FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. –Marine Administrative Messages 151/15 was signed March 24, which outlines current and revised maximum leave accrual for fiscal year 2013.
Marines were authorized to accumulate a maximum of 75 days of annual leave at the end of each fiscal year without qualifying for special leave accrual during the temporary extension approved by the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which expires on Sept. 30, 2015.
However, Marines who have accumulated more than 60 days of leave have until Oct. 1, 2015, to either take it as vacation or cash out before they lose those days.
For the past decade, while the national defense strategy was focused in the Middle East fighting the war on terror, the high operational deployment tempo of work required from the military allotted service members an extra 15 days of leave per year.
Since the operational commitment is decreasing, the maximum amount of leave will return to 60 days.
The only way Marines will not lose those excess days is if they are subject to special leave accrual.
If a Marine is authorized for special leave for fiscal year 2015, they may be allowed to have a maximum accrual of up to 120 days, even after Oct. 1, 2015.
Those who serve in dangerous areas may qualify for an exception that will still permit them to carry over leave in excess of 60 days. The full rules can be found in Military Personnel Manual Article 1050-070, located on the Navy Personnel Command website, but the exception is intended for those who work in a hazardous or combative environment.
Special leave accrual is permitted for Marines who have served in an area where they received imminent danger, hostile fire pay or were stationed on a deployable ship or mobile unit operating away from its homeport for at least 120 days.
For Marines granted special leave accrual, they must use that leave by Sept. 30, 2019.
For Marines qualified for special leave accrual through “other duty” than that already stated, their leave must be used by Sept. 30, 2017.
For further guidance to see if you qualify for special leave accrual reference Marine Corps Order 1050.3j and the MARADMIN 151/15 found on http://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/MessagesDisplay/tabid/13286/Article/173429/maximum-leave-accrual-guidance-for-fiscal-year-2015-fy15.aspx.
For those Marines unsure about their leave balance, Marines can log on to their MyPay account and check their leave and earning statement. The leave balance is in box 23.