A member of the Maryland National Guard descends a hill at a supply drop point in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, near Bat Cave, North Carolina. Sean Rayford / Getty Images
Lawmakers consider making military leave more equitable for feds with non-traditional work schedules
Currently, the annual cap on paid leave available to federal employees associated with their service in the National Guard is 15 days, which advocates say works well for traditional weekday work schedules but not for employees who frequently work weekends.
Lawmakers in Congress are considering multiple proposals to expand the availability of paid leave for federal workers who also serve in the National Guard or reserves, following complaints that the current offerings is inadequate for employees with non-traditional work schedules.
Currently, a federal employee may take up to 15 days of paid leave in connection with their service or training with the National Guard or reserves. While that may be sufficient for a federal worker who works a traditional weekday schedule, employees like federal firefighters, correctional and law enforcement officers who often work weekends must often dip into annual or sick leave—or take unpaid leave—in order to fulfill their training and service obligations.
A provision in the House-passed version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8070) would increase the military leave cap from 15 days to 20 days. And new legislation introduced this week by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Rob Wittman, R-Va., would expand the benefit’s availability even further.
The Supporting Federal Employees in the National Guard and Reserves Act (H.R. 9910) would increase the maximum military leave an employee may take in connection with their part-time service to 36 days, which corresponds to the minimum number of days that members of the National Guard and reserves are required to serve—14 days of annual training plus one weekend each month.
“Our brave guardsmen and reservists often leave their homes and families to remain prepared to support our communities during an emergency, train to serve their country or when called into full-time service,” Spanberger said in a statement. “These heroes serve at great personal cost—and should not have to further sacrifice in support of the mission. I’ve heard firsthand of the extra burden shouldered by federal employees who often contribute their personal PTO and sick leave to fulfill their duties.”
“Our nation’s veterans and federal employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves have made incredible contributions to our communities and our country,” Wittman said. “These dedicated public servants should not have to use their sick leave and vacation days in order to attend drill on weekends and their annual training.”
The bill already has the support of an array of federal employee and first responder unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Fire Fighters, as well as reservist advocates.
“[Spanberger and Wittman’s legislation] recognizes the dual service of federal employees who also serve in the Reserves and National Guard, highlighting the significant personal sacrifices they make to fulfill their military obligations,” said William Bowser, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2902, which represents federal workers at Fort Walker in Virginia. “It underscores the strain they experience due to the limited military leave available, often forcing them to use personal vacation time to meet their duty requirements and still be able to pay the bills.”