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Voluntary Leave Transfer Program
People Helping People!

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Almost everyone today can name someone, either a family member, relative, friend or coworker, who has experienced a serious medical problem which has caused a significant financial impact on his or her life. Illness and injury are not unusual occurrences. Most of the time, we are able to deal with minor setbacks. In some cases, however, it is not that easy. Tragic accidents happen, terminal illness is diagnosed, or sometimes a series of minor health problems combine to make the emotional, physical and financial strain on an individual unusually burdensome. Because Federal employees rely on sick leave balances to cover the financial strain of medical emergencies, the lack of short-term and long-term disability insurance takes its toll, adding to the emotional stress of an already overwhelming situation.

It is just these kinds of situations that Congress intended to address when it decided to enact a permanent Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP).

It is SSA's goal to provide a family friendly work environment. This pamphlet is intended to provide our employees with a clear understanding of the VLTP in order to assist them in better dealing with personal and family medical emergencies.

PURPOSE:

Under the VLTP, accrued annual leave of one Federal employee is available for transfer to the annual leave account of another Federal employee faced with a qualifying medical emergency. The medical emergency can be the employee's or that of a family member.

COVERAGE:

All SSA employees may participate. Additionally, leave can be transferred to or from an employee in most other Federal agencies.

PROGRAM DEFINITIONS:

• Medical Emergency - a medical condition of an employee or of a family member of an employee which is likely to require an employee's absence from duty for a prolonged period of time (at least 24 hours) and result in a substantial loss of income to the employee because of the unavailability of paid leave.
• Family Member - includes the following relatives of the employee: (a) spouse, and parents thereof; (b) children, including adopted children, and spouses thereof; (c) parents; (d) brothers and sisters, and spouses thereof; and (e) any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
• Leave Recipient - a current employee for whom the employing agency has approved an application to receive annual leave from the annual leave accounts of one or more leave donors.
• Leave Donor - an employee whose voluntary written request for transfer of annual leave to the annual leave account of a leave recipient is approved by his/her employing agency. (This includes most other Federal agencies.)

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Employee must apply for the VLTP in writing and have the application approved by management.
• Employee must either be currently affected by a medical emergency or in retroactive circumstances, apply within 30 calendar days.
• Employee's absence from duty without available paid leave because of the medical emergency is or is expected to be at least 24 hours for full- time employees and at least 30% of the average number of work hours for part-time employees. NOTE: Advanced leave is not considered available "paid" leave.
• For personal medical emergencies - an employee must have exhausted both annual and sick leave balances.
• For a medical emergency of a family member, an employee must exhaust all annual leave and use all sick leave available to him/her under the Family Friendly Leave Act.
• Employee must submit an acceptable medical certificate specifying the nature of the illness, its severity, its beginning date and anticipated duration.

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DONATIONS:

• Any SSA employee may submit a written request that a specified number of hours be transferred from his/her accrued annual leave account to the annual leave account of an approved leave recipient. Exception: An employee may not donate leave to his/her immediate supervisor.
• Minimum donation - 1 hour.
• Maximum donation from each donor per leave year:

  Years of Service	Maximum Donation Hours
  0 — 3	52
  3 — 15	80
  15 or more	104

• There is a provision to waive the maximum donation limitations in certain circumstances. Consult your supervisor if your donation would require a waiver.
• Except in limited waiver circumstances referenced in the VLTP MOU, Section 5B, a donor who is projected to have annual leave that otherwise would be subject to forfeiture at the end of the leave year (use or lose), may donate no more than the lesser of:
      • The maximum donation listed in the chart above; or
      • The number of hours remaining in the leave year for which the donor is scheduled to work and receive pay.

FORMS REQUIRED:

RECIPIENTS

• Form SSA-3136, Application to Participate in the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program.
• Form SSA-3138, Third Party Nomination for Leave Transfer Consideration.

DONORS

• Form SF-71, Application for Leave.
• Form SSA-3139, Leave Transfer Authorization Document.
• Optional Form 630-B, Request To Donate Annual Leave To Recipient (Outside Agency) Under The Leave Transfer Program (for donations made to or from another Federal agency).

APPROVING OFFICIALS FOR:

RECIPIENTS

• Applications are submitted to an employee's immediate supervisor.
• Approval of VLTP participation has been delegated to all Deputy Commissioners and Regional Commissioners with full redelegation authority. Immediate supervisors will forward applications to the appropriate approval level.

DONORS

• Donors submit a completed SF-71 and SSA-3139 to their leave approving official.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VLTP, CONTACT YOUR SUPERVISOR. HE/SHE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE FORMS YOU NEED IN ORDER TO APPLY. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM IF YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE ELIGIBLE.

This pamphlet is not intended to replace or alter in any way the specific regulatory requirements of the program as outlined in 5 Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart I, §630.901. Nor is it intended to change any program provision upon which SSA has fulfilled its bargaining obligation in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AFGE dated 2/8/96. Supervisors should refer to the MOU and the Personnel Manual for Supervisors, Chapter 630-2, to obtain specific guidance for the administration of the program. Specific policy questions may be referred to the Personnel Policy Group on (410) 965-1035.

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