OCHCO Bulletin 27 Pay Periods in Leave Year 2023 (002)
VA Central Office June 29, 2023
Washington DC
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER (OCHCO) BULLETIN
SUBJECT: 27 Pay Periods in Leave Year 2023
This Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) Bulletin notifies Human Resources (HR) offices of the memorandum issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regarding the effects of leave year 2023 having 27 pay periods.
For VA employees, the 2023 leave year began on January 1, 2023, and will end on January 13, 2024. Employees accrue annual leave for each full biweekly pay period they are employed within the leave year, therefore most employees will accrue an additional 4, 6, or 8 hours of annual leave in the 2023 leave year based on their respective leave category.
Although employees will earn an additional pay period’s worth of leave during the 2023 leave year, the maximum carryover ceiling for annual leave will remain in effect. Please note the OCHCO Fact Sheet: Annual Leave for Title 5 and Title 38 Hybrid Employees and Fact Sheet: Annual Leave for Title 38 Employees provide additional guidance regarding annual leave ceilings, which is also addressed in OPM’s memorandum. Any accrued annual leave in excess of the maximum carryover limit will be forfeited if not used by the end of the leave year, January 13, 2024.
Annual leave may be restored only if the annual leave was scheduled and approved in writing by December 2, 2023 (before the start of the third biweekly pay period prior to the end of the leave year). This is a statutory requirement that cannot be waived.
HR offices are strongly encouraged to share this information with employees and supervisors to ensure individuals are advised of annual leave ceilings, the additional annual leave accrual in leave year 2023, and the requirement to schedule any use-or-lose annual leave in writing to prevent leave forfeiture.
Employees with questions or concerns should speak to their supervisor or contact their servicing HR office. HR offices with questions regarding this bulletin may be referred to Worklife and Benefits Service at vaco058worklife@va.gov.
Issued by: VA/OCHCO/Worklife and Benefits Service