WOUNDED WARRIOR LEAVE
Some employees have been asking about the Wounded Warriors Leave I have wrote up some of the general questions asked. The next article I will write on how to request the Wounded Warriors Leave. I hope this will help.
November 16, 2016 the Postal Service updated the Management Instruction EL-510 was updated to reflect this decision.
The Postal Service has decided that this benefit will also be extended to current employees. Accordingly all employees who were on the rolls as of November 4 and who otherwise meet the Act’s eligibility requirements may use up to 104 hours of Wounded Warriors Leave during the 12 month period beginning November 5, 2016. Any of these employees who used leave for a condition covered by the Act prior to this notice may request to have the subject leave converted to Wounded Warriors Leave.
Definitions
Wounded Warriors Leave is an authorized absence from the Postal Service to undergo medical treatment for a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more. It is a separate leave category, district from sick leave.
Treatment is an in-person visit to a health care provider, as specified in Section 513.364 of the Employee Labor Relations Manual (ELM), and included the course of action prescribed by a health care provider. Treatment includes but is not limited to examination for and evaluations of the health condition that has caused the disability rating.
Health Care Provider is the employee’s attending physician or other attending practitioner as recognized by ELM 515.2.
Twelve-Month Eligibility Period means the continuous 12-month period that begins on the first day of employment during which an eligible employee can use Wounded Warriors Leave. For employees on the rolls and non-career employees on a required break in service (five or six days, as appropriate) on November 4, 2016, the 12-month period begins November 5, 2016.
Eligibility
General
All classifications of career and non-career Postal Service employees are eligible for Wounded Warriors Leave if all the following applies:
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They meet one of the eligibility requirements provided under Eligible Employees, and they have not previously established eligibility for Wounded Warriors Leave.
Eligible employees are entitled to only on Twelve-Month Eligibility Period in connection with Postal Service employment.
Losing the Disability Rating
If an employee’s service-connected disability rating is decreased to below 30 percent or discontinued during the Twelve-Month Eligibility Period, then the employee no longer has a qualifying service-connected disability. The employee must notify the supervisor of the effective date of the change in the disability rating. The employee is no longer eligible for Wounded Warriors Leave as of the effective date of the rating change.
Accrual and Crediting
General
It is an employee’s responsibility to notify the Postal Service of his or her eligibility before requesting Wounded Warriors Leave. Employees must provide documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or on any Office of Personnel Management (OPM) certification form developed for administration of Wounded Warriors Leave, certifying that the employee has a qualifying-connected disability.
Francine Bellard, Human Relations Director
