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60 Days is the Maximum Amount of Annual Leave to be Carried Forward to the Next Calendar Year |
| On or about 30 September 2009, all officers of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service should have received from their leave maintenance clerk a printout from the Commissioned Officer Leave Tracking System (COLTS) showing the balance at the beginning of the leave year, the amount of annual leave used through 30 September, and the amount of annual leave that will be forfeited if not used by 31 December 2009. In addition, officers are encouraged to track their own leave status online in COLTS. Officers are reminded that the maximum annual leave which may be carried forward from one leave year to the next is 60 days. The leave year is a calendar year, with the period beginning 1 January and ending on 31 December. The 60-day limitation on the amount of unused annual leave that can be carried forward from one year to the next is imposed by statute, 42 USC 210-1 (Sec 219 of PHS Act). Therefore, no waiver is legally permissible. In other words, no one can grant an exception. Officers are encouraged to schedule their annual leave so as to preclude any disappointments or misunderstandings resulting from the loss of accrued leave at the end of the year. Officers are also encouraged to utilize annual leave throughout the year to allow for restorative rest and recuperation from duty and not place ones self in jeopardy at the end of the calendar year with a “use or lose” situation. To access COLTS, log in to the ‘Secure Area’ of the Commissioned Corps Management Information System Web site http://dcp.psc.govand select ‘COLTS’ from the ‘Select Activity’ menu. Once in COLTS, select ‘Officer Personal’ and ‘Leave Activity Report’ to determine the current annual leave balance. |