Special Leave Accrual reduced from 120 to 90 days

Major changes to special leave accrual (SLA) are coming to the service due to the H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which updated Title 10 U.S.C. 701. Chief among them is the reduction of maximum allowable SLA to 90 days.

Special leave accrual is a program that allows service members to carry over more than the normal maximum leave balance because of a situation that prevents them from taking leave. The situation preventing the member from using leave must have been caused by catastrophe, national emergency or crisis, or operations in defense of national security.

The changes under H.R.7776 became effective Jan. 1, 2023 and affect members requesting SLA carryover from FY23 to FY24. Members who currently have approved SLA from previous years have until their original expiration date to use, not to exceed Oct. 1, 2026.

The changes that are scheduled to be incorporated into Assignments and Authorized Absences, COMDTINST M1000.8 are:

Reducing the maximum amount of SLA from 120 days to 90 days.
Requiring SLA be used by the end of the second fiscal year (FY) after approved rather than the third FY.
Removing contingency operations as an eligible criteria.
Changing unscheduled operational commitment to catastrophe.
Updated Personnel performing duties, to include, in support of operational missions (as designated by COMDT (CG-1M) for 60 or more consecutive days away from homeport or Permanent Duty Station (PDS).

Procedures for commands and members to request SLA can be found in the Personnel & Pay Procedures Manual, PPCINST M1000.2B, Chapter 6, Section Q.