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Leave Bank Frequently Asked Questions

Our FAQs provide information on frequent questions or concerns. If you have questions about specific topics not included here, please contact us

Leave Bank Program for Employees

Yes. Your Leave and Earning Statement (LES) will display any contribution to the bank. You will see an increase in the used year-to-date portion for the type of leave donated, e.g. annual, restored annual, with a corresponding reduction in your available leave balance. The return of donated leave will also be reflected as a reduction to the used year-to-date for annual leave with an increase in your available balance.

In the first full pay period of the leave year, employees that participate in the Leave Bank will be contributing their first leave year accrual to the leave bank.

The LES will display donated leave separately from the employee’s annual leave balance and will be displayed as either: a) Leave Bank Medical (LVBNKM) if the employee is an approved leave recipient for their own illness. b) Leave Bank Family (LVBNKF) if the employee is an approved leave recipient due to the illness of a family member.

Note: If donations are retroactive they need to be entered in retroactively. Yes. Your agency’s staff will enter new donations into FPPS. These donations will appear as available leave identified as LVBNKM and LVBNKF on the LES, as stated in question 1.

Maybe. While using donated leave, a leave bank recipient may accrue no more than 40 hours of annual leave and 40 hours of sick leave per emergency which are placed in “special set-aside accounts” for use after the medical emergency ends or when the employee exhausts all donated leave. You will continue to accrue leave until you reach the 40 maximum. Hours over the 40 maximum for annual leave can reduce the decrement of the advanced annual leave. 5 CFR 630.1008 (a) (1) and (d)(2)

Yes. Leave accruals will be prorated for both regular annual and sick leave or special set aside accounts, based on hours in a pay period not related to donated leave used.

Yes. After all earned annual, sick, and restored annual leave is used; an employee may use the donated leave. The leave will be used in the following order: sick leave and annual leave first. The timesheet will need to have all leave taken for the emergency coded to Leave Bank. Generally, time and attendance reports should be coded when applicable as emergency leave used and FPPS will ensure other available leave balances are exhausted first. (see #8)

No. If the individual is an approved leave bank recipient, with the proper use of the appropriate Leave Bank pay code, FPPS will automatically exhaust sick leave, annual leave, and restored annual leave balances before using donated leave. Note: There are different pay codes depending on the type of emergency (self or family) and for multiple occurrences.

Yes. If an employee is approved retroactively as a leave bank recipient prior to the recomputation pay periods of FPPS, the timekeeper and/or HR must prepare manual corrected time cards, changing time reported to leave bank emergency used codes, and fax them to the Payroll Operations Branch. If the effective date is within the recomputation pay periods those amendments can be entered directly into your Time and Attendance (T&A) system. The employee will be paid for any leave without pay up to the amount of donated leave that has currently been received as long as the donations were also entered retroactively.

Timesheets should be coded specifically to reflect the proper donated leave codes and should only be used for absences relating to the emergency. Absences not related to the approved emergency should be coded to other leave as applicable. Input of the proper codes on a T&A indicates that you are a donated leave recipient and the Shared leave regulations are now applicable during processing.

Most debts are created due to the use of invalid pay codes. Check with your servicing HR office to ensure that your T&A was properly coded. If improperly coded, a corrected T&A will be required to resolve the debt.

No. Donations can only be used to pay off advance leave from the effective date of the emergency forward.

Yes, by submitting a corrected T&A changing advance leave used to the medical emergency. In addition, the agency must also request a reversal of the previously advanced leave. If approved retroactively, T&A amendments will be needed from the start of the Leave Bank case going forward.

No. When the medical emergency ends, donations will automatically be sent back to your agency leave bank.

The special set aside accruals move to the regular annual and sick leave balances for active employees. If the employee has separated from the agency the special set aside accruals are forfeited.

Contact your servicing HR office.

Leave Bank Program for Time and Attendance (T&A) Approving Officials

Federal Personnel Payroll System (FPPS) and the Leave Bank Program Approving Officials may also reference Employee FAQs for additional information. Approving Officials may have limited access in FPPS.

In FPPS, donated leave will be maintained separately from the employee’s annual leave balance and displayed as either: a.) Leave Bank Medical (LVBNKM) if the employee is an approved leave recipient for their own illness. b.) Leave Bank Family (LVBNKF) if the employee is an approved leave recipient due to the illness of a family member.

Maybe. When the employee is absent for time unrelated to the emergency, annual or sick leave may be appropriate. When the employee is absent for time related to the approved emergency, leave bank hours used should be approved. The T&A system will have unique codes for using leave under the Leave Bank Program. You will see the new leave donor codes on the T&A under Time Not Worked. Note: There are different pay codes for multiple occurrences.

Yes. Beginning, June 1, 2014, Pay Period 2014-13, you will be able to view donated leave balances. However, the balances reflected in the T&A system may not reflect current donations that are being entered into FPPS. The donated leave balances will be correctly reflected under the leave category (LVBNKM or LVBNKF) on the Leave and Earning Statement.

Yes. You can view this information from the FPPS Leave View screen.

Yes. After all earned leave is used; an employee may use the donated leave. The leave will be used in the following order: sick leave and annual leave first. The timesheet will need to have all leave taken for the emergency coded to Leave Bank. (see #6)

No. If the individual is an approved leave bank recipient, with the proper use of the appropriate Leave Bank pay code, FPPS will automatically exhaust sick leave, annual leave, and restored annual leave balances before using donated leave.

Will they be paid for any leave without pay? Yes. If an employee is approved retroactively as a leave bank recipient with an effective date prior to the recomputation pay periods of FPPS, the timekeeper and/or HR must prepare manual corrected time cards, changing time reported to leave bank emergency used codes, and fax them to the Payroll Operations Branch. If the effective date is within the recomputation pay periods of FPPS those amendments can be entered directly into the T&A system. The employee will be paid for any leave without pay up to the amount of donated leave that has currently been received as long as the donations were also entered retroactively.

No. When the medical emergency ends, donations will automatically be sent back to the agency’s leave bank.

In the first full pay period of the leave year, employees that participate in the Leave Bank will be contributing their first leave year accrual to the leave bank.

Contact your servicing HR office.

Contact your servicing HR office.


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