R 201910Z DEC 24
MARADMIN 625/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF FORTHCOMING CHANGES TO MCO 1050.3J,
REGULATIONS FOR LEAVE, LIBERTY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE ABSENCE//
REF/A/DOC/USMC/19MAY09//
REF/B/DOC/PUBLIC LAW 118-31/22DEC23//
REF/C/DOC/DOD/4JAN23//
REF/D/DOC/USMC/10MAR21//
REF/E/DOC/USMC/27JAN23//
REF/F/DOC/USMC/8MAR23//
REF/G/DOC/USN/16JAN19//
REF/H/DOC/USMC/17JUN24//
NARR/REF A IS MCO 1050.3J REGULATIONS FOR LEAVE, LIBERTY, AND
ADMINSTRATIVE ABSENCE. REF B IS THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. REF C IS DIRECTIVE-TYPE MEMORANDUM 23-001
FOR PARENTAL LEAVE. REF D IS MCO 5000.12F W/ CH1 PARENTHOOD AND
PREGNANCY. REF E IS MARADMIN 051/23 EXPANSION OF THE MILITARY
PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM. REF F IS MARADMIN 129/23 CLARIFICATION TO
MARADMIN 051/23. REF G IS SECNAVINST 1000.10B PARENTHOOD AND
PREGNANCY. REF H IS MARADMIN 280/24 INTERIM GUIDANCE ON THE
SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM.//
POC/MANPOWER MILITARY POLICY BRANCH (MPO)/EMAIL:
SMB_HQMC_MPO@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. The purpose of this MARADMIN is to provide
advance notification of forthcoming changes to reference (a) and
other associated leave and liberty programs.
2. Background. Legislation detailed in reference (b),
coupled with Department of Defense initiatives and the Marine Corps’
steadfast commitment to upholding the leave program as a vital
military necessity aimed at bolstering the morale and well-being of
Marines and their families, have prompted significant updates and a
thorough review of the leave and liberty policy. As a result of
this review, and with the aim of maintaining Marines and their
families as the central focus of the program, the changes detailed
below will be integrated into the upcoming revision of reference
(a). These changes will take effect immediately unless otherwise
specified.
3. Combining Leave and Liberty in the Local Area. Marines are
authorized to take local leave in conjunction with liberty and
will only be charged leave for those days that are duty days.
3.a. Single or multiple leave periods may be granted in
conjunction with single or multiple liberty periods (examples
include: liberty-leave-liberty; leave-liberty-leave; or liberty-
leave-liberty-leave) as long as executed within local liberty
geographical limitations/boundaries.
3.b. Example: 21-22 December 2024, weekend liberty; 23 December,
leave in the local area; 24-26 December, 72-hour holiday liberty;
27 December, leave in the local area; 28-29 December, weekend
liberty; 30 December, return to duty. Marine or Sailor is charged
2 days of annual leave for the period of 21-30 December 2024.
3.c. Geographical Limitation: All leave must begin, be executed,
and end in the vicinity of the Marine’s PDS or worksite, as defined
by the 24-hour liberty boundaries established by the local
Commander’s leave and liberty policy.
4. Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP).
4.a. Marines eligible for MPLP benefits, as specified in reference
(e), may be granted parental leave during the execution of a
Permanent Change of Station (PCS). It is crucial to ensure members
do not exceed their available parental leave entitlement during a
PCS as any additional leave taken as delay-en-route will be taken
from the member’s annual leave balance.
4.b. The Marine Online platform is currently undergoing
enhancements to integrate parental leave into the Outbound/Inbound
Interview Module. This update aims to include parental leave as a
standard component of the questionnaire process. These improvements
are designed to ensure accurate tracking of parental leave balances
and reduce administrative errors during execution. Until these
system enhancements are implemented, administrative commands
issuing orders (e.g. IPAC, I&I, etc.) should specify the available
balance of parental leave prior to departure, the number of days
authorized, and the remaining balance after completion of the PCS
in the endorsement of the PCS orders.
4.c. Until applicable enhancements are made to the Outbound/Inbound
Interview module, Disbursing and Finance Offices will manually
adjust records for elapsed time following execution of PCS when
Marines utilize parental leave enroute. Parental leave must be
explicitly authorized in the PCS orders. Any active component
Marine seeking to extend their delay enroute period beyond 45 days
must obtain prior approval from Manpower Management Division
(Enlisted Assignments/Officer Assignments); Active Reserve Marines
must obtain prior approval from Reserve Affairs Personnel Management
(RAM-2). If such approval is granted, the authorization letter
must be referenced and uploaded to the Marine’s Outbound Interview
and be included in the documentation submitted in the travel claim
either through the electronic process completed via the Inbound
Interview or the legacy platform (Document Tracking Management
System).
4.d. Commands and Marines bear the responsibility of ensuring that
a Marine authorized this leave during the execution of a PCS does
not exceed 84 days of parental leave.
5. Administrative Absence, also referred to as Permissive Temporary
Additional Duty (PTAD), includes clarifications to the below
categories.
5.a. House Hunting PTAD is intended to facilitate tasks related
to setting up a household in preparation for an ordered PCS. These
tasks may include searching for a new residence, locating and
viewing potential homes, purchasing or renting a home, initiating
or terminating utility services, enrolling dependents in school or
day care facilities, and packing and unpacking of household goods.
5.b. Incremental Use of Housing Hunting PTAD: Marines executing a
PCS have the option, if approved, to use House Hunting PTAD in
increments rather than a single continuous period. This flexibility
allows them to use PTAD days both before departing their current PDS
and/or after arriving at their new PDS. Regardless of increments
used, the total number of eligible PTAD days remains unchanged at
a maximum of 10 days.
5.c. Skillbridge. As noted in reference (h), reference (a) will
include a new PTAD subcategory for Skillbridge to facilitate
accurate tracking of participants and number of authorized days used
for this program, while also streamlining associated administrative
processes. Ongoing software updates to Marine Online leave and
travel modules are expected to finish implementing the Skillbridge
PTAD subcategory by the end of calendar year 2024.
5.d. Terminal leave. Per reference (g), parental leave may not be
taken consecutively or in conjunction with terminal leave or
transition PTAD. Per reference (h), Skillbridge PTAD may be
authorized for use in conjunction with terminal leave, and
authorized transition PTAD, with the condition that the total number
of days spent participating in a Skillbridge program not to exceed
the listed category limitations of 90 or 120 days within reference
(h). With the exceptions of authorized transition PTAD or
skillbridge PTAD, no other nonchargeable leave or administrative
absence may be combined with terminal leave without a duty day
separating the absences.
5.e. PTAD serves the purpose of allowing commanders to provide
administrative support to Marines and Sailors during specific
transition requirements, participation in official Marine Corps
programs, or to facilitate professional training directly relevant
to a service member’s primary military duties. This training should
unequivocally enhance the member’s value to the Marine Corps,
particularly in cases where funded travel is deemed inappropriate.
5.f. Commanders and leave approvers are reminded that PTAD may
only be granted for the specified purposes in reference (a) or this
MARADMIN. This ensures the program is not misused to accumulate,
rather than expend, accrued leave, thus preventing adverse
criticism. Any request for an exception to policy must undergo
thorough review by commanding officers and be routed through the
first O-6 commander in the Marine’s administrative chain of command
before submission to HQMC (MPO). This process aims to uphold the
intended purpose of administrative absences and ensures more uniform
application across the force. As a reminder, the Leave, Liberty,
and Administrative Absence Inspector General Checklist provides
oversight for commanders approving PTAD to ensure that only
authorized criteria for PTAD are being approved by the command.
6. This MARADMIN is applicable to Marines/Sailors in an active duty
status.
7. Release authorized by Brigadier General David R. Everly,
Director, Manpower Plans and Policy Division, Manpower and Reserve
Affairs.//