"Family member" or "Loved One" is defined as--

• spouse, and parents thereof;
• children, including adopted children, and spouses thereof;
• parents;
• brothers and sisters, and spouses thereof; and
• any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.
  

Family Friendly Sick Leave

Providing care for a sick loved one is stressful enough, without having to worry about taking time off from work and losing pay. Under the Family Friendly Sick Leave policy, an employee can apply for and receive sick leave to care for a family member. The amount of sick leave that is available depends on the amount of sick leave the caregiver has earned. You may also request permission to use your accrued annual leave to take care of a sick loved one.

In addition, up to 40 hours of advance sick leave may be requested through your supervisory channels for approval by your Senior Executive, for care of a sick family member.

For more information, including forms, regulations and FAQ's, visit OPM's Leave Homepage .

Voluntary Leave Transfer Program

If sick leave and annual leave are exhausted, you may request approval as a leave recipient under the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) (PDF - 58KB). If you have a family member with a documented medical emergency that results in, or is likely to result in, your absence from duty without available paid leave of at least 24 hours, the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program allows other Federal employees to donate annual leave to you.

For more information, including forms, regulations and FAQ's, visit OPM's Leave Homepage .

Family and Medical Leave Act

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave may be taken to care for a family member (spouse, son, daughter or parent only) with a serious health condition. Consult with your Human Resources Office to review all your options before using Family and Medical Leave or the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program .

For more information, including forms, regulations and FAQ's, visit OPM's Leave Homepage .

Documentation

All of the above programs have requirements for medical documentation. Your supervisor or Human Resources representative can advise you on the documentation required. In the case of FMLA leave, the loved one's professional health care provider should provide you medical documentation required by 5 CFR 630.1207(b) . You may, but you are not required to, ask the health care provider to furnish the medical documentation on Form WH 380 (PDF). Your supervisor cannot approve your time off without appropriate medical documentation.