OPM Advises Agencies that Federal Employees Entitled to Leave for Boosters
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja reminded agency heads in a brief memo that they must provide federal workers with paid time off if they plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
Ahuja noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved booster shots of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for adults at least six months after completing their primary vaccination with any FDA-approved vaccines.
A federal employee is entitled to four hours of administrative leave to obtain a booster shot. The four-hour period gives employees the time they need to travel to the vaccination site, get the vaccine, and return to work. However, President Biden's vaccine mandate does not include booster shots, so employees cannot receive duty time for booster shots.
An employee can be granted administrative leave if they receive their booster shot in less than four hours – they cannot be granted overtime or leave if they receive the shot outside of regular working hours. Furthermore, agencies must provide leave to employees accompanying a family member to receive a booster vaccine.
"Based on President Biden's direction that the federal government should work aggressively to maximize the number of people receiving the COVID-19 vaccination," Ahuja stated, "Under this policy, agencies must grant leave-eligible employees up to four hours of administrative leave per dose—for example, up to a total of 12 hours of leave for a family member receiving three doses—for each family member the employee accompanies."
