The Office of Personnel Management recently announced eligibility changes to the FMLA and PPL Program that became effective on Dec. 22, 2023, but does not provide for retroactive eligibility. Employees who have honorable active service in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Space Force of the United States can now count that service toward the 12-months of qualifying service for FMLA and PPL eligibility. This means that an employee may meet the 12-month service requirement through any combination of qualifying civilian service and military service. Additional information about the FMLA Program is posted on the OPM website. 

FMLA and PPl Eligibility

• Complete at least 12 months of qualifying Federal or honorable active military service; 

• On a part-time or full-time work schedule (employees on an intermittent work schedule are not eligible); and 

• On an appointment of more than 1 year in duration (employees with temporary appointments not to exceed 1 year are not eligible).

What you should do
Contact your supervisor to verify eligibility. Submit a request to your supervisor to invoke your entitlement to FMLA and PPL.

Help is available
Open an HR Help case: 

• Call: 1-877-372-7248, option 2

• Email: hrm_contact_center@usda.gov

• Self-Service: ConnectHR, then select HR Help. For detailed instructions, visit the HR Help How-to Add a Case Guide.