Military Leave of Absence Policy

MILITARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICY

OPTION 1:

The [CITY/AUTHORITY/REGIONAL COMMISSION] recognizes that employees may from time to time be called to military duty and allows those employees time off from work to fulfill those duties in compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and/or Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 38-2-279).

OPTION 2:

Purpose

Notice

An employee called to duty, as defined under USERRA and/or Georgia law, is expected to notify [IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE OFFICIAL] of the call to duty and to provide [IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE OFFICIAL] with a copy of the military orders, including any military training notice, as soon as possible. Except in times of military necessity or other times where advance notice is impractical, every employee should provide at least 30 days' notice of the need for a Military Leave of Absence.

Compensation During a Military Leave of Absence

An employee on a Military Leave of Absence who is covered by Georgia’s military leave law will be paid his/her base pay up to 18 days in any one federal fiscal year. Employees may also use any or all accrued paid compensatory, holiday, [INSERT ANY OTHER FORMS OF PAID LEAVE EXCEPT SICK LEAVE] or annual/vacation time for any period of unpaid leave. Employees do not accrue [annual/vacation, sick or holiday leave] during periods of an unpaid Military Leave of Absence.

Return to Work

Upon the completion of a military leave of absence, the employee should notify [IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE OFFICIAL] of the employee's intent to return to a position of employment with the [CITY/AUTHORITY/REGIONAL COMMISSION] as follows:

Periods of service of up to 30 consecutive days: The employee must report back to work for the first full, regularly scheduled work period on the first full calendar day following the completion of the period of service and safe transportation home, after an eight-hour period for rest. If reporting back within this deadline is "impossible or unreasonable" through no fault of the employee, he or she must report back as soon as possible after the expiration of the eight-hour rest period.

Period of service of 31-180 days: The employee must submit a written or verbal application for reemployment no later than 14 days after the completion of the period of service. If submitting the application within 14 days is impossible or unreasonable through no fault of the employee, he or she must submit the application as soon as possible thereafter.

Period of service of 181 days or more: The employee must submit an application for reemployment no later than 90 days after completion of the period of service. These deadlines to report to work or apply for reemployment can be extended up to two years to accommodate a period during which a employee was hospitalized for or convalescing from an injury or illness that occurred or was aggravated during a period of military service.

Any employee who fails to report to work or apply for reemployment within the required time limits is subject to the [CITY/AUTHORITY/REGIONAL COMMISSION]'s rules concerning unexcused absences, including any disciplinary policies.

Administration

The [CITY/AUTHORITY/REGIONAL COMMISSION] endeavors to assist all employees serving in the military with the requirements of this policy. All employees are encouraged to contact [IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE OFFICIAL] with any questions about the Military Leave of Absence policy or for assistance complying with the policy.

Page 2 of 2 / Effective __/__/2017