a) This entitlement is retroactive to the events surrounding the 9/11 tragedy; therefore, each employee activated for military duty in connection with Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or any other military operation subsequently established under Executive Order 13223, is entitled to the equivalent of one (1) administrative workweek not to exceed forty (40) hours of excused absence, regardless of the length of the military activation. This is a one-time entitlement. Each employee is entitled to receive only forty (40) hours of excused absence, regardless of the number of activations. Multiple periods of active duty under this authority does not entitle employees to additional periods of excused absence.

b) The intent of the President’s memorandum is to grant one administrative workweek of paid time off to employees returning to Federal civilian service to aid in their readjustment to civilian life. Therefore, upon receiving notification from an employee on his or her intent to return to civilian duty on a specific date, an agency must grant the employee forty (40) hours of excused absence immediately prior to the employee’s actual resumption of his or her duties. This time must be granted consecutively as soon as the employee reports back for Federal civilian duty or notifies the agency of his or her intent to return to civilian duty. This entitlement cannot be used incrementally and cannot be “stockpiled” for use at a later date. Supervisors will use “excused absence” for time and attendance processing.

c) If the employee has already returned to Federal civilian service prior to November 14, 2003, he or she may utilize this entitlement at a time mutually agreeable to the employee and the agency. However, it must be completed within 26 pay periods of November 14, 2003.