R 101213Z APR 25
MARADMIN 188/25
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//
REF/E/MSGID: DOC/MARADMIN 474-23/21SEP23//
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.  REF E IS MARADMIN 474-23,
ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO SPECIAL LEAVE ACCRUAL.//
POC/MANPOWER MILITARY POLICY (MPO)/EMAIL: SMB_HQMC_MPO@USMC.MIL/TEL:
(703) 784-9360//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  This MARADMIN provides advance notice
of upcoming changes to reference (a) regarding Special Leave Accrual
(SLA), as directed in references (b) and (c).  These changes will be
incorporated into the next revision of reference (a).
2.  Key changes.  Reference (e) is canceled.  Effective immediately,
Marines are authorized to carry over a maximum of 90 days of accrued
leave from one Fiscal Year (FY) to the next.  This includes; Up to
60 days of annual leave and up to 30 days of SLA IAW the provisions
of this MARADMIN.
3.  Definitions.
3.a.  Accrued Leave Balance.  Consists of both annual leave and SLA.
Marines accrue leave at a rate of 2.5 days per month.  Accrued
leave is also referred to as “earned leave.”
3.b.  Annual Leave.  Regular leave granted under a command’s leave
program, charged against the Marine’s accrued leave balance.  Unless
authorized SLA, a Marine can carry over a maximum of 60 days of
annual leave from one FY to the next.
3.c.  SLA.  Restored accrued leave in excess of the maximum annual
leave that may be carried forward from one FY to the next.  SLA is
only authorized under specific conditions outlined in paragraph 6
of this MARADMIN.
4.  SLA Expiration.  Approved SLA will be forfeited if not used by
the end of the second FY after the qualifying duty ends.  For
example, if a Marine has approved SLA in FY23, they must use it by
the end of FY25, or it will be lost.
5.  Approval Authority and Record Keeping.
5.a.  SLA requests that meet criteria must be authorized in writing
by the first Marine general officer in the Marine’s administrative
chain of command.
5.b.  MOL Reporting.  Once approved, commanders will report SLA
details into Marine OnLine (MOL).
5.c.  Records. The Marine’s administrative chain of command will
retain a copy of all approved SLA requests and ensure the final
determination from the first Marine general officer in the Marine’s
administrative chain of command is uploaded into the Marine’s
Official Military Personnel File (OMPF).
6.  Qualifying Duties.
6.a.  Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Area.  Serving at least 120
days continuously in a location designated for Hostile Fire or
Imminent Danger Pay.
6.b.  Deployable Ship or Mobile Unit.  Serving on a deployable ship
or with a mobile unit of the Operating Forces where the duty
location prevents using earned leave before it expires at the end of
the FY.
6.c.  Other duty. Serving at least 120 continuous days in other
prescribed duties where leave is restricted due to catastrophes,
national emergencies, crises, and/or operations in defense of
national security.  Circumstances must exist preventing the Marine
from reducing their leave balance to 60 days before the end of
the FY (i.e., they are officially denied the opportunity to take
leave).
6.d.  Contingency Operations.  Marines assigned to units,
headquarters, or supporting staff may be eligible for SLA if their
leave is restricted due to direct involvement in a designated
contingency operation.
7.  Transition Period.
7.a.  Marines with SLA exceeding 90 days on 31 December 2022
(COVID-19 excess leave) must use or lose it by 30 September 2026.
7.b.  Marines will not be authorized additional SLA until their SLA
balance is below 30 days.
7.c.  Marines can find their SLA balance and FY expiration date on
their Leave and Earnings Statement (LES).
8.  One-time SLA Sell Back.
8.a.  In accordance with reference (d), enlisted Marines losing
accrued leave in excess of 90 days may elect to sell back up to
30 days of SLA.  By law, this option does not apply to officers.
8.b.  To qualify, an enlisted Marine must have leave exceeding 90
days, and if not for the new authorized accrued leave balance limit,
it would have been restored as SLA.
8.c.  Marines electing to sell back SLA must submit supporting
documentation through MOL to their administrative chain of command;
requests will include verification that leave exceeding 90 days
would have qualified for SLA (i.e., leave was approved for SLA
but cannot be restored due to exceeding the 90-day accrued leave
limit balance).
8.d.  An enlisted Marine may only make this election once.
8.e.  SLA sell-back counts towards the 60-day limit on total
sell-back days an enlisted Marine has over their career.
9.  All questions concerning SLA should be directed to the
Marines’ administration section or their local Installation
Personnel Administration Center (IPAC).
10.  This MARADMIN only applies to Active Duty and Active Reserve
Marines.
11.  Release authorized by Brigadier General David R. Everly,
Director, Manpower Plans and Policy Division.//