Enhanced Annual Leave

Under 5 U.S.C. 6303(e), a newly appointed or reappointed employee (after a 90-day break in service) may receive service credit for prior non-Federal service or active duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. To be eligible the individual must have prior work experience that is directly related to the duties of the position to which he or she is being appointed and the prior experience is necessary to achieve an important agency mission or performance goal. Enhanced Annual Leave is a recruiting incentive that may be used for difficult to fill positions. This is a discretionary authority, not an employee entitlement.

The amount of service credit that may be granted to an employee is determined at the sole and exclusive discretion of the head of the agency (USCG).

• The amount of service credited to an employee may not exceed the actual amount of service during which he or she performed duties directly related to the position to which he or she is being appointed.
• Once an employee is permanently credited with a period of non-Federal service or active duty uniformed service (after completion of 1 full continuous year with the appointing agency), that period of service may not be considered for further credit if the employee has a future break in service.
• The approval for enhanced annual leave must be authorized in writing by the Office of Civilian Human Resources prior to an applicant’s entrance on duty as a federal employee. A retroactive determination of enhanced annual leave is not authorized. (5 CFR 630.205(d))