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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — Effective Sept. 30, military members will no longer be able to carry more than 60 days of leave into the next fiscal year, in accordance with 2013 National Defense Authorization Act requirements.
Unless they are approved for special leave accrual, regular Air Force and Active Guard Reserve, or AGR, members who have more than 60 days of leave must use it or lose it by Oct. 1, 2015.
The 2010 NDAA included a provision that allowed members to carry up to 75 days of leave forward to the new fiscal year because of limited leave opportunities tied to deployments and other mission requirements. The 2013 NDAA extended that provision through the end of fiscal year 2015.
“Airmen need to be aware of the change so that they can plan leave accordingly and ensure their leave balance is 60 days or fewer by the end of the fiscal year,” said 1st Lt. Nate Strickland, Air Force Personnel Center special programs branch chief. “Even if you don’t have more than 60 days now, by Sept. 30, you may accrue enough leave time to be over the limit.”
Some Reserve members could be affected as well, said Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen, Air Reserve Personnel Center public affairs.
“All Reserve members accrue leave when they are on active-duty orders for 30 days or longer, and Active Guard Reserve members accrue leave the same way regular Air Force members do, so the extension expiration will affect them,” she said. “If you aren’t sure whether or not you’re affected, you should talk to your supervisor, or contact your military personnel section for information.”
Members who have approved special leave accrual are exempted from the use-or-lose rule, Strickland said.
Special leave accrual approval is for members who couldn’t use their leave because of a national emergency, crisis, catastrophe or national security situations.
“SLA is only granted when Airmen cannot take leave under those circumstances,” the lieutenant said.
For more information about military benefits, i.e., leave or other personnel issues, visit myPers.
Air Force retirees who do not have a myPers account can find instructions to create an account at www.retirees.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120510-068.pdf.
Editor’s note: SLA will automatically start for members deployed to a HFP/IDP area for a continuous period of at least 120 days. For other situations (i.e., catastrophe, national emergency or crisis or operations in defense of national security), it must be approved by the wing commander. For more information, reference AFI36-3003.
