Most employees who have over 240 hours accrued annual leave remaining at the end of the leave year (Jan. 11, 2025, for this year) will lose it. If you have use or lose annual leave, you must schedule it and have it approved in writing (such as using an OPM-71 form or email) on or before Nov. 30, 2024 (end of pay period 23). Use or lose annual leave scheduled or approved after this time is not eligible for restoration, even if cancelled for emergency reasons. For leave restoration information please visit the HRM's Leave website. If you do not know your current leave balance or you want to verify if you have projected use or lose annual leave, go to the Employee Personal Page. In EPP select E&L Statements from the Home dropdown menu and scroll down to your Projected Use or Lose in the Year-to-Date Leave Status section.

Important Note: Permanent Seasonal Employees have a modified leave restoration process for leave year 2024. Refer to PSE Leave Restoration guidance for more information.

If you are not able to schedule and use all annual leave over 240 hours by the end of the leave year, you may want to consider donating the extra leave to the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program. If you are interested in donating leave, submit donations as early as possible, but no later than Dec. 14, 2024. HRM's VLTP webpage includes a current list of leave recipients

Help is available

• Call: 1-877-372-7248, option 2

• Email: hrm_contact_center@usda.gov 

• Self-Service: ConnectHR, then select HR Help. For detailed instructions, review the self-service portal user guide.