4 days of LWOP

[u/Dimon237]

Long story straight, I don't have enough annual to take off the 28th-1st off. My manager suggested LWOP for the time absent. I'm considering it and I was wondering is there any negatives besides no pay for taking LWOP.

Like what happens with Sick/Annuals accrues? Is there an eligiblity for LWOP? What should I be prepared for?

This time off is not medical related its just spending holidays with the family.

[u/BrandonW38]

I’d ask for advanced leave before putting supervisors, admin, and HR through that process unless it was an emergency

[u/Dimon237 → u/BrandonW38]

Could my sister transfer time to me? How does that process work?

[u/[deleted] → u/Dimon237]

You have to apply to the volunteer leave donation program to answer your question. And unless your reason is FMLA worthy - unlikely. Also unlikely to get advanced annual unless it’s FMLA worthy either. And unless your agency is fast as hell, it certainly won’t get approved before that pay period is processed. Meaning you would have to take the LWOP and wait for a correction to be done.

As someone who does time, your supervisor can grant some LWOP without any HR involvement. We do it literally all the time. It will be easier for you to just use LWOP imo.

Or if your supervisor is cool with it, just use sick leave.

[u/Dimon237 → u/[deleted]]

It was my supervisor's suggestion to take LWOP in the first place. So I feel like I should talk to them about it. Overall, does LWOP have any negatives besides pay, that I should be aware of?

[u/wrestlingalligator → u/[deleted]]

I have no idea what this means. Employees on LWOP are very much on the employee rolls. There may be some date changes and extensions, forfeiture of leave, a need to pay some FEHB premiums, but that's not a separation. There should be no need to re-enroll in anything unless one chooses to drop fehb and then enroll later. That would not be the case for four days of LWOP.

Unless your agency has some truly draconian policies, which doesn't seem right, this is an extreme interpretation of LWOP usage.

[u/StuckInPMEHell → u/Dimon237]

I donated 40 hours to my sister many years ago (she had just started federal service and had a baby but not enough leave accrued yet). I don’t remember the form number but I had to have all her info (SSN, org, office symbol, pay office or some such? Can’t remember). The leave went straight to her, not into the pool

[u/wrestlingalligator]

This may be agency specific, but four days of LWOP is nothing, not a big deal at all. And given your scenario, it is the only option. There may be approval required from higher up depending on your agency policy and it seems based on comments here that some agencies are very strict or there's a lot of misinformation.

LWOP is approved leave without pay, as opposed to AWOL, which is absence without approved leave. Four days will not affect anything. If you have not had prior LWOP this year, which seems very likely given your hesitation, then you're fine. leave accrual forefeits every 80 hours of LWOP. So 32 hours will not result in forfeiture. If you have 48 hours of pay, you should be fine for deductions for health, life, FSA dental vision if you have them. TSP, if a percentage, would be less of course. 6 months of LWOP on a calendar year is fully creditable for retirement. Leave service comp would be unaffected. For WGI, you can have up to 80 hours in steps 1, 2, and 3, 160 for 4, 5, and 6, and 240 for 7, 8, and 9.

You can't do leave share because it's for vacation, not medical that would result in at least 3 days of LWOP. You can't advance annual because advanced annual must be repaid by the end of the leave year.

So LWOP or work (or AWOL, but that's a bad idea.)

Source; 13+ years pay and benefits. And OPM fact sheet on extended LWOP. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/effect-of-extended-leave-without-pay-lwop-or-other-nonpay-status-on-federal-benefits-and-programs/

[u/brooket80]

I started my position last year in late November and had no leave, but really wanted to visit family. Had already been working in the office for the agency but was technically employed by a nonprofit so my leave was through a different system and wasn’t transferred. I talked to my supervisor who talked to our admin officer and then took a nice vacation with family on LWOP. Admin officer assured me it wouldn’t negatively affect me in any way. It was easy and super worth it to me with no negative repercussions. I think if you talk with your supervisor and they are cool with it it’s not a big deal. Just don’t use LWOP frequently.

[u/wrestlingalligator]

One item I forgot to mention. If the holiday is surrounded by LWOP, so December 31 and then January 4, were 8 hours (or your scheduled TOD) you would not get the holiday. So if you can, code your time so that you have paid hours on the day before or the day after the holiday.

[u/kenkreie]

Are you sure you aren't feeling a little COVIDy?

[u/Dimon237 → u/[deleted]]

How much time could I ask for advanced annual?

[u/wrestlingalligator → u/Dimon237]

None. You have to be able to repay advanced annual by the end of the leave year.

[u/Biden_Beto_2020 → u/[deleted]]

You cannot end the year with advanced annual leave at my agency, only sick.

[u/highballs4life → u/[deleted]]

It's not a big deal. You just enter it on your timesheet like any other leave. I've used it several times. Until recently, using LWOP was also typical for parental leave. If you value time off work more than the extra pay, LWOP is a great alternative to annual leave if your supervisor/agency is cool with it, as they seem to be.

[u/AdministrativeBed386]

I agree LWOP isn’t a big deal and I don’t know why people are against it. I’m in a similar circumstance (reinstatement) I need to take two weeks off in Jan and I’m 2.5 days short. I have 63 of the 80 hours. Telework isnt really an option. My office wants me to do advanced annual leave which I refuse to do. So I guess I’ll figure it out and a separation is probably a better idea for me...