R 211200Z SEP 23
MARADMIN 474/23
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO SPECIAL LEAVE ACCRUAL//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC MPO/19MAY2009//
REF/B/MSGID: DOC/OSD WASHINGTON DC/25AUG2023//
REF/C/MSGID: DOC/PUBLIC LAW 117-263/23DEC2022//
REF/D/MSGID: DOC/TITLE 37, U.S.C., SECTION 501/1JAN2023//
AMPN/REF A IS MCO 1050.3J REGULATIONS FOR LEAVE, LIBERTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE ABSENCE. REF B IS DODI 1327.06 INCORPORATING CHANGE FIVE OF 25 AUG 2023 LEAVE AND LIBERTY PROCEDURES, FOR SERVICE MEMBERS. REF C IS PUBLIC LAW 117-263, SECTION 632, REF D IS UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 37, SECTION 501//
POC/MANPOWER MILITARY POLICY (MPO)/EMAIL: MPO@USMC.MIL/TEL: (703) 784-9360//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  To provide advance notification of changes to reference (a) regarding Special Leave Accrual (SLA), as directed in references (b) and (c).  These changes will be incorporated in reference (a) during its next revision.  Effective immediately and as directed in reference (b) and (c), Marines are authorized to carry forward from one FY to the next, a maximum accrued leave balance of 90 days that consists of up to 60 days of annual leave and up to 30 days of SLA.
2.  Definitions
2.a.  Accrued Leave Balance.  Consists of annual leave and SLA.  Marines accrue leave at a rate of 2.5 days per month.
2.b.  Annual Leave.  Accrued leave granted in execution of a command’s leave program, chargeable to the Marine’s accrued leave balance.  Marines may only carry 60 days of annual leave from one Fiscal Year (FY) to the next except when authorized special leave accrual.  Also, referred to as “ordinary leave”.
2.c.  SLA.  Restored accrued leave in excess of the maximum annual leave that may be carried from one FY to the next.  Marines must meet the eligibility criteria in paragraph 5 to receive SLA.
3.  Time Period.  Approved SLA will be forfeited unless used before the end of the second FY following the FY in which the qualifying duty for which SLA was granted is terminated.  For example, a Marine has approved SLA in FY23, that SLA will be lost if not used by the end of FY25.
4.  Approval Authority.  SLA requests that meet the criteria listed in chapter 2, paragraph 9a of reference (a), must receive written authorization from the first general officer in the Marine’s chain of command to have their SLA request granted.  Once approved, commanders will input the SLA in Marine OnLine (MOL) for those authorized SLA under chapter 2, paragraphs 9a(1)-9a(3) in reference (a).  Commanders will continue to submit approved SLA requests under chapter 2, paragraph 9a(4) in reference (a) to their servicing administration center for restoral until MOL is updated to allow commanders to restore the SLA.  Commands will ensure SLA requests are retained appropriately in their command files with the determination from the first general officer.
5. Qualifying Duties.  In accordance with reference (a), only the following duties qualify for SLA.
5.a.  Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Area.  When serving on active duty for a continuous period of at least 120 days in an area in which Marines are entitled to Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay.
5.b.  Deployable Ship or Mobile Unit.  When serving on a deployable ship, with a mobile unit of the Operating Forces, or similar duty which, because of operational mission requirements, deploys or operates away from its designated homeport or homebase for a continuous period of at least 120 days, thus preventing normal use of accrued leave before it is lost at the end of the fiscal year.  Marines assigned to a ship or unit, as described in this paragraph, but serving less than 120 consecutive days away from homeport or homebase are not eligible.
5.c.  Deployable Ship or Mobile Unit Homeported or Homebased Overseas.  When serving on a deployable ship or embarked mobile unit including Operating Forces units or similar duty, permanently homeported or homebased outside of the 50 United States, which is required to maintain a higher than normal condition of readiness in port or at homebase and has deployed out of homeport or homebase more than 50 percent of the time, thus preventing normal use of earned leave before it is lost at the end of the fiscal year.  Marines assigned to a ship or unit, as described in this paragraph, but assigned for less than 6 months of the fiscal year are not eligible.
5.d.  Other duty.  When serving on other prescribed duty, normally for a continuous period of at least 120 days or more during the fiscal year, the situation preventing Marines assigned to such duty from using leave must have been caused by a national emergency and/or crisis or operations in defense of national security.  Furthermore, the duty should preclude Marines from taking leave to reduce their leave balance to 60 days before the end of the fiscal year.  The provisions of this authority may be extended for Marines assigned to unit, headquarters and supporting staffs when they are prohibited from taking leave because of their involvement to directly support a designated contingency operation.  Marines must meet all the following criteria to be eligible:
5.d.1.  Must be duties that, due to extraordinary circumstances in direct support of operational requirements (e.g., ITX, MTX, and pre-deployment training and work-ups, etc.), preclude the Marine from taking leave, not just increased workload.
5.d.2.  Must be duties that preclude the Marine from taking leave to reduce leave balance to 60 days before the end ofthe fiscal year (i.e., officially denied the opportunity to take leave).
5.d.3.  Must be duties that include working weekends and special liberty periods and national holidays.
6.  Transition Period.  At the end of FY23, Marines with approved SLA balances for FYs prior to FY23 that makes their accrued leave balance exceed 90 days (i.e., an SLA balance that exceeds 30 days), may continue to carry that SLA until it is used or at the end of the FY in which it will expire, whichever occurs first.  Additionally, Marines who had SLA exceeding 90 days on December 31, 2022 will lose such leave unless used on or before September 30, 2026.  No Marine may be authorized additional SLA until their SLA balance drops below 30 days.  Marines can find their SLA balance and the associated FY expiration date of such SLA at the bottom of their LES.
7. One-time SLA Sell Back.  In accordance with reference (d), enlisted Marines who would lose leave accumulated in excess of 90 days may sell back up to 30 days of SLA.  This does not apply to officers by law.  In order to qualify, an enlisted Marine must have leave in excess of 90 days that would have, if not for the new authorized accrued leave balance limit, been restored as SLA.  Marines must submit documentation that certifies the leave in excess of 90 days would have qualified for SLA (i.e., were approved for SLA but can’t have it restored due to previously attaining the 90 day authorized accrued leave balance) and their election to sell that leave through their administrative chain of command to their servicing administrative center.  This sell back counts toward the enlisted Marine’s cap of 60 days over a career.  Enlisted Marines may exercise the one-time SLA sell back only once throughout their careers.
8.  This MARADMIN is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force.
9.  All questions concerning SLA should be directed to their administration section and local Installation Personnel Administration Center.
10.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General James F. Glynn, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//