is returned to us for processing, the agencies have done the appropriate certification approvals, following all applicable restoration guidance and regulations.
    • Agencies must provide a statement that authorizes us to restore the leave, and the approved data to process, no later than April 15. 2024.
      • Spreadsheets not returned by April 15, 2024, or in an improper format where correction is requested of the agency, may take up to two to three additional pay periods (PP) to process, and will be processed after all other files received on time are processed.
    • There are important processes and timelines agencies will need to follow. To prepare for the restored leave process, please review the following questions and answers related to those processes and timelines:
Questions:Answers:
When may agencies pull the Datamart query to identify the 2023 forfeited leave data?The data will be available following the processing of PP 2024-03, on the Friday after pay calculate, February 2, 2024.
When must corrected Time and Attendance (T/A) be completed that involve adjustments to annual leave for leave year 2023?No later than PP 2024-04.
What if corrected T/A(s) were submitted that impacted annual leave?We recommend the agencies pull a Datamart query on the Friday after pay calculate for PP 2024-04, February 16, 2024.
In what format will the data need to be returned?Excel Spreadsheet.
When do the restored leave spreadsheet(s) and approval need to be provided to the POD?No later than April 15, 2024.
When will the restored leave spreadsheet(s) be processed?Within two PPs of confirmed receipt.
What expiration PP will be used?

The expiration PP defaults to two years beyond the end of the leave year in which the exigency ended.

  • For those that ended prior to the end of the 2023 leave year, it will be 2026-02.
  • For those that ended in the 2024 leave year, it will be 2027-02.

Employees should not contact the Customer Support Center or the POD, they should only contact their SPO. FPPS User Group Representatives should feel free to contact the below individuals with any specific questions:  

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