Changes to military leave policies give Airmen more leeway Published Aug. 8, 2008 By Holly L. Birchfield 78th ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- The Department of Defense has recently implemented new policies that may allow military members to carry more leave from fiscal year to fiscal year. The policies, which took effect on June 24 and are retroactive to Jan. 28, will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2010. While initial guidance on changes to military leave policies has recently been sent out by the Department of Defense, more definitive guidance is expected to come down to military personnel elements Air Force-wide from Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, by Sept. 30. According to a memorandum from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, the new policy allows military members to accrue 75 days of leave carry over as opposed to the previous 60 days, beginning with the fiscal year changeover from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009. Military members may also carry special leave accrued in the combat zone for four fiscal years under the new guidance, and SLA earned in support of operations may now be kept for two fiscal years. The higher combat zone retention applies to only SLA accumulated from Oct. 1, 2008, to Dec. 31, 2010. The policy allows an additional one-time SLA sell back of 30 days for enlisted military members. The sellback counts toward the servicemember's limit of 60 days over a career. The guidance also affects military members' rest and recuperation allowance following deployment. R&R time has been increased from 15 to 20 days for servicemembers completing an overseas duty tour extension of more than one year. First Lt. Jennifer Fillmore, Force Management Operations chief in the 78th Force Support Squadron's Military Personnel Section, said guidance regarding military members' leave is subject to change. "Every year in September, we receive guidance from our higher ups," she said. "The guidance basically gives us guidance on how we're supposed to process this information." Vickie Portera, Leave Web System administrator in the 78th Comptroller Squadron, said the Department of Finance and Accounting is currently working on updating the military leave system that manages military members' leave with the new policy changes. News of the temporary policy changes has some Airmen smiling. Capt. Timothy Moore, chief of Common Depot Test Equipment in the 642nd Combat Support Group, said the policy is a great benefit for Airmen. "It's a good thing," he said. "It gives us more time to use the leave that's accrued. Taking leave is very important, especially with the deployment schedule that a lot of our folks are enduring." Master Sgt. Richard Macias, acting first sergeant for the 78th FSS, said the policy will help Airmen keep their leave they might have otherwise lost. "Folks have been struggling with keeping their leave balances under the 60-day limit because of the increased (operational) tempo. This will give them a little bit more flexibility and an opportunity to manage it better," he said. What to know For more information, e-mail the Force Manage-ment Operations Office at 78mss.a1wpf.fmo@ robins.af.mil.