Paid Parental Leave, 48075-48096 [2020-14832]

Agencies

• Office of Personnel Management

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 154 (Monday, August 10, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 48075-48096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14832]



========================================================================
Rules and Regulations
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 154 / Monday, August 10, 2020 / Rules 
and Regulations

[[Page 48075]]



OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 630

RIN 3206-AN96


Paid Parental Leave

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim final 
rule to implement the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act, which provides 
12 weeks of paid parental leave to certain Federal employees covered by 
the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Implementation of the new law 
also requires changes to OPM's existing FMLA regulations.

DATES: Effective date: October 1, 2020.
    Comments: Comments must be received on or before September 9, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and/or 
Regulatory Information Number (RIN) and title, by the following method:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and docket 
number or RIN for this document. The general policy for comments and 
other submissions from members of the public is to make these 
submissions available for public viewing at https://www.regulations.gov 
as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers 
or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryce Baker by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 606-2858.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is 
issuing an interim final rule to implement provisions of the Federal 
Employee Paid Leave Act (subtitle A of title LXXVI of division F of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, Pub. L. 116-
92, December 20, 2019), which will hereafter be referred to as 
``FEPLA.'' FEPLA makes paid parental leave available to certain 
categories of Federal civilian employees. These OPM regulations will 
implement FEPLA provisions dealing with Federal employees covered by 
the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provisions in subchapter V of 
chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, which were originally 
enacted through title II of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. 
(See sections 7602, 7605(a), and 7606 of FEPLA.) The title 5 FMLA 
provisions, which apply to the majority of civilian Federal employees, 
are administered by OPM. (See 5 CFR part 630, subpart L.)
    FEPLA amended 5 U.S.C. 6382(d) to allow the substitution of up to 
12 weeks of paid parental leave for FMLA unpaid leave granted in 
connection with the birth of an employee's son or daughter or the 
placement of a son or daughter with an employee for adoption or foster 
care. (See 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(1)(A) and (B).) In order to implement 
FEPLA, OPM is adding a new subpart--subpart Q (Paid Parental Leave)--in 
part 630 (Absence and Leave) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, 
and making necessary clarifications, changes, and additions in subpart 
L (Family and Medical Leave).

Effective Dates

    Section 7602(c) of FEPLA provides that the amendments to 5 U.S.C. 
6382 dealing with paid parental leave are not effective with respect to 
any birth or placement (for adoption or foster care) occurring before 
October 1, 2020. Thus, by law, paid parental leave is available to 
covered employees only in connection with the birth or placement of a 
son or daughter that occurs on or after October 1, 2020. Since paid 
parental leave may not be used prior to the birth or placement 
involved, paid parental leave may not be used for any period of time 
prior to October 1, 2020.
    Section 7605(a) of FEPLA, dealing with the crediting of certain 
periods of active duty in the uniformed services performed by members 
of the National Guard or Reserves for the purpose of the 12-month 
service requirement for FMLA leave eligibility in 5 U.S.C. 6381(1)(B), 
was effective on December 20, 2019--the date FEPLA was enacted.
    Section 7606 of FEPLA, dealing with the coverage of screener 
personnel employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 
under the title 5 FMLA law, was effective on December 20, 2019, the 
date FEPLA was enacted. However, as noted above, use of paid parental 
leave by TSA screener personnel under the title 5 FMLA law is available 
only in connection with the birth or placement (for adoption or foster 
care) of a son or daughter that occurs on or after October 1, 2020.

Summary of Law

    A summary of the paid parental leave provisions incorporated within 
the title 5 FMLA provisions is provided below.
    An employee is eligible for paid parental leave only if he or she 
is a covered ``employee'' under the definition in 5 U.S.C. 6381(1)(A) 
and has completed at least 12 months of service as such an employee, as 
required by 5 U.S.C. 6381(1)(B). (See also 5 CFR 630.1201(b).) We note 
that the section 6381(1)(A) definition of ``employee'' excludes 
individuals employed on a temporary or intermittent basis. Unlike the 
title 29 FMLA eligibility requirements, employees under the title 5 
FMLA are not required to be employed by a specific employer for at 
least 12 months or to have at least 1,250 hours of service during the 
previous 12-month period; instead, they need only 12 months of covered 
service performed at any time in the past. Also, although title 29 FMLA 
limits to 12 workweeks the combined FMLA leave entitlement for two 
parents of the same child who are spouses and who are employed by the 
same employer, there is no such limitation under title 5 FMLA; instead, 
each parent-employee has a separate 12-workweek entitlement.
    A covered employee may elect to substitute up to 12 weeks of paid 
parental leave for FMLA unpaid leave granted under 5 U.S.C. 
6382(a)(1)(A) or (B) in connection with the occurrence of the birth or 
placement (for adoption or foster care) of a son or daughter. Such FMLA 
unpaid leave may be used to care for the newly born or placed son or 
daughter, and thus allows for bonding between parent and child.
    By law, FMLA unpaid leave is generally limited to a total of 12 
weeks in any 12-month period. The FMLA unpaid leave is permitted for 
various

[[Page 48076]]

specified purposes, not just a birth or placement event. Thus, use of 
FMLA unpaid leave for other purposes (e.g., based on the employee's own 
serious health condition or to care for certain family members with a 
serious health condition) can--depending on the timeframe in which it 
is taken--limit the amount of FMLA unpaid leave available for a birth 
or placement event, and thus limit the amount of paid parental leave 
that can be substituted for it. (Employees may request to use their 
annual or sick leave to cover other periods of time outside of FMLA 
leave periods in accordance with governing statutes and regulations.)
    Paid parental leave may be used only ``in connection with the birth 
or placement involved'' (5 U.S.C. 6382(d)(2)(B)(i))--that is, after the 
occurrence of the birth or placement involved--which results in the 
employee assuming a ``parental'' role with respect to the newly born or 
placed child. An employee may take unpaid FMLA leave under 5 U.S.C. 
6382(a)(1)(A) or (B) before the birth or placement to cover certain 
activities related to the birth or placement but cannot substitute paid 
parental leave for those pre-birth/placement FMLA unpaid leave periods. 
However, an employee could substitute annual leave or sick leave for 
pre-birth/placement FMLA unpaid leave periods (e.g., sick leave for 
prenatal care up to the point of birth or in connection with pre-
placement activities necessary to allow an adoption to proceed).
    Paid parental leave may be used no later than the end of the 12-
month period beginning on the date of the birth or placement involved. 
At the end of that 12-month period, any unused balance of paid parental 
leave granted in connection with the given birth or placement 
permanently expires and is not available for future use. No payment may 
be made for unused paid parental leave or paid parental leave that has 
expired. Paid parental leave is not considered to be annual leave and 
thus may not be included in a lump-sum payment for annual leave 
following separation (5 U.S.C. 6382(d)(2)(D)).
    Under the law, an employee may not use any paid parental leave 
unless the employee agrees in writing, before commencement of the 
leave, to subsequently work for the applicable employing agency for at 
least 12 weeks. This 12-week work obligation is triggered once the 
employee's paid parental leave concludes. The work obligation is 
statutorily fixed at 12 weeks regardless of the amount of leave used by 
an employee. An agency head must waive the work obligation if an 
employee is unable to return to work because of the continuation, 
recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition (including mental 
health) of the employee or the newly born/placed child--but only if the 
condition is related to the applicable birth or placement.
    If an employee fails to return to work for the required 12 weeks, 
the employing agency ``may'' (but is not required to) recover from the 
employee an amount equal to the total amount of Government 
contributions paid by the agency under 5 U.S.C. 8906 on behalf of the 
employee to maintain the employee's health insurance coverage during 
the period of paid parental leave. This reimbursement provision may not 
be applied if the employee is unable to return to work based on the 
conditions that qualify for waiver described in the preceding 
paragraph. Also, this provision may not be applied if the employee 
fails to meet the 12-week work obligation for any other circumstance 
beyond the employee's control (see 5 CFR 630.1705(h)).

Interim Final Rule

    OPM is issuing interim final regulations that will provide more 
detail regarding the implementation of the statutory provisions 
summarized above.
    In order to implement FEPLA, OPM is amending part 630 (Absence and 
Leave) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, by amending subpart L 
(Family and Medical Leave) and adding a new subpart Q (Paid Parental 
Leave). OPM is making changes in subpart L to establish how the FMLA 
provisions will now operate, since the appropriate substitution of paid 
parental leave for FMLA unpaid leave hinges on having a complete 
understanding of the standards for granting FMLA unpaid leave. Below we 
provide a section-by-section explanation of the changes in subpart L 
and the new provisions in the new subpart Q. Hereafter in this 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, references to statutory provisions in title 
5 of the United States Code and to regulatory provisions in title 5 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations will generally be referred to by 
section number without restating the title 5 reference.

Revisions of FMLA Regulations in Subpart L of 5 CFR Part 630

    Subpart L deals with FMLA unpaid leave. We are making conforming 
changes to the provisions dealing with the substitution of paid leave 
for FMLA unpaid leave. We are also making various changes to clarify 
the appropriate application of the rules governing FMLA unpaid leave. 
While paid parental leave may be substituted for FMLA unpaid leave only 
for periods after birth or placement of a child, employees will still 
be able to use FMLA unpaid leave for certain purposes related to an 
anticipated future birth or placement and will be able to substitute 
annual or sick leave (as appropriate) for such unpaid FMLA leave.

Sec.  630.1201--Purpose, Applicability, and Agency Responsibilities

    The section heading for Sec.  630.1201 is revised to specifically 
reference agency responsibilities, which are described in an amended 
paragraph (c). (In current regulations, Sec.  630.1203(g) also 
addresses agency responsibilities. We believe it is better to address 
agency responsibilities in one place in the introductory Sec.  
630.1201. We are revising Sec.  630.1203(g) to address other matters.) 
We have added a sentence to paragraph (a) to note that the subpart L 
regulations also are used in establishing eligibility for paid parental 
leave under subpart Q. Paragraph (b) is revised to (1) address the 
coverage of TSA screener personnel, consistent with section 7606 of 
FEPLA; (2) clarify that temporary and intermittent employees in each 
listed category of employees are excluded from FMLA coverage; (3) 
correct obsolete references to the Secretary of Transportation (related 
to the fact that Coast Guard nonappropriated fund instrumentalities are 
now located in the Department of Homeland Security); and (4) address 
the creditability of certain active duty service by employees who are 
members of the National Guard or Reserves towards the 12-month service 
requirement, consistent with section 7605(a) of FEPLA.

Sec.  630.1202--Definitions

    Section 630.1202 is amended by (1) removing the definitions for 
regularly scheduled, regularly scheduled administrative workweek, and 
tour of duty; (2) revising the definitions of administrative workweek, 
family and medical leave, leave without pay, and reduced leave 
schedule; and (3) adding new definitions for birth, placement, and 
scheduled tour of duty. The new term scheduled tour of duty is 
replacing other terms in order to clarify that the tour referenced in 
the FMLA regulations is the tour of duty established for purposes of 
charging leave when an employee is absent. The definition of that term 
also clarifies that there is no tour of duty during the off-season 
period for seasonal employees; thus, FMLA unpaid leave and paid 
parental leave would not apply during such an off-season period. The 
revised definition of family and medical leave includes new

[[Page 48077]]

language addressing leave to care for covered servicemembers under 
section 6382(a)(3), which is being regulated for the first time in a 
new paragraph (j) in Sec.  630.1203.
    The new definition of placement clarifies that it refers to a new 
placement. Thus, the term excludes the adoption of a stepchild or a 
foster child who has already been a member of the employee's household 
and has an existing parent-child relationship with an adopting parent. 
This definition of placement is consistent with Department of Labor 
FMLA guidance at https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/2005_08_26_1A_FMLA.pdf. If a foster child is later adopted, the 
placement has already occurred; there is no new placement with a family 
that would warrant another use of FMLA leave for the same child.
    Also, in the definitions of birth and placement, we are clarifying 
that the terms may refer to an anticipated birth or placement. This 
aligns with the regulation in Sec.  630.1203(d), which provides that 
FMLA unpaid leave based on birth or placement of a child may be used 
prior to the actual birth or placement.

Sec.  630.1203--Leave Entitlement

    Section 630.1203(a)(2) is revised to clarify that FMLA leave taken 
``because of the placement'' of a son or daughter for adoption or 
foster care includes the care of the newly placed son or daughter after 
the placement. This is consistent with the ``care'' language in the 
provision dealing with FMLA leave for a newly born son or daughter.
    Section 630.1203(b) is revised to give an employee who was 
incapacitated more time to retroactively invoke FMLA leave. The 
employee must retroactively invoke FMLA leave within 5 workdays--
instead of 2 workdays--after returning to work. A parallel deadline is 
being established for cases of incapacitation in the paid parental 
leave regulations in subpart Q.
    Section 630.1203(d) is revised to delete language that seems to 
suggest that there is always only one 12-month period in connection 
with FMLA unpaid leave used in connection with a birth or placement. As 
provided in section 6382(a)(2) and Sec.  630.1203(d), the entitlement 
to use FMLA unpaid leave in connection with a birth or placement 
terminates at the end of the 12-month period beginning on the date of 
birth or placement. However, if an employee uses FMLA unpaid leave 
before birth or placement, the associated 12-month FMLA period may end 
during the 12-month period that begins on the date of birth or 
placement, and the employee will be eligible to start a new entitlement 
to FMLA unpaid leave after the prior FMLA period ends. (See section 
630.1203(c).) If the employee uses FMLA unpaid leave after obtaining 
that new entitlement, a new 12-month FMLA period will commence, and the 
employee will be able to use 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave during that 
period. However, no FMLA unpaid leave for birth or placement purposes 
may be used after the date that is 12 months after birth or placement. 
Paid parental leave may be substituted for FMLA unpaid leave used after 
birth or placement even if there are two 12-month periods involved; 
however, the total amount of paid parental leave in connection with any 
given birth or placement is limited to 12 weeks.
    For example, after not using FMLA leave for at least 12 months, an 
employee uses a type of FMLA leave described in Sec.  630.1203(a) 
(i.e., for birth, placement, serious health condition of employee or 
certain family members, or exigency related to certain family members 
being called to active duty) on June 1, 2021, triggering the 
commencement of a 12-month FMLA period. The total amount of FMLA unpaid 
leave used during the period from June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022, 
may not exceed 12 weeks. The employee uses 5 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave 
in June and July of 2021. Then the employee has a child born on October 
15, 2021. Because of the 12-week limit, the employee would be able to 
use no more than 7 additional weeks of FMLA unpaid leave before the end 
of the 12-month FMLA period expiring on May 31, 2022. On October 15, 
2021, the employee invokes FMLA leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) based 
on the birth of, and need to care for, the new child, and uses 7 weeks 
of FMLA unpaid leave during the October-December 2021 period. However, 
when the 12-month FMLA period ends on May 31, 2022, the employee may 
start a new 12-month entitlement to FMLA unpaid leave under Sec.  
630.1203(a)(1) to care for the child. If the employee invokes FMLA 
leave in order to care for the child starting on June 1, 2022, a new 
12-month FMLA period would begin at that time. However, the entitlement 
to FMLA unpaid leave based on the birth of a child ends 12 months after 
the date of birth; therefore, the employee would have the period from 
June 1, 2022, through October 14, 2022, to use up to 12 weeks of 
additional FMLA leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1). Since the 12-month 
period after birth or placement includes parts of two 12-month FMLA 
periods, the employee could have more than 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid 
leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1); however, only 12 weeks of paid 
parental leave could be substituted in connection with this particular 
birth or placement during the 12-month period that begins on the date 
of the child's birth or placement. Thus, the employee could substitute 
12 weeks of paid parental leave for any period during which the 
employee used FMLA unpaid leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) from October 
15, 2021 through October 14, 2022.
    Section 630.1203(d) is also revised to address the circumstances 
under which an employee may use FMLA unpaid leave because of an 
anticipated birth (under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1)) or because of an 
anticipated placement (under Sec.  630.1203(a)(2)) prior to the date of 
the birth or placement. In the case of an anticipated birth, the 
allowed circumstances involve a pregnancy-related health condition of 
the expectant mother that prevents her from working or prenatal care 
provided to that expectant mother by health care providers. This 
provision applies not only to an employee who is an expectant mother 
but also to an employee who is the other parent of the expected child, 
to the extent that other parent is providing necessary care for the 
expectant mother. We rely on the definition of ``serious health 
condition'' in Sec.  630.1202 in applying this provision. We recognize 
that an employee may be able to use FMLA unpaid leave before birth 
based on Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) or Sec.  630.1203(a)(3) or (a)(4) based 
on the same set of circumstances. We note that certain statutory and 
regulatory rules differ based on which provisions are invoked (e.g., 
certification requirements). In the case of an anticipated placement, 
the permissible circumstances are limited to those in which the 
employee must be absent to engage in activities necessary to allow an 
anticipated adoption or a foster care arrangement to proceed. For 
example, an employee may be required to attend counseling sessions, 
appear in court, or consult with an attorney or a doctor.
    Section 630.1203(e) is revised to clarify how the entitlement of 12 
administrative workweeks of family and medical leave is converted to 
hours or days, depending on the nature of an employee's scheduled tour 
of duty and whether leave is charged on an hourly or daily basis. For 
example, for a regular full-time employee who has 80 hours in the 
biweekly scheduled tour of duty and who is charged leave on an hourly 
basis, 12 administrative workweeks translate into 480 hours. (12 weeks 
= 6 biweekly periods. 6 times 80 hours = 480 hours.)

[[Page 48078]]

Paragraph (e) also addresses employees with part-time work schedules or 
uncommon tours or who are charged leave on a daily basis.
    Section 630.1203(f) is revised to clarify how to recalculate an 
employee's unused balance of family and medical leave if there is a 
change in an employee's scheduled tour of duty during any 12-month FMLA 
period that commenced due to use of family and medical leave. For 
example, if a regular full-time employee has a balance of 120 hours of 
unused family and medical leave for a 12-month FMLA period that is in 
progress and then converts to a part-time schedule of 20 hours per 
week, the balance would be recalculated to be 60 hours. (The new part-
time tour is 40 hours biweekly, compared to 80 for a regular full-time 
tour. 40/80 times 120 equals 60 hours remaining under the new scheduled 
tour of duty.)
    Paragraph (g) in Sec.  630.1203 is revised. The current paragraph 
(g) deals with agency responsibilities to provide information to 
employees. This matter is now addressed in a revised Sec.  630.1201(c). 
The revised paragraph (g) establishes that FMLA unpaid leave linked to 
a birth event includes leave necessary for an employee who is the birth 
mother to recover from giving birth, even if the employee is not 
involved in caring for the son or daughter during portions of that 
recovery period. (The recovery period would be whatever is specified by 
a health care provider. The medical standard for a normal recovery 
period is generally 6 weeks for vaginal birth and 8 weeks for caesarian 
section, unless complications arise.) The birth event provision in law 
states that it applies to leave taken ``because of the birth of a son 
or daughter of the employee and in order to care for such son or 
daughter'' (section 6382(a)(1)(A)). A birth mother's need to recover 
from giving birth is clearly ``because of the birth'' of a child.
    A new paragraph (i) in Sec.  630.1203 clarifies that FMLA unpaid 
leave taken to care for a newly born child generally refers to leave 
covering periods when the parent-employee is in the home with the child 
or is otherwise involved in spending time with the child (bonding). 
Such FMLA unpaid leave may also be used to cover short periods away 
from the child's physical presence to support the care of the child 
(e.g., buying baby food, diapers, or other supplies). However, leave 
would not be appropriate if an employee is engaged in activities not 
directly connected to care of the child or if the employee is outside 
the local geographic area where the child is located. For example, it 
is possible that a biological father may not reside in the same home as 
the birth mother and the new child. The father could receive FMLA 
unpaid leave and associated paid parental leave only for the care 
activities described in this paragraph.
    A new paragraph (j) in Sec.  630.1203 provides regulations on FMLA 
leave to care for a covered servicemember, as provided in 5 U.S.C. 
6382(a)(3)-(4). OPM has not issued final regulations to address this 
type of FMLA leave, which was added by Public Law 110-181 in 2008. This 
FMLA unpaid leave to care for covered servicemembers is subject to 
special rules, including special rules related to the substitution of 
annual and sick leave. Since we are revising the leave substitution 
regulations in Sec.  630.1206 to address changes made by FEPLA, we 
determined we should address FMLA leave for care of covered 
servicemembers in subpart L. (See revised Sec.  630.1206(d), which 
links to Sec.  630.1203(j).) In contrast to other types of FMLA leave, 
the leave entitlement for FMLA leave to care for a covered service 
member is 26 administrative workweeks during a single 12-month period. 
If an employee uses other types of FMLA leave in that single 12-month 
period, the combined amount of FMLA leave is limited to 26 
administrative workweeks. Thus, there could be circumstances where the 
substitution of paid parental leave for a period of FMLA unpaid leave 
for birth or adoption purposes would potentially be affected by the 26-
workweek limit. (See revised Sec.  630.1203(j)(3).) For example, 
consider an employee who invokes FMLA unpaid leave to care for a 
covered servicemember and uses 16 weeks of such leave starting on 
August 15, 2022. If the same employee gave birth to a child on October 
7, 2022, the employee would be able to use only 10 weeks of FMLA unpaid 
leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) during the single 12-month period from 
August 15, 2022, to August 14, 2023, since there is a 26-week limit for 
that single 12-month period. That would also limit the employee to no 
more than 10 weeks of paid parental leave during that single 12-month 
period. However, the employee would be able to use FMLA unpaid leave 
under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1)--and to substitute 2 weeks of paid parental 
leave for that unpaid leave--after August 14, 2023, and no later than 
October 6, 2023 (the expiration of the 12-month period following the 
birth on October 7, 2022)--since only 12 weeks of paid parental leave 
is available in connection with any given birth or placement (i.e., 
only 12 weeks of paid parental leave is available for substitution for 
a 12-month period commencing on the date of birth or placement because 
the entitlement to FMLA unpaid leave for birth or placement expires at 
the end of that 12-month period).

Sec.  630.1206--Substitution of Paid Leave

    Section 630.1206, dealing with substitution of paid leave for FMLA 
unpaid leave, is revised to reflect changes in the law and to clarify 
certain matters. Section 7602(a) of FEPLA amended section 6382(d) of 
title 5, United States Code, by making the statutory leave substitution 
rules that had applied to all types of FMLA leave apply only to FMLA 
leave granted under subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E) of section 
6382(a)(1) and section 6382(a)(3)--which deal with an employee's care 
of certain family members who have a serious health condition, the 
incapacitation of an employee due to a serious health condition, a 
qualifying exigency related to certain family members' Armed Forces 
deployments, and an employee's care of certain covered servicemembers, 
respectively. The paid leave substitution rules for FMLA unpaid leave 
granted under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 6382(a)(1)--dealing 
with a child birth event and with the placement of a child for adoption 
or foster care, respectively--are now addressed in a new subsection 
(d)(2) of section 6382. Section 630.1206 addresses paid leave 
substitution for the various categories of FMLA unpaid leave.
    Section 630.1206(b) provides that paid parental leave may be 
substituted for FMLA unpaid leave based on a birth or placement event 
as provided in the new subpart Q. Paragraph (b) also addresses the 
possibility of substituting annual and sick leave for FMLA unpaid leave 
based on birth or placement. If an employee has not already (before 
birth or placement) begun a 12-month FMLA period, the employee could 
have no more than 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave between the date of 
birth or placement and the date that is 12 months after the date of 
birth or placement. Thus, the 12 weeks of paid parental leave would 
completely fill any FMLA unpaid leave for birth or placement purposes, 
and there would be no opportunity to substitute annual or sick leave.
    However, if an employee has a 12-month ``FMLA period'' (as 
established under Sec.  630.1203(c)) in progress at the time of birth 
or placement, that 12-month FMLA period would end after birth or 
placement and before the date that is 12 months after the birth or 
placement. When that 12-month FMLA

[[Page 48079]]

period ends, the employee will be eligible to start a new 12-month 
entitlement to FMLA unpaid leave for birth or placement. If the 
employee uses FMLA unpaid leave and thus commences a new 12-month FMLA 
period, the employee will be able to use up to 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid 
leave during that period. If that new FMLA period begins during the 12-
month period following the birth or placement, it would be possible for 
the employee to use more than 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave for birth 
or placement purposes between the date of birth or placement and the 
date that is 12 months after the date of birth or placement. In that 
case, only 12 weeks of paid parental leave could be substituted, since 
only 12 weeks of paid parental leave is available in connection with 
any given birth or placement (i.e., only 12 weeks of paid parental 
leave is available for substitution for a 12-month period beginning on 
the date of birth or placement because the entitlement to FMLA unpaid 
leave for birth or placement expires at the end of that 12-month 
period). An employee would be able to substitute annual or sick leave, 
as appropriate, for any remaining unpaid FMLA leave.
    Section 630.1206(c) addresses the paid leave substitution rules for 
FMLA leave connected to a serious health condition or an exigency. (See 
paragraph (3), (4), and (5) of Sec.  630.1203(a), which correspond to 
subparagraphs (C), (D) and (E) of section 6382(a)(1), respectively.) 
These rules are consistent with existing rules on paid leave 
substitution.
    Section 630.1206(d) addresses paid leave substitution for FMLA 
leave to care for a covered servicemember. These rules are consistent 
with statutory rules on paid leave substitution for this category of 
FMLA leave. (See section 6382(a)(3), which provides authority to 
provide 26 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to 
care for a covered servicemember. There are currently no OPM FMLA 
regulations regarding this category of leave. In the absence of 
regulations, statutory provisions of sections 6382-6383 that refer to 
section 6382(a)(3) are governing.)
    Section 630.1206(e) states various general rules related to an 
employee's entitlement to substitute paid leave. An employee is 
entitled to elect whether or not to substitute paid leave for FMLA 
unpaid leave, subject to applicable law and regulation. Thus, an agency 
may not deny an employee's election to make a substitution permitted 
under this section. Nor may an agency require an employee to substitute 
paid leave for FMLA leave without pay. Paragraph (4) adds a statement, 
not previously included in the FMLA regulations, indicating that an 
employee may request to use annual leave or sick leave without invoking 
family and medical leave, and, in that case, the agency exercises its 
normal authority with respect to approving or disapproving the timing 
of when the leave may be used. OPM is aware of misconceptions held by 
some that an employee must invoke FMLA for personal and family health 
situations for which they could just as easily request sick leave, 
thereby preserving their FMLA entitlement for any additional needs that 
may arise. Sick leave, under the circumstances specified by statute and 
regulation, is an employee entitlement; therefore, an agency generally 
may not deny an employee's request to take sick leave outside of FMLA 
for a sick leave purpose authorized at Sec.  630.401. (In certain 
circumstances--for example, when the timing of a doctor's appointment 
is not a medical necessity--an agency may disapprove the timing of an 
employee's sick leave request and require the employee to reschedule.) 
An employee also has a right to take annual leave, subject to the right 
of the agency to schedule the time at which annual leave may be taken. 
Therefore, the agency has the right to deny the scheduling of an 
employee's annual leave requested outside of an FMLA request, but if 
the employee's scheduling of FMLA leave is approved, the employee's 
request to substitute annual leave for FMLA leave without pay may not 
be denied.
    Section 630.1206(f) addresses an employee's obligation to generally 
give advance notice of the employee's election to substitute paid leave 
for FMLA unpaid leave. In other words, the general rule is that 
retroactive substitution is not allowed. However, paragraphs (f)(2) 
through (f)(4) do address some limited exceptions. Paragraph (f)(4) 
addresses the retroactive substitution of paid parental leave and links 
to Sec.  630.1706, which allows retroactive substitution only if an 
employee is physically or mentally incapacitated. Under section 
6382(d)(2)(F)(i), as added by FEPLA, there is a general requirement 
that an employee agree (in writing), before the commencement of paid 
parental leave, to perform 12 weeks of work after the use of paid 
parental leave concludes. Thus, the law anticipates that paid parental 
leave would be provided on a prospective basis after an employee elects 
to use the leave and enters into a work obligation agreement.

Sec.  630.1213--Records and Reports

    Section 630.1213, dealing with records and reports in connection 
with use of FMLA leave, is revised to refer to FMLA leave under the 
entire subpart rather than refer solely to leave under Sec.  
630.1203(a), since a provision on leave to care for covered 
servicemembers has been added in Sec.  630.1203(j). Also, since Sec.  
630.1206 has been revised, the reference to the substitution of paid 
leave under Sec.  630.1206(b) is being changed to a more general 
reference to Sec.  630.1206.

New Subpart Q in 5 CFR Part 630

Sec.  630.1701--Purpose, Applicability, and Agency Responsibilities

    Section 630.1701(a) addresses the purpose of the new subpart Q.
    Section 630.1701(b) states that subpart Q applies to employees to 
whom subpart L applies and also to employees who are covered by agency 
FMLA regulations issued under Sec.  630.1201(b)(3)--for example, 
certain Department of Defense teachers or employees of certain 
nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. In the case of such employees, 
the subpart Q regulations will apply, but the agency may issue any 
necessary supplemental regulations.
    Section 630.1701(c) specifies that agency heads are responsible for 
proper administration of subpart Q, including the responsibility of 
informing employees of their entitlements and obligations.

Sec.  630.1702--Definitions

    Section 630.1702 provides that the definitions in the FMLA 
regulations in subpart L are applicable in subpart Q, to the extent 
those defined terms are used, except that, to the extent any 
definitions of terms have been further revised in Sec.  630.1702(b), 
the provisions of that section shall apply for purposes of subpart Q. 
Section 630.1702 also provides definitions of additional terms used in 
subpart Q--agency, child, birth or placement, FMLA unpaid leave, and 
paid parental leave.
    The definition of paid parental leave makes clear that paid 
parental leave is a type of leave that is used when an employee has a 
``parental'' role. A parent who does not maintain a continuing parental 
role with respect to a newly born or placed child would not be eligible 
for paid parental leave once the parental role has ended.

Sec.  630.1703--Leave Entitlement

    Section 630.1703 provides various rules related to the entitlement 
to paid parental leave.

[[Page 48080]]

    Section 630.1703(a) states that an employee may elect to substitute 
available paid parental leave for any FMLA unpaid leave granted based 
on the occurrence of a birth or placement (for adoption or foster 
care).
    Section 630.1703(b) states that the paid parental leave that is 
available for substitution is 12 administrative workweeks in connection 
with the birth or placement involved. In other words, an employee can 
receive up to 12 administrative workweeks of paid parental leave for 
each birth or placement event. The entitlement to paid parental leave 
is triggered by the actual occurrence of a birth or placement, which 
results in the employee having a parental role. Thus, paid parental 
leave must only be used after the birth or placement has occurred. Paid 
parental leave continues to be available only as long as the employee 
has a continuing parental role with respect to the newly born or placed 
child. Since paid parental leave is substituting for FMLA unpaid leave, 
use of paid parental leave is constrained by the use of FMLA unpaid 
leave, which is limited to 12 weeks in any 12-month FMLA period (as 
established under Sec.  630.1203(c)).
    The regulation explains that, with respect to FMLA leave under 
Sec.  630.1203(a) (corresponding to 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(1)) that is 
limited to a total of 12 weeks in any 12-month period, any use of FMLA 
unpaid leave for a purpose other than birth or placement may affect an 
employee's ability to use the full 12 weeks of paid parental leave 
during the 12-month period following a birth or placement. In other 
words, an employee will be able to use the full amount of paid parental 
leave only to the extent that there are 12 weeks of available FMLA 
unpaid leave granted based on birth or placement. For example, if an 
employee uses 6 consecutive weeks of FMLA unpaid leave based on the 
employee's own serious health condition, the employee could only use 6 
weeks of FMLA unpaid leave based on birth or placement (for which paid 
parental leave could be substituted) during the 12-month period that 
began when the employee commenced using FMLA unpaid leave based on the 
employee's serious health condition.
    We note that the 12-week entitlement to paid parental leave under 5 
U.S.C. 6382(d)(2) is applied on a per employee basis without regard to 
movements between different agencies during the 12-month period 
following a birth or placement. As long as the employee is covered by 
the title 5 FMLA unpaid leave and paid parental leave provisions while 
serving in different agencies, the employee would be limited to a total 
of 12 weeks of paid parental leave per qualifying birth or placement. 
However, if an employee has received paid parental leave benefits in 
connection with a given birth or placement under a different paid 
parental leave authority applicable to Federal employees (e.g., the 
paid parental leave benefit for legislative branch employees in 2 
U.S.C. 1312), and moves to a position covered by the title 5 paid 
parental leave authority during the 12-month period following birth or 
placement, there is no basis for limiting or offsetting title 5 paid 
parental leave benefits based on receipt of leave benefits under 
another authority.
    Section 630.1703(c) and (d) address how the entitlement of 12 
administrative workweeks of paid parental leave is converted to hours 
or days, depending on the nature of an employee's scheduled tour of 
duty and whether leave is charged on an hourly or daily basis. For 
example, paragraph (c) gives an example of a regular full-time employee 
who has 80 hours in the biweekly scheduled tour of duty and who is 
charged leave on an hourly basis. For such an employee, 12 
administrative workweeks translate into 480 hours. (12 weeks = 6 
biweekly periods. 6 times 80 hours = 480 hours.) Paragraph (c) also 
addresses employees with part-time work schedules or uncommon tours. 
Paragraph (d) addresses employees who are charged leave on a daily 
basis. For example, for an employee who has 8 workdays each biweekly 
pay period, 12 administrative workweeks translate to 48 days (12 weeks 
= 6 biweekly periods. 8 days times 6 biweekly periods = 48 days.).
    Section 630.1703(e) addresses how to recalculate an employee's 
unused balance of paid parental leave if there is a change in an 
employee's scheduled tour of duty during the 12-month period commencing 
on the date of the given birth or placement. For example, if a regular 
full-time employee has a balance of 120 hours of unused paid parental 
leave for a 12-month period that is in progress and then converts to a 
part-time schedule of 20 hours per week, the balance would be 
recalculated to be 60 hours. (The new part-time tour is 40 hours 
biweekly, compared to 80 for a regular full-time tour. 40/80 times 120 
equals 60.)
    Section 630.1703(f)(1) provides that an agency may not require an 
employee to use annual leave or sick leave to the employee's credit 
before allowing the employee to use paid parental leave, consistent 
with section 6382(d)(2)(C). Paragraph (f)(1) also states that an 
employee may request to use annual leave or sick leave without invoking 
FMLA unpaid leave under subpart L. As discussed earlier in connection 
with Sec.  630.1206(e), by requesting to use annual or sick leave 
without invoking FMLA leave, an employee can preserve entitlement to 
use FMLA unpaid leave at another time and to substitute paid parental 
leave for that FMLA unpaid leave. For example, an employee who is a 
birth mother has an entitlement to use sick leave for the post-birth 
recovery period. By using sick leave to cover the post-birth recovery 
period, the employee would preserve the ability to invoke FMLA leave 
and take an additional 12 weeks of paid parental leave at a later time 
(up to 1 year following birth), thus extending the time the employee 
can spend with the newly born child. An agency has more control over 
the scheduling of an employee's annual leave if it is requested 
independent of FMLA leave. However, if an employee invokes FMLA leave 
based on the birth or placement of a child, the employee would be 
entitled to use that FMLA leave for a continuous block of time 
following the birth or placement and then would be entitled to 
substitute annual leave for that block of time. (In contrast, FMLA 
leave based on the birth or placement of a child may not be taken 
intermittently unless the employee and the employing agency agree 
otherwise. See section 6382(b) and Sec.  630.1205(a). We note that 
employees have a right to substitute paid parental leave for FMLA 
unpaid leave for birth/placement purposes. Thus, if an agency agrees to 
intermittent use of FMLA unpaid leave for birth/placement purposes, the 
agency is, in effect, agreeing to intermittent use of paid parental 
leave leave.)
    Section 630.1703(f)(2) provides that paid parental leave may not be 
used prior to the birth or placement involved. This restriction applies 
even if an employee used FMLA unpaid leave for birth or placement 
purposes prior to the birth or placement event, as allowed under Sec.  
630.1203(d).
    Section 630.1703(f)(3) states that an employee with a seasonal work 
schedule may not use paid parental leave during the off-season period 
designated by the agency--the period during which the employee is 
scheduled to be released from work and placed in nonpay status. In 
other words, paid parental leave cannot be used as a basis for 
extending a seasonal employee's work season. (For employees appointed 
under title 5, seasonal employment is addressed in 5 CFR 340.402.)
    Section 630.1703(g) provides that, if an employee has any unused 
balance of

[[Page 48081]]

paid parental leave remaining at the end of the 12-month period 
following the birth or placement involved, the entitlement to the 
unused leave expires at that time. The unused leave may not be rolled 
over for use in a future period, nor may a payment be made to the 
employee for unused paid parental leave that has expired. Paid parental 
leave may not be considered annual leave for purposes of making a lump-
sum payment for annual leave or for any other purpose. (See section 
6382(d)(2)(D)(ii) and (iii).)
    Section 630.1703(h) addresses an agency's authority to require 
documentation of leave entitlement and the submission of employee 
certifications. At an agency's request, an employee must provide the 
agency with appropriate documentation it deems necessary to establish 
that the employee's use of paid parental leave is directly connected to 
a birth or placement. Appropriate documentation could include, but is 
not limited to, a birth certificate or a document from an adoption or 
foster care agency regarding the placement. Also, an agency may require 
that an employee sign a certification attesting that the paid parental 
leave is being taken in connection with a birth or placement that has 
occurred. The employee may also be required to attest that the paid 
parental leave is being used for appropriate purposes, such as the 
birth mother's recovery from giving birth or to care for the child. 
(See Sec.  630.1203(g) and (i)). This employee certification may 
contain a statement in which the employee acknowledges an understanding 
of the consequences of engaging in fraud by providing a false 
certification.
    The effective date of an employee's election of paid parental leave 
may not be delayed because an employee has not provided requested 
certifications. However, the granting of paid parental leave will be 
considered to be conditional or provisional in nature, subject to the 
employee providing agency-required documentation or certification 
within required time frames. The required time frame is usually 15 
calendar days from the date of an agency request (if any) for 
documentation. If it is not practicable for an employee to respond 
within the 15-day time frame, despite the employee's diligent, good 
faith efforts, the employee must provide the documentation or 
certification within a reasonable period of time, but no later than 30 
calendar days after the date of the agency's original request. (These 
time frames are consistent with the documentation requirements for sick 
leave in 5 CFR 630.405(b), the FMLA leave in 5 CFR 630.1208(h) and the 
disabled veteran leave in 5 CFR 630.1307(c).) If certain documentation 
desired by the agency is not readily available, an agency could require 
an employee to self-certify that the leave is being taken for a valid 
reason and to commit to providing the documentation as soon as 
practicable. If the employee does not provide the documentation, the 
agency could then make a request that triggers the 15-day clock.
    If agency-requested documentation or certification is not timely 
submitted, the agency may invalidate the paid parental leave and 
convert the employee to an appropriate nonpay status, which would 
result in a salary overpayment debt owed to the agency. An employee may 
request that the debt be eliminated by applying annual leave or other 
appropriate types of paid time off to the employee's credit to the 
affected periods of time. If the agency determines that an employee 
fraudulently claimed an entitlement to paid parental leave, the agency 
may pursue an appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including 
removal from the Federal service.

Sec.  630.1704--Pay During Leave

    Section 630.1704(a) states the principle that the pay an employee 
receives when using paid parental leave shall be the same pay the 
employee would receive if the employee were using annual leave. In 
other words, agency payroll systems will apply the same rules they 
apply in determining what pay continues during annual leave.
    Section 630.1704(b) provides that paid parental leave is a type of 
leave that is counted in applying the 8-hour rule in 5 U.S.C. 5545(a) 
and 5 CFR 550.122(b) that determines whether night pay is payable 
during periods of leave. This is consistent with the treatment of 
annual leave.
    Section 630.1704(c) provides that the pay received during paid 
parental leave may not include Sunday premium pay, consistent with the 
statutory bar in section 624 of the Treasury and General Government 
Appropriations Act, 1999 (Pub. L. 105-277, div. A, Sec.  101(h), 
October 21, 1998).

Sec.  630.1705--Work Obligation

    Section 630.1705(a) provides that an employee may not use paid 
parental leave unless the employee agrees (in writing), before the 
start of paid parental leave, to work for the applicable employing 
agency for not less than 12 weeks beginning on the first scheduled 
workday after such leave concludes. This means that paid parental leave 
may not be provided to an employee unless the employee enters into such 
an agreement. (An exception to this rule is provided in cases where an 
employee is incapacitated and unable to enter into such agreement. See 
Sec.  630.1706.)
    Section 630.1705(b) provides rules for interpreting Sec.  
630.1705(a). The term ``in writing'' in connection with an employee 
agreement is defined to include an acceptable electronic signature. The 
term ``work'' means a period during which the employee is in duty 
status (i.e., actually working), excluding any periods (paid or unpaid) 
of leave, time off, or other nonduty status. (Periods of paid time off 
include paid holidays on which an employee does not work. Periods of 
other nonduty status include such periods as a furlough or an absence 
without leave (AWOL).) Any periods of leave, time off, or other periods 
of nonduty status will extend how long it will take the employee to 
fulfill the 12-week work obligation. To satisfy the work obligation, 
the employee must complete 12 weeks of work regardless of how much 
leave he or she takes before satisfying the obligation.
    The term ``applicable employing agency'' means the agency employing 
the employee at the time use of paid parental leave concludes. The time 
paid parental leave concludes is the date that is the workday on which 
an employee finishes using 12 administrative workweeks of paid parental 
leave during the 12-month period that began on the date of birth or 
placement. If the employee does not use 12 administrative workweeks of 
paid parental leave during the 12-month period that began on the date 
of birth or placement, the day that is the last workday on which an 
employee takes paid parental leave is considered to be the date the 
paid parental leave concludes.
    Section 630.1705(c) provides instructions on how to convert the 12-
week work obligation to hours for employees who are charged leave on an 
hourly basis (including fractions of an hour). The 12-week work 
obligation must be converted to hours based on the number of hours in 
the employee's scheduled tour of duty, consistent with the rules in 
Sec.  630.1703(c). If an employee's scheduled tour of duty changes 
before the employee completes the 12-week work obligation, the agency 
must recalculate the balance of work hours owed, consistent with the 
rules in Sec.  630.1703(e).
    Section 630.1705(d) provides how to convert the 12-week work 
obligation to days for employees who are charged leave on a daily 
basis. The days

[[Page 48082]]

equivalent of 12 weeks must be derived based on the average number of 
workdays in the employee's established tour of duty over a biweekly pay 
period, consistent with the rules in Sec.  630.1703(d).
    Section 630.1705(e) provides that, as part of the written agreement 
described in Sec.  630.1705(a), an employee must agree that, in the 
event the employee does not complete the 12-week work obligation, the 
employee will pay the reimbursement amount specified in 630.1705(f) 
unless the affected employing agency determines the reimbursement 
requirement will not be applied.
    Section 630.1705(f) states the rules for applying the reimbursement 
requirement when an employee fails to fulfill the work obligation as 
stated in the employee's written agreement. Under the work obligation, 
an employee is required to return to work for 12 weeks after paid 
parental leave concludes. If the employee fails to return to work for 
12 weeks, an agency may require a reimbursement equal in amount to the 
total amount of any Government contributions paid by the agency on 
behalf of the employee to maintain the employee's health insurance 
coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program 
established under 5 U.S.C. chapter 89 during the period(s) when paid 
parental leave was used. If an agency determines that reimbursement 
must be made, it must seek collection of the full amount. There is no 
authority for a partial waiver of the amount owed.
    Since the statutory language about returning to work shows an 
intent that the employee be continuously employed by the applicable 
employing agency (i.e., the agency employing the employee at the time 
use of paid parental leave concludes) while performing the required 12 
weeks of work, the regulation also provides that a separation from that 
agency (excluding an intra-agency reassignment without a break in 
service) before completion of the required weeks of work will 
constitute failure to return to work for 12 weeks.
    The determination to impose the reimbursement requirement is 
generally within an agency's sole and exclusive discretion. However, an 
agency may not impose the reimbursement requirement if the agency 
determines that the employee is unable to return to work for the 
required 12 weeks because of (1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset 
of serious health condition (including mental health) of the employee 
or the newly born or placed child that is related to birth or 
placement, or (2) any other circumstance beyond the employee's control. 
In the case of a newly born or placed child, any serious health 
condition of the child will be deemed to be related to the applicable 
birth or placement.
    We note that clauses (i) and (iii) of section 6382(d)(2)(F) speak 
of an employee being ``unable to return to work'' and section 
6382(d)(2)(G)(i) speaks of an employee who ``fails to return from paid 
leave.'' Given the express requirement in section 6382(d)(2)(F)(i) that 
an employee agree to work for the applicable employing agency for 12 
weeks after paid parental leave concludes, we are interpreting the 
language referenced in the preceding sentence as referring to an 
employee who has not returned to work for the 12 weeks to which the 
employee committed in the agreement.
    Section 630.1705(g) provides that when making a determination to 
forbear from requiring a reimbursement, an agency may require an 
employee to provide certification from a health care provider 
supporting the employee's claim that a serious health condition is 
causing the employee to be unable return to work for the required 12 
weeks. An agency may require additional examinations and certifications 
from other health care providers if it deems it necessary. Any such 
additional examinations will be at the agency's expense.
    Section 630.1705(h) states the principles governing determinations 
that circumstances beyond the employee's control prevent the employee 
from completing the 12-week work obligation. (See Sec.  
630.1705(f)(ii).) These circumstances must be ones that truly compel an 
employee to not return to work with the employing agency. Circumstances 
that constitute a matter of employee preference or convenience, such as 
an employee choosing to stay home to care for a healthy newborn will 
not suffice.
    Section 630.1705(i) provides how to apply the reimbursement 
requirement described in Sec.  630.1705(f)(1) if more than one agency 
provided Government contributions on behalf of an employee for that 
employee's health insurance coverage during periods of paid parental 
leave. In those cases, the employing agency that employed the employee 
at the time use of paid parental leave concluded is responsible for 
informing any other affected agency of the employee's failure to 
complete the required 12 weeks of work. If an employee fails to 
complete the 12-week work obligation, any agency that provided 
Government contributions for health insurance during a period of paid 
parental leave is responsible for determining whether the reimbursement 
requirement associated with a period of agency employment should be 
applied. The agency that employed the employee at the time paid 
parental leave concludes must first make its reimbursement 
determination and then inform any other affected agency of its 
determination.
    Section 630.1705(j) provides that each agency is responsible for 
adopting its own set of policies governing when it will or will not 
apply the reimbursement requirement described in Sec.  630.1705(f). A 
single agency-wide set of policies should be in place so that employees 
within an agency are treated consistently.
    Section 630.1705(k) states an imposed reimbursement represents a 
debt owed to the affected agency and is subject to collection 
procedures under the Federal Claims Collection Standards in 31 CFR 
parts 900 through 904.

Sec.  630.1706--Cases of Employee Incapacitation

    Section 630.1706 provides the application of paid parental leave in 
cases where an employee is incapacitated at the time the use of paid 
parental leave would be permissible. Paragraph (a) allows the employee 
to retroactively use paid parental leave. This provision allows for the 
retroactive election to use paid parental leave under FMLA if the 
agency determines that an otherwise eligible employee who could have 
made an election during a past period to substitute paid parental leave 
and enter a work obligation agreement was physically or mentally 
incapable of doing so during that past period. Upon this determination, 
the agency must allow the employee, when no longer incapacitated, to 
make an election to substitute paid parental leave for applicable FMLA 
unpaid leave. The employee must make this election within 5 workdays of 
returning to work. As part of such election, the employee must also 
sign a work obligation agreement.
    Paragraph (b) allows an employee's personal representative to 
elect, on behalf of the employee, to substitute paid parental leave for 
applicable FMLA unpaid leave (i.e., approved FMLA leave based on birth 
or placement of a child). If an agency determines that an otherwise 
eligible employee is physically or mentally incapable of making an 
election to substitute paid parental leave and entering into a work 
obligation agreement, the agency must, upon the request of a personal 
representative the agency finds acceptable, provide conditional

[[Page 48083]]

approval of substitution of paid parental leave for applicable FMLA 
unpaid leave under Sec.  630.1703(a) on a prospective basis.
    An employee covered by paragraph (b) who has been incapacitated 
would be required--within 5 workdays after the employee returns to 
work--to enter into a written agreement to (1) meet the work obligation 
described in Sec.  630.1705 or (2) pay the required reimbursement (if 
determined to be applicable).
    An employee who does not agree to enter into the required work 
obligation agreement will have any used paid parental leave cancelled 
and designated as invalid. The invalidated leave that was used based on 
the conditional approval during the employee's incapacitation must be 
converted to an unpaid absence(s) as ``leave without pay'' (LWOP). An 
employee can request to use other types of qualifying paid leave or 
other paid time off to the employee's credit to cover the LWOP period. 
If the employee does not elect to use other qualifying periods of paid 
time off for the LWOP period, the LWOP period represents a debt owed by 
the employee to which debt collection procedures apply.

Sec.  630.1707--Cases of Multiple Children Born or Placed in the Same 
Time Period

    Section 630.1707 addresses the application of paid parental leave 
in cases in which an employee has multiple children newly born or 
placed in the same time period. If an employee has multiple children 
born or placed on the same day, that event will be treated as a single 
event triggering a single entitlement of up to 12 weeks of paid 
parental leave during the 12-month period following the event. If an 
employee has one or more children born or placed during the 12-month 
period following the date of an earlier birth or placement, each 
subsequent birth or placement event will result in a 12-month period 
commencing on the date of birth or placement with its own 12-week 
limit. Any use of paid parental leave during a given 12-month period 
will count toward that period's 12-week limit. Thus, when such 12-month 
periods overlap, any use of paid parental leave during the overlap will 
count toward each affected 12-month period's 12-week limit. The 
regulations provide an example.

Sec.  630.1708--Records and Reports

    Section 630.1708(a) provides that an agency must maintain an 
accurate record of an employee's usage of paid parental leave.
    Section 630.1708(b) provides that in agency data systems (including 
timekeeping systems) and in data reports submitted to OPM, an agency 
must record usage of paid parental leave in the manner prescribed by 
the Office of Personnel Management.

Executive Order 13563 and Executive Order 12866

    Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all 
costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). The 
Office of Management and Budget has determined that this is an 
economically significant regulatory action. In accordance with the 
provisions of Executive Order 12866, this rule was reviewed by the 
Office of Management and Budget.

A. Statement of Need

    OPM is issuing the rule to implement the Federal Employee Paid 
Leave Act. Currently, Federal employees must take unpaid parental leave 
unless they use their sick or annual leave during parental leave. This 
regulation will provide paid parental leave to parents of newly born or 
placed children in the Federal workforce, serving as a model for the 
rest of the country.

B. Number of Federal Employees and Economic Impact

    This rule applies to Federal civilian employees and the agencies 
that employ them covered by FMLA provisions in title 5, United States 
Code. We estimate that approximately 2 million Federal civilian 
employees will be covered by the interim final rule based on coverage 
under title 5 FMLA provisions.
    This estimate reflects coverage of most Executive Branch employees. 
Employees of certain Executive Branch agencies such as the U.S. Postal 
Service, the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Federal Reserve Board, 
the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Transportation Security 
Administration (TSA) are excluded, as those agencies are not covered by 
the title 5 FMLA provisions (except for TSA screener personnel, as 
discussed in this SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). This coverage estimate 
includes approximately 95,000 employees of nonappropriated fund 
instrumentalities described in 5 U.S.C. 2105 (i.e., exchanges and other 
entities that conduct activities for the comfort, pleasure, 
contentment, and mental and physical improvement of armed forces 
personnel) in the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard who are 
covered by the title 5 FMLA provisions based on 5 U.S.C. 2105(c)(1)(E). 
The estimate excludes employees of the Executive Office of the 
President, the Executive Residence at the White House, and the official 
residence of the Vice President, as they are covered by FMLA 
regulations issued under 3 U.S.C. 412. (See also 3 U.S.C. 401(a)(2)-
(4).) (Note: Under 3 U.S.C. 412(c), the regulations implementing the 
title 3 FMLA provisions may be consistent with the title 5 FMLA 
regulations.) The estimate excludes approximately 100,000-150,000 
employees with temporary appointments or intermittent work schedules, 
as such employees are excluded from coverage under title 5 FMLA 
provisions.
    The estimate includes approximately 26,000 Judicial Branch 
employees who are covered by title 5 FMLA provisions. The estimate 
excludes Legislative Branch employees, except for approximately 1,600 
employees of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), as all other 
Legislative Branch employees are not covered by title 5 FMLA 
provisions.
    While approximately 2 million employees will be covered by this 
interim final rule, eligibility depends on the occurrence of a birth of 
an employee's child or placement of a child with the employee for 
purposes of adoption or foster care. OPM identified annual birth rate 
data for mothers and fathers (by age group) in National Vital 
Statistics Reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf 
and https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    OPM then applied that data to Federal civilian employees by gender 
and by age group to derive estimates of annual birth events. For the 
population of approximately 1.9 million nonseasonal, full-time 
permanent Federal employees, OPM estimated that there would be about 
51,000 annual birth events (51,248/1,889,147 = 2.71 percent occurrence 
rate). We note that a birth may be counted as two birth events if both 
parents are covered by this interim final rule. We also note that this 
rule may affect birth rates for Federal employees, and that many other 
factors unrelated to this rule may affect birth rates. For simplicity, 
we use this figure to estimate annual transfers associated with this 
rule.
    We note that at least two Federal agencies, the Securities and 
Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 
(FDIC)

[[Page 48084]]

began providing 6 weeks of paid parental leave to their employees--in 
October 2019 for SEC and January 2020 for FDIC. These SEC and FDIC 
employees will be covered by the title 5 paid parental leave provisions 
once they take effect on October 1, 2020. As the employee population at 
these two agencies represents only about 0.5 percent of the total 
Federal workforce, estimates here are not adjusted for the fact that 
these employees have had a lesser paid parental leave benefit for a 
period of time. The estimates in this regulatory impact analysis are 
necessarily rough in nature and based on a number of simplifying 
assumptions, and this has a minor effect on estimates.
    OPM used average salaries by gender and by age group to estimate 
the dollar value of salary, not including employer-paid benefits, for 
12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with a birth event. If 
each birth event resulted in 12 weeks of paid parental leave for an 
affected employee, OPM estimated that the total value of the salary 
paid during parental leave in a year would be approximately $900 
million. This equals about 0.54 percent of total basic payroll for the 
1.9 million Federal employees in OPM's study population.
    However, the 1.9 million employee population used to generate the 
$900 million annual estimate count was based on nonseasonal, full-time 
permanent employees in the OPM-managed Governmentwide database and was 
not adjusted based on employee coverage under title 5 FMLA provisions. 
For example, it included roughly 100,000 FAA and TSA employees but 
excluded part-time and seasonal employees. In addition, some employees 
covered by title 5 FMLA provisions are not in the OPM database. 
However, the 1.9 million employee population included in this database 
can reasonably be viewed as representative of the 2.0 million employee 
population covered by title 5 FMLA provisions. Based on OPM data, the 
2.0 million employee population includes approximately 50,000 part-time 
employees. If we assumed that 50,000 of the 100,000 employees between 
1.9 million and 2.0 million were part-time employees who on average had 
a half-time work schedule, then we would adjust the $900 million 
estimate to be $935 million in terms of direct salary costs.
    This rule also affects an employee following the occurrence 
placement of a child with the employee for purposes of adoption or 
foster care. OPM does not have data regarding the extent to which 
Federal employees have children placed with them for adoption or foster 
care. A National Council for Adoption report stated the annual number 
of adoptions in the United States is about 110,000.\2\ The Children's 
Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services collects data on 
foster care in the United States. The Children's Bureau reported that 
approximately 263,000 children entered the foster care system in fiscal 
year (FY) 2018.\3\ That statistic does not account for children who may 
have multiple placements while continuously in the foster care system. 
The Children's Bureau also reported that about 62,000 of the children 
who left the foster care system (25 percent of the total) in FY 2018 
were adopted. It also reported that, in 52% of such adoptions (about 
32,000), the child was placed with a foster parent. Since the interim 
final paid parental leave regulations do not consider such an adoption 
to be a new placement triggering the right to use FMLA leave and paid 
parental leave, for the purpose of our estimates, those adoptions could 
be subtracted from the 110,000 annual count of adoptions. Rather than 
make that adjustment, OPM will assume that the number of placements of 
foster children already in the foster care system is roughly the same 
(32,000) so that the effects are offsetting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ https://indd.adobe.com/view/4ae7a823-4140-4f27-961a-cd9f16a5f362.
    \3\ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport26.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If we assume there are annually 110,000 adoptions and 260,000 
foster care placements, we have 370,000 total placements. This number 
can be compared to the number of persons in the United States in the 
age range of 18 to 64--an age range that roughly corresponds the age 
range for Federal Government employees. According to the July 2019 
census data, the total U.S. population was 328,239,523. Of that total, 
16% were 65 and older and another 22.4% were under 18, meaning that the 
remaining 61.6%, or 202,195,546, were in the 18-64 age range. If we 
divide 370,000 by 202 million, we derive 0.18 percent, which represents 
the percentage of U.S. adults ages 18-64 who will have an adoption or 
foster care placement in a given year. We will assume that the same 
percentage of Federal employees will have an adoption or foster care 
placement event in a given year. Applying that percentage (0.18 
percent) to the 2 million Federal employees covered by the title 5 FMLA 
provisions, we estimate that these Federal employees will have 3,600 
adoption or foster care placement events annually. In contrast, we 
estimated above that these Federal employees will have about 51,000 
birth events annually (2.71 percent). The combined event percentage 
would be 2.89 percent (2.71 + 0.18), which represents an increase of 
about 6.6 percent above the 2.71 percent factor that was used to 
generate the direct salary cost estimate of approximately $935 million. 
Thus, we can apply that same 6.6 percent adjustment factor to derive a 
revised direct salary cost estimate of about $995 million.
    OPM also lacks data on Federal employees who might yield custody of 
a child for adoption or under a surrogacy arrangement at the time of 
birth, which would not generate a 12-week paid parental leave benefit 
under the interim final rule. For purposes of this analysis, OPM 
assumes these cases will not have a significant effect on the overall 
estimates.

C. Transfers

    The payment of paid parental leave generates a ``transfer''--a 
movement or redistribution of monetary payments from one group to 
another that does not affect total resources. The Government is 
transferring payments from the general public to Federal employees. For 
purposes of these estimates, we assume that the amount of service 
performed by Federal employees is not affected by this rule. That means 
that staff will perform the work that would have been performed by 
employees newly taking parental leave, and that new staff may need to 
be hired to complete this work. Employees may also receive additional 
payment in cases where they would have otherwise taken other categories 
of leave. This implies that total payments to Federal employees will 
increase, while total services provided by the Federal workforce will 
remain constant.
    In the context of paid parental leave, there are a variety of types 
of shifts or transfers, depending on what would have otherwise happened 
if the employee had not received paid parental leave.
     If an employee would have otherwise used leave without pay 
for periods covered by paid parental leave, there is an immediate 
transfer from the Government to the employee receiving paid parental 
leave, but there is no need for other staff to work additional hours to 
maintain the level of Government service.
     If an employee would have otherwise used annual leave 
during periods covered by paid parental leave, the employee will have a 
higher balance of annual leave. The employee could use that annual 
leave at a later time. If

[[Page 48085]]

so, that has the same effect as paid parental leave replacing work--but 
the effect is not immediate. The annual leave used at a later time will 
be in place of work hours; thus, to maintain the same level of service, 
an agency may need to hire additional staff. On the other hand, the use 
of paid parental leave instead of annual leave could cause an employee 
to have a higher annual leave balance at the time of separation from 
Federal service. In that case, there is no need to hire additional 
staff, but an agency would have to make a larger lump-sum payment of 
the unused annual-leave balance upon the employee leaving the 
Government. Alternatively, an employee with a higher balance of annual 
leave could hit the maximum amount of accrued annual leave (240 hours 
for most employees) that an employee can carry over into the next year. 
If so, excess unused annual leave hours would be lost--some of which 
might be connected to higher balances resulting from the employee's use 
of paid parental leave instead of annual leave. In that last scenario, 
to the extent that the lost excess leave could be viewed as resulting 
from paid parental leave, the employee would never use the leave and, 
thus, there would be no need to hire additional staff to cover loss 
productivity from the use of that leave. We lack data to estimate if 
and when, and the extent to which, annual leave lump-sum payments may 
be affected. We invite commenters to submit any available data 
regarding this matter. So, for those who would have otherwise used 
annual leave, the transfer could be delayed to a later point during the 
employee's Federal service or to the point of separation from Federal 
service, or could never occur due to the annual leave carry-over limit.
     If an employee would have otherwise used sick leave during 
period covered by paid parental leave, the availability of paid 
parental leave will cause the employee to have a higher sick leave 
balance. While we lack data, we believe that Federal employees, 
particularly birth mothers, use significant amounts of sick leave in 
connection with a birth event. While it is possible that some of the 
extra sick leave might be used later by an employee in lieu of leave 
without pay, we believe that the saved sick leave will generally be 
fully reflected in the employee's balance at the time of separation. 
For employees who retire with entitlement to an immediate annuity, 
unused sick leave is creditable service for the purpose of computing an 
employee's retirement annuity. So, for this type of shift, the transfer 
is less than the value of the paid parental leave and is delayed until 
retirement--and applies only to those with entitlement to an immediate 
annuity. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that higher annuity 
payments due to increased sick leave balances at retirement (resulting 
from availability of paid parental leave) would increase direct 
spending by less than $500,000 over the 2020-2029 period.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-12/s1790paygosenate.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     If an employee would otherwise not have taken leave, other 
staff will perform the work that would have been performed by that 
employee, and new staff may need to be hired to complete this work.
    While we have identified scenarios in which the transfers could be 
delayed or even, in the sick leave scenario, not equal to the full 
value of the paid parental leave, we lack data to estimate the effects 
those scenarios will have on annual costs during the 5-year timeframe 
for this regulatory impact analysis.
    Employees who, after use of paid parental leave concludes, do not 
return to duty and complete 12 weeks of work are subject to a possible 
reimbursement obligation that is based on the cost of agency 
contributions to health insurance premiums during the use of paid 
parental leave. However, the employing agency has considerable 
discretion in imposing the reimbursement requirement and is barred from 
imposing it in some cases. We expect that the number of employees who 
do not complete the required 12 weeks of work would be a small 
percentage. In light of those factors, we do not believe that the 
reimbursement requirement will have a significant impact of transfer 
estimates.
    In order to estimate transfers, it is necessary to make assumptions 
about utilization. We lack data to assume that employees will not take 
full advantage of this paid parental leave. We are aware that there is 
some data that parental leave is not fully utilized--especially by 
males. However, the referenced examples of which we are aware do not 
involve full income replacement, as does the new paid parental leave 
for Federal employees. Until we have actual experience under the 
Federal paid parental leave program, we lack data to assert that 
employees will use less than the full amount of leave that is 
available. However, we note that the utilization rate substantially 
impacts transfer estimates.
    We recognize that transfers include the cost of government-paid 
benefits as well as for direct salary costs. These include 
contributions towards retirement and insurance, Thrift Savings Plan 
(TSP) contributions, Social Security and Medicare taxes, and paid leave 
and holidays--which would inflate the total compensation costs by about 
50 percent above the estimated direct salary costs of $995 million 
(i.e., $498 million in benefit costs).
    As noted, we lack data to quantify many important aspects of the 
effects of this rule on payments to Federal staff. In particular, we 
lack data to forecast utilization of paid parental leave, and the 
extent to which paid parental leave will replace utilization of sick 
leave. Accordingly, at this time, we estimate that the value of 
transfers associated with paid parental leave, including salary and 
benefits, will be about $1.49 billion ($995 million salary and $498 
million benefits) per year before accounting for incomplete utilization 
of paid parental leave and shifts in leave utilization from sick leave 
to paid parental leave. We estimate that, after accounting for these 
factors, the rule will result in transfers of between 60 and 90 percent 
of this value. This implies annual transfers of between $890 million 
and $1.3 billion, with a mean estimate of $1.1 billion. This represents 
under 1 percent of total basic payroll for Federal employees covered by 
the title 5 FMLA provisions. We request public comment on these 
estimates.

D. Costs

    This interim final rule will affect the operations of over 120 
Federal agencies--ranging from cabinet-level departments to small 
independent agencies. We estimate that this rule will require 
individuals employed by these agencies to spend time in order to update 
agency policies and procedures for parental leave, and to devote 
additional time to manage staffing following increased utilization of 
parental leave. For the purpose of this cost analysis, the assumed 
average salary rate of Federal employees performing this work will be 
the rate in 2020 for GS-14, step 5, from the Washington, DC, locality 
pay table ($137,491 annual locality rate and $65.88 hourly locality 
rate). We assume that the total dollar value of labor, which includes 
wages, benefits, and overhead, is equal to 200 percent of the wage 
rate, resulting in an assumed labor cost of $131.76 per hour.
    In order to comply with the regulatory changes in this interim 
final rule, affected agencies will need to review the rule and update 
their policies and procedures. We estimate that, in the first

[[Page 48086]]

year following publication of the final rule, this will require an 
average of 160 hours of work by employees with an average hourly cost 
of $131.76. This would result in estimated costs in that first year of 
implementation of about $21,000 per agency, and about $2.5 million in 
total Governmentwide. In addition, agencies will face ongoing 
administrative costs (including the administrative costs of 
administering the program and hiring and training new staff to replace 
lost hours of work) as Federal employees utilize additional parental 
leave. We estimate that this will require an average of 520 hours of 
work per agency by employees with an average hourly cost of $131.76 in 
each year following publication of the final rule. This would result in 
estimated annually recurring costs averaging about $69,000 per agency 
and about $8.2 million in total Governmentwide.

E. Benefits

    As discussed previously, we estimate that this rule results in 
shifts in activity toward the care of young children by Federal 
employees, and away from other activities. We are unable to quantify 
the societal value of the benefits of paid parental leave and the 
societal value of activities foregone as a result of the rule. As a 
result, we are unable to quantify the net benefit of this shift in 
activity.
    The benefits of increased parental care of newborn and newly placed 
children enabled by paid parental leave are significant and can be 
described in qualitative terms. First of all, more Federal employees 
will be able to spend significant time with newly born or placed 
children during the first year after birth or placement. Various 
studies have shown the positive impact of increasing bonding between 
parent and child. Paid parental leave is not just a benefit for Federal 
employees, but for American society as a whole. It is a significant 
benefit that the Federal Government is acting as a role model in 
providing paid parental leave to its employees. This could have a large 
impact on other employers, influencing them to offer similar benefits. 
In turn, parents around the country would be able to spend additional 
time bonding with children.
    Various studies indicate that paid parental leave may improve the 
health of the birth mother and the child. Paid parental leave will 
allow parents to preserve annual and sick leave balances for future 
family needs. In general, in our society, women have traditionally 
borne greater responsibility for caring for children and sacrificing 
work careers. This paid parental leave benefit is gender neutral and 
also neutral between the birth mother and the other parent. This may 
help change expectations that parents have regarding the role each will 
play in raising children. It is expected to result in fathers having 
more involvement in child care, which could provide significant 
societal benefits, such as stronger marriage and family relationships. 
We believe that this benefit may support greater income equality 
between men and women by reducing the length of interruptions in the 
woman's career--by making it easier to have a child and then return to 
work. Such a policy may also address women's declining labor force 
participation that has been dropping since 2000, which has potential to 
positively impact the U.S. economy.
    While it is difficult to demonstrate cause and effect when it comes 
to adopting one new employee benefit, there are surveys and other 
indications that a family-friendly paid parental leave policy can help 
make an employer more attractive to job seekers, increase job 
satisfaction, increase employee morale and engagement, increase the 
likelihood of a birth mother returning to work, and reduce turnover 
(i.e., increase retention). While some assert that paid parental leave 
will produce monetary benefits that offset gross transfers, we do not 
believe it is possible to attribute reductions in spending on 
recruitment efforts, training costs, and related effects to a single 
factor. This new benefit will likely improve the desirability of 
Federal employment, and likely increase the quality of Federal 
employees, leading to improved services for the general public. Reduced 
turnover can have a positive effect on agency productivity and reduce 
the burdens on other employees while reducing recruitment costs. At the 
same time, the use of paid parental leave may temporarily increase the 
burdens on other employees.

F. Regulatory Alternatives

    For the most part, the paid parental leave benefit is established 
by statute. The amount of leave is set by statute at 12 weeks for each 
eligible employee. By statute, it applies equally to both parents. The 
statute requires that paid parental leave be provided via substitution 
for FMLA unpaid leave for purposes of birth and placement for adoption 
or foster care. The statute requires a fixed 12-week work obligation 
after paid parental leave concludes but allows agencies to decide 
whether to apply a reimbursement requirement (linked to Government 
contributions toward health insurance premiums), subject to specified 
limitations. The statute requires that OPM ``shall prescribe 
regulations necessary for administration'' of the title 5 FMLA leave 
provisions, including the paid parental leave provisions (5 U.S.C. 
6387)
    In many cases, the OPM regulations are explanatory in nature. OPM 
regulations do fill in some policy gaps, but any regulatory decisions 
had a marginal impact on transfers, costs, and benefits. OPM considered 
alternatives with respect to the documentation that would be required 
from employees seeking paid parental leave. One option was to require 
documentation in all cases and to specify the necessary types of 
documentation in regulation (e.g., birth certificate, adoption agency 
letter). The other option was to give the employing agency flexibility 
to determine what, if any, documentation would be required. Under this 
option, the regulation would give the employing agency authority to 
require submission of documentation and/or an employee certification 
when it felt it was necessary.
    In considering these options, we weighed the burden on supervisors 
and employees versus the need to ensure that appropriated monies are 
properly used and to prevent fraud. We recognized that in some cases, a 
supervisor may have personal knowledge of an employee's situation and a 
paperwork requirement would be unnecessary. In general, we believe the 
risk of fraud is low--especially in birth cases. We determined that the 
regulations should not mandate documentation in all cases, but should 
give agencies, as a necessary tool, the authority to require submission 
of documentation and/or employee certifications. We also determined 
that the employing agency should be responsible for determining what 
documentation is sufficient proof of entitlement to paid parental 
leave.

G. List of Studies Considered

AEI-Brookings Working Group on Paid Family Leave, ``Paid Family and 
Medical Leave: AN ISSUE WHOSE TIME HAS COME''--May 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/es_20170606_paidfamilyleave.pdf
AEI-Brookings Working Group on Paid Family Leave, ``The AEI-Brookings 
Working Group Report on Paid Family and Medical Leave: CHARTING A PATH 
FORWARD''--September 2018, https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-AEI-Brookings-Working-Group-Report-on-Paid-Family-and-Medical-Leave.pdf

[[Page 48087]]

American Action Forum, ``Analysis of AEI-Brookings Working Group 
Proposal on Paid Parental Leave''--June 2017, https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/analysis-aei-brookings-working-group-proposal-paid-parental-leave/
American Action Forum, ``The Fiscal Implications of the FAMILY Act: How 
New Paid Leave Benefits Increase Leave-Taking and Drive Up Estimated 
Program Costs''--March 2019, https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/the-fiscal-implications-of-the-family-act-how-new-paid-leave-benefits-increase-leave-taking-and-drive-up-estimated-program-costs/
Institute for Women's Policy Research, ``Paid Parental Leave in the 
United States: What the data tell us about access, usage, and economic 
and health benefits''--January 23, 2014, https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/wpallimport/files/iwpr-export/publications/B334-Paid%20Parental%20Leave%20in%20the%20United%20States.pdf
National Partnership for Women & Families, ``Leading on Leave: 
Companies With New or Expanded Paid Leave Policies (2015-2019)''--
August 2019, https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/new-and-expanded-employer-paid-family-leave-policies.pdf
Pew Research Center, ``Americans Widely Support Paid Family and Medical 
Leave, but Differ Over Specific Policies''--March 2017, https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/03/23/americans-widely-support-paid-family-and-medical-leave-but-differ-over-specific-policies/
Urban Institute, ``Paid Family Leave in the United States: Time for a 
New National Policy''--May 2017, https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/90201/paid_family_leave_0.pdf

H. Supporting Data Tables

        Table 1a--Projected Birth Events for Female Federal Employees Based on Nationwide Maternity Rates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                               Projected  number
                                                      Number of  Federal      Nationwide      of female  Federal
                      Age group                           employees *      maternity  rates     employees  with
                                                                                  (%)             birth event
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-19...............................................                 246                3.23                   8
20-24...............................................              11,345                6.80                 771
25-29...............................................              40,412                9.53               3,851
30-34...............................................              77,780                9.97               7,755
35-39...............................................             106,474                5.26               5,601
40-44...............................................             102,229                1.18               1,206
45-49...............................................             109,753                0.09                  99
                                                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    Total...........................................             448,239  ..................              19,291
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of Federal employee counts: FedScope--July 2019; * nonseasonal full-time permanent employees.
Source of maternity rates: National Vital Statistics Reports: Volume 68, number 13, Births: Final Data for 2018
  (11-27-19)--See Tables 2 or 5 for birth rates for mothers. Those tables do not show data for higher female age
  ranges. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf.


         Table 1b--Projected Birth Events for Male Federal Employees Based on Nationwide Paternity Rates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                               Projected  number
                                                      Number of  Federal      Nationwide       of male  Federal
                      Age group                           employees *      paternity  rates     employees  with
                                                                                  (%)             birth event
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-19...............................................                 461                1.04                   5
20-24...............................................              16,493                5.16                 851
25-29...............................................              53,526                8.74               4,678
30-34...............................................             103,909               10.38              10,786
35-39...............................................             142,268                6.91               9,831
40-44...............................................             132,208                2.86               3,781
45-49...............................................             147,679                0.96               1,418
50-54...............................................             165,670                0.29                 480
55+.................................................             317,653                0.04                 127
                                                     -----------------------------------------------------------
    Total...........................................           1,079,867  ..................              31,957
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of Federal employee counts: FedScope--July 2019; * nonseasonal full-time permanent employees.
Source of paternity rates: National Vital Statistics Reports: Volume 66, number 1, Births: Final Data for 2015
  (1-5-17)--see Table 17 for birth rates for fathers. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf.


          Table 2--Average Salary for Female and Male Employees
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Female average       Male average
            Age group                   salary              salary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-19...........................             $32,808             $36,196
20-24...........................              46,172              49,799
25-29...........................              59,505              61,333
30-34...........................              73,703              74,974
35-39...........................              82,216              84,045
40-44...........................              86,048              89,418

[[Page 48088]]

 
45-49...........................              88,324              92,057
50-54...........................  ..................              96,413
55+.............................  ..................              99,732
                                 ---------------------------------------
    Weighted average salary.....              73,070              77,979
                                 ---------------------------------------
    Hourly rate.................               35.01               37.36
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of Federal employee average salary by age group: FedScope--July
  2019; nonseasonal full-time permanent employees.
Weighted average salary computed separately for females and males by
  multiplying number of projected births in age group (from Table 1a) by
  respective average salary, summing those products for each age group,
  and dividing that sum by the number of birth events (i.e., weighted
  average weighted based on number of births by age group). Then derive
  average hourly rate by dividing weighted average salary by 2087.


                            Table 3--Projected Salary Cost and Birth Event Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       Females                               Males
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hourly rate............................  $35.01.............................  $37.36
No. hours of leave (12 weeks)..........  480 hours..........................  480 hours
Total cost by gender...................  $324,181,397.......................  $573,078,490
                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Combined Cost (direct salary                                 $897,259,886
     costs).
                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total annual birth events..............                                   51,248
                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total employees (all ages) *...........                                 1,889,147
                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Percentage of all employees *                                         2.71%
     having a birth event in a year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of number of Federal employees (all ages): FedScope--July 2019; * nonseasonal full-time permanent
  employees.


         Table 4--Projected Salary Cost for Birth and Placements
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total number of covered employees * (all ages)......           2,000,000
Percentage of all employees * having a birth event                 2.71%
 in a year..........................................
Total annual birth events...........................              54,200
Percentage of all employees * having an adoption/                  0.18%
 foster care placement event in a year..............
Total annual placement events.......................               3,600
Combined percentage of all employees* have a birth                 2.89%
 or placement event.................................
Total annual birth/placement events.................              57,800
Total direct salary costs...........................        $995 million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of number of Federal employees (all ages): FedScope--July 2019
  and other data sources for employees not in FedScope; * full-time and
  part-time permanent employees.

Executive Order 13771

    This interim final rule is considered an Executive Order 13771 (82 
FR 9339, February 3, 2017) regulatory action. We estimate that this 
rule generates $5.9 million in annualized costs, in 2016 dollars, 
discounted at seven percent over a perpetual time horizon relative to 
2016.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    I certify that this regulation will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities because it will apply 
only to Federal agencies and employees.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    OPM is issuing this rulemaking as an interim final rule and has 
determined that, under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(B), it would be impracticable and contrary to the public 
interest to delay a final regulation until a public notice and comment 
process has been completed. For the same reasons, under the Civil 
Service Reform Act's parallel rulemaking provision, 5 U.S.C. 
1103(b)(3), OPM is waiving general notice of proposed rulemaking 
because the interim rule is temporary in nature and necessary to be 
implemented expeditiously as a result of an emergency.
    The conclusion of a public notice and comment period before the 
rule is finalized would be impracticable because it would impede due 
and timely execution of OPM's functions. Specifically, OPM issuing an 
interim final rule is required by events and circumstances beyond its 
control, which were not foreseen in time to comply with the usual 
notice and comment procedures. On December 20, 2019, the Federal 
Employee Paid Leave Act (the Act) was enacted, in which Congress set 
the effective date for the new paid parental leave rules as October 1, 
2020, just 9 months after enactment. This was insufficient time for the 
notice and comment rulemaking process because of the need for OPM to 
conduct a detailed regulatory impact analysis accounting for costs, 
benefits, and alternatives, and because the regulation requires 
significant changes to personnel processing and payroll systems at 
Federal agencies. To properly prepare for the congressionally-mandated 
effective date of the new rules on paid parental leave, agencies need 
this regulation to be promulgated with sufficient lead time to create 
internal policies and procedures, to modify their payroll systems, to 
retrain their human resources staff, and to provide effective notice to 
eligible employees.

[[Page 48089]]

    In addition to the short window for preparing this rule, OPM has 
had to unexpectedly devote its pay and leave policy resources to 
coordinate Federal employee policies in response to the COVID-19 public 
health emergency during this time period, including implementing the 
Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Public Law 116-127 and the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Public Law 116-136, 
and advising agencies on the optimal use of pay, leave, and incentives 
to respond to the national emergency. As such, 9 months was an 
insufficient amount of time for OPM to publish a notice of proposed 
rulemaking seeking public comments and a final rule responding to 
comments with enough lead time for agencies to prepare for the October 
1, 2020 deadline.
    The conclusion of a public notice and comment period before the 
rule is finalized would be also be contrary to public interest, because 
it would result in serious damage to important interests. If OPM does 
not have regulations in place with sufficient lead time for over 120 
Federal agencies to implement their policies and procedures, and 
payroll systems, eligible employees may not be able to claim their paid 
parental leave benefits on October 1, 2020. Likewise, ensuring that 
expectant parents have complete information about paid parental leave 
policies will allow them to prepare for taking paid parental leave. 
Thus, OPM has determined that the rule must be implemented 
expeditiously as a result of an emergency.
    For these reasons, OPM has determined that the public notice and 
participation that the law ordinarily requires would, in this case, be 
impracticable and contrary to the public interest and that good cause 
exists for waiving proposed rulemaking and delaying its solicitation of 
comments from the public until after it issues an interim final rule. 
The interim final rule is temporary in nature, and OPM will promulgate 
a final rule as soon as practical after receiving public comments on 
the interim final rule.

Congressional Review Act (CRA)

    This action is subject to the CRA, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., and OPM 
will submit a rule report to each House of the Congress and to the 
Comptroller General of the United States. This action is a ``major 
rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements

    This rule does not impose any new reporting or record-keeping 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 630

    Government employees.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Alexys Stanley,
Regulatory Affairs Analyst.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, OPM amends part 630 of 
title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 630--ABSENCE AND LEAVE

0
1. Revise the authority citation for part 630 to read as follows:

    Authority:  5 U.S.C. chapter 63 as follows: Subparts A through E 
issued under 5 U.S.C. 6133(a) (read with 5 U.S.C. 6129), 6303(e) and 
(f), 6304(d)(2), 6306(b), 6308(a), and 6311; subpart F issued under 
5 U.S.C. 6305(a) and 6311 and E.O. 11228, 30 FR 7739, 3 CFR, 1974 
Comp., p. 163; subpart G issued under 5 U.S.C. 6305(c) and 6311; 
subpart H issued under 5 U.S.C. 6133(a) (read with 5 U.S.C. 6129) 
and 6326(b); subpart I issued under 5 U.S.C. 6332, 6334(c), 
6336(a)(1) and (d), and 6340; subpart J issued under 5 U.S.C. 6340, 
6363, 6365(d), 6367(e), and 6373(a); subpart K issued under 5 U.S.C. 
6391(g); subpart L issued under 5 U.S.C. 6383(f) and 6387; subpart M 
issued under sec. 2(d), Pub. L. 114-75, 129 Stat. 641 (5 U.S.C. 6329 
note); subpart P issued under 5 U.S.C. 6329c(d); and subpart Q 
issued under 5 U.S.C. 6387.

Subpart L--Family and Medical Leave

0
2. Amend Sec.  630.1201 as follows:
0
a. Revise the section heading;
0
b. Add a new sentence at the end of paragraph (a);
0
c. Revise paragraph (b)(1);
0
d. Amend paragraph (b)(3)(iii) by removing ``Transportation'' and 
adding ``Homeland Security'' in its place;
0
e. Amend paragraph (b)(4) by removing ``Transportation'' and adding 
``Homeland Security'' in its place; and
0
f. Revise paragraph (c).
    The revisions and addition read as follows:


Sec.  630.1201   Purpose, applicability, and agency responsibilities.

    (a) * * * This subpart also provides the basis for determining the 
periods of unpaid leave for which paid parental leave may be 
substituted under subpart Q of this part, which must be read with this 
subpart to establish eligibility.
    (b) Applicability. (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph 
(b)(2) of this section, this subpart applies to any employee who--
    (i)(A) Is defined as an ``employee'' under 5 U.S.C. 6301(2); or
    (B) Is an employee carrying out screening functions who is 
appointed under section 111(d) of Public Law 107-71 (49 U.S.C. 44935 
note); and
    (ii) Has completed at least 12 months of service (excluding any 
service as an employee identified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section) 
at any time as--
    (A) An employee, as defined under 5 U.S.C. 6301(2);
    (B) An employee of the Veterans Health Administration appointed 
under title 38, United States Code, in occupations listed in 38 U.S.C. 
7421;
    (C) A ``teacher'' or an individual holding a ``teaching position,'' 
as defined in section 901 of title 20, United States Code;
    (D) An employee identified in section 2105(c) of title 5, United 
States Code, who is paid from nonappropriated funds;
    (E) An employee carrying out screening functions who is appointed 
under section 111(d) of Public Law 107-71 (49 U.S.C. 44935 note); or
    (F) An employee performing covered active duty (as defined in 5 
U.S.C. 6381(7)(B)) that interrupts civilian service due to a qualifying 
call or order for deployment to a foreign country as a member of the 
National Guard or Reserves, to the extent that such active duty is not 
already creditable service under paragraphs (A) through (E) of this 
paragraph (b)(1)(ii).
* * * * *
    (c) Agency responsibilities. The head of an agency having employees 
subject to this subpart is responsible for the proper administration of 
this subpart, including the responsibility of informing employees of 
their entitlements and obligations.

0
3. Amend Sec.  630.1202 as follows:
0
a. Revise the definition for ``Administrative workweek'';
0
b. Add a definition for ``Birth'';
0
c. Revise the definition for ``Family and medical leave'';
0
d. Revise the definition for ``Leave without pay'';
0
e. Add a definition for ``Placement'';
0
f. Revise the definitions for ``Reduced leave schedule'';
0
g. Remove the definitions for ``Regularly scheduled,'' and ``Regularly 
scheduled administrative workweek'';
0
h. Add a definition for ``Scheduled tour of duty''; and
0
i. Remove the definition for ``Tour of duty''.
    The revisions and additions read as follows:


Sec.  630.1202   Definitions.

* * * * *

[[Page 48090]]

    Administrative workweek means the scheduled tour of duty within the 
workweek established by the agency for an employee under the definition 
of ``administrative workweek'' in 5 CFR 610.102.
* * * * *
    Birth means the delivery of a living child. When the term ``birth'' 
is used in connection with the use of leave under this subpart before 
birth, it refers to an anticipated birth.
* * * * *
    Family and medical leave means an employee's entitlement to 12 
administrative workweeks (or 26 administrative workweeks in the case of 
leave under Sec.  630.1203(j)) of unpaid leave for certain family and 
medical needs, as prescribed under sections 6381 through 6387 of title 
5, United States Code.
* * * * *
    Leave without pay means an approved absence from duty in a nonpay 
status during an employee's scheduled tour of duty.
* * * * *
    Placement means a new placement of a son or daughter with an 
employee for adoption or foster care. For example, this excludes the 
adoption of a stepchild or a foster child who has already been a member 
of the employee's household and has an existing parent-child 
relationship with an adopting parent. When the term ``placement'' is 
used in connection with the use of leave under this subpart before 
placement has occurred, it refers to a planned or anticipated 
placement.
    Reduced leave schedule means a daily or weekly work schedule under 
which the usual number of hours actually worked during the employee's 
scheduled tour of duty are reduced as a result of the increased use of 
leave.
    Scheduled tour of duty means the regular work hours in an 
established full-time or part-time work schedule during which an 
employee is charged leave or time off when absent. A seasonal employee 
is not considered to have such a tour during off-season periods when 
the employee is scheduled to be released from work and placed in full-
time nonpay status.
* * * * *

0
4. Amend Sec.  630.1203 as follows:
0
a. Revise paragraph (a)(2);
0
b. Amend paragraph (b) by removing ``2 workdays'' and adding ``5 
workdays'' in its place;
0
c. Revise paragraphs (d), (e), (f), and (g); and
0
d. Add paragraphs (i) and (j).
    The revisions and additions read as follows:


Sec.  630.1203  Leave entitlement.

    (a) * * *
    (2) The placement of a son or daughter with the employee for 
adoption or foster care and the care of such son or daughter.
* * * * *
    (d)(1) The entitlement to leave under paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of 
this section shall expire at the end of the 12-month period beginning 
on the date of birth or placement. Leave for a birth or placement must 
be concluded within this 12-month period.
    (2)(i) Leave taken under paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, 
may begin prior to the actual date of birth or placement for adoption 
or foster care.
    (ii) Use of leave under paragraph (a)(1) of this section before the 
date of birth is limited to situations in which an employee is using 
the leave--
    (A) Because of the employee's serious health condition related to 
the anticipated event of the employee giving birth to a son or 
daughter; or
    (B) In order to care for the birth mother of the employee's 
expected son or daughter in connection with the birth mother's serious 
health condition related to pregnancy.
    (iii) Use of leave under paragraph (a)(2) before the date of 
placement is limited to situations in which the employee must be absent 
to engage in activities necessary to allow an anticipated adoption or a 
foster care arrangement to proceed.
    (e)(1) Family and medical leave under this subpart is available to 
full-time and part-time employees. The entitlement to a total of 12 
administrative workweeks of leave in connection with leave granted 
under paragraph (a) of this section must be converted to hours or days, 
as provided in paragraphs (e)(2) and (e)(3) of this section. Leave 
under paragraph (a) allows an employee to be absent during the 
employee's scheduled tour of duty established for leave charging 
purposes. Such leave is not applied to days designated as holidays and 
other nonworkdays when the employee would be excused from duty.
    (2) For employees who are charged leave on an hourly basis 
(including fractions of an hour), the 12 administrative workweeks 
referenced in paragraph (a) of this section must be converted to hours 
based on the number of hours in the employee's scheduled tour of duty 
(at the time the 12-month period of leave eligibility commences) 
subject to the following rules:
    (i) For a regular full-time employee with 80 hours in the scheduled 
tour of duty over a biweekly pay period, the hours equivalent of 12 
administrative workweeks is 480 hours.
    (ii) For a full-time employee with an uncommon tour of duty (as 
defined in Sec.  630.201 and described in Sec.  630.210), the hours 
equivalent of 12 administrative workweeks is derived by multiplying 6 
times the number of hours in the employee's biweekly scheduled tour of 
duty (or 6 times the average hours if the biweekly tour hours vary over 
an established cycle). For example, if an employee has an uncommon tour 
consisting of six 24-hour shifts (144 hours) per biweekly pay period, 
the amount would be 864 hours.
    (iii) For a part-time employee, the hours equivalent of 12 
administrative workweeks is derived by multiplying 6 times the number 
of hours in the employee's scheduled tour of duty over a biweekly pay 
period. For example, if an employee has a part-time scheduled tour of 
duty that consists of 40 hours in a biweekly pay period, the amount 
would be 240 hours.
    (3) For employees who are charged leave on a daily basis, the days 
equivalent of 12 administrative workweeks must be derived based on the 
average number of workdays in the employee's established tour of duty 
over a biweekly pay period. For example, if an employee had 8 workdays 
each biweekly pay period, the days equivalent of 12 administrative 
workweeks would be 48 days.
    (f) If there is a change in an employee's scheduled tour of duty 
during any 12-month period that commenced due to use of family and 
medical leave, and the employee has not used the full allotment of 
family and medical leave during such 12-month period, the remaining 
balance of family and medical leave must be recalculated based on the 
change in the number of average hours in the employee's scheduled tour 
of duty. For example, if a regular full-time employee has a balance of 
120 hours of unused family and medical leave for a 12-month period that 
is in progress and then converts to a part-time schedule of 20 hours 
per week, the balance would be recalculated to be 60 hours. (Since the 
old schedule was 80 hours biweekly or an average of 40 hours weekly, 
the new part-time tour is half of the former full-time tour. 40/80 
times 120 equals 60.)
    (g) Leave taken because of the birth of a son or daughter of the 
employee, as described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, includes 
leave necessary for an employee who is the birth mother to recover from 
giving birth, or for an employee who is the other parent to care for 
the birth mother during her recovery period, even if the employee is 
not involved in caring for the son or

[[Page 48091]]

daughter during portions of that recovery period.
* * * * *
    (i) Leave taken in order to care for a newly born or placed son or 
daughter, as described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, 
generally refers to leave covering periods when the parent-employee is 
in the home with the child or is otherwise involved in spending time 
with the child (bonding). It may include short periods away from the 
child's physical presence to purchase supplies needed to care for the 
child (e.g., buying baby food, diapers, or other supplies). Leave based 
on the ``care'' language in paragraph (a)(1) of this section would not 
be appropriate if an employee is not engaged in activities directly 
connected to care of the child--for example, if the employee is 
physically located outside the local geographic area where the child is 
located.
    (j)(1) For family and medical leave granted in connection with care 
of a covered servicemember under 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(3) and (4), the leave 
entitlement is 26 administrative workweeks in a single 12-month period. 
This leave applies to an employee who is the spouse, son, daughter, 
parent, or next of kin of a covered servicemember and who provides care 
for the covered servicemember. In applying this leave, the definitions 
in 5 U.S.C. 6381(8) through (12) must be applied.
    (2) The entitlement of 26 administrative workweeks of leave 
described in paragraph (j)(1) of this section must be converted to 
hours or days, consistent with the methodologies set forth in paragraph 
(e) of this section. Any recalculation of the unused leave entitlement 
due to a change in the employee's scheduled tour of duty must be made 
in a manner consistent with the methodology described in paragraph (f) 
of this section.
    (3) If an employee receives leave under this paragraph (j) and 
leave under paragraph (a) of this section during the single 12-month 
period, the combined amount of leave in that period may not exceed 26 
administrative workweeks. With respect to the single 12-month period, 
an employee who uses more than 14 weeks of leave under this paragraph 
(j) will not be able to use the full allotment of 12 administrative 
workweeks in connection with leave granted under paragraph (a) of this 
section. The leave granted under this paragraph (j) will not count 
against the employee's 12-week FMLA entitlement in any other 12-month 
period, as established under paragraph (a) of this section. For 
example, consider an employee who invokes family and medical leave to 
care for a covered servicemember and uses 16 weeks of such leave 
starting on August 15, 2022. If the same employee gave birth to a child 
on October 7, 2022, the employee would be able to use only 10 weeks of 
family and medical leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) during the single 
12-month period from August 15, 2022, to August 14, 2023, since there 
is a 26-week limit for that single 12-month period. That would also 
limit the employee to no more than 10 weeks of paid parental leave 
during that single 12-month period. However, the employee would be able 
to use family and medical leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) after August 
14, 2023, and before the expiration of the 12-month period following 
the birth on October 6, 2023, and could substitute (to the extent 
possible) any remaining amount of the employee's 12 weeks of paid 
parental leave, or substitute annual leave or sick leave, if 
applicable.
    (4) In addressing requests to use intermittent leave, or leave on a 
reduced leave schedule, in connection with leave under this paragraph 
(j), an agency is subject to the same rules that govern such requests 
for leave under paragraphs (a)(3) and (a)(4) of this section. (See 5 
U.S.C. 6382(b) and Sec.  630.1205.)
    (5) Employees who seek to use leave under this paragraph (j) are 
subject to the same notification and scheduling requirements that apply 
to employees receiving leave under paragraph (a)(1) through (4) of this 
section in parallel circumstances. (See 5 U.S.C. 6382(e)(1) and (2) and 
Sec.  630.1207.)
    (6) An agency may require that a request for leave under this 
paragraph (j) be supported by a medical certification, as provided by 5 
U.S.C. 6383(f).

0
5. Revise Sec.  630.1206 to read as follows:


Sec.  630.1206   Substitution of paid leave.

    (a) Leave without pay. Except as otherwise provided in this 
section, family and medical leave taken under Sec.  630.1203(a) must be 
leave without pay.
    (b) Leave connected to birth or placement. (1) For family and 
medical leave taken under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) or (2) (corresponding to 
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(1), respectively), an 
employee may elect to substitute--
    (i) Up to 12 administrative workweeks of paid parental leave in 
connection with the occurrence of a birth or placement, as provided in 
subpart Q of this part; and
    (ii) Any annual or sick leave to the employee's credit for such 
family and medical leave not covered by paid parental leave.
    (2) The annual or sick leave to the employee's credit under 
paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section consists of the following:
    (i) Accrued or accumulated annual or sick leave under subchapter I 
of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code (or equivalent annual or 
sick leave under another authority), without regard to the normal 
limitations on the use of sick leave;
    (ii) Advanced annual or sick leave approved under the same terms 
and conditions that apply to any other agency employee who requests 
advanced annual or sick leave, except that the normal limitations on 
the use of sick leave are not applicable; and
    (iii) Annual leave donated to an employee under the Voluntary Leave 
Transfer Program or the Voluntary Leave Bank Program, consistent with 
subparts I and J of this part, or equivalent donated annual leave under 
another authority.
    (c) Leave connected to serious health condition or exigency. For 
family and medical leave taken under Sec.  630.1203(a)(3), (4), or (5) 
(corresponding to subparagraphs (C), (D) and (E) of 5 U.S.C. 
6382(a)(1), respectively), an employee may elect to substitute the 
following paid leave for any or all of the leave without pay:
    (1) Accrued or accumulated annual or sick leave under subchapter I 
of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code (or equivalent annual or 
sick leave under another authority), consistent with the law and 
regulations governing the granting and use of annual or sick leave 
(including the limitations on the purposes for which sick leave may be 
used under Sec.  630.401(a) and the hours limitations in Sec.  
630.401(b) through (e));
    (2) Advanced annual or sick leave approved under the same terms and 
conditions that apply to any other agency employee who requests 
advanced annual or sick leave; and
    (3) Annual leave donated to an employee under the Voluntary Leave 
Transfer Program or the Voluntary Leave Bank Program, consistent with 
subparts I and J of this part, or equivalent donated annual leave under 
another authority.
    (d) Leave to care for a covered servicemember. For family and 
medical leave taken under Sec.  630.1203(j) (corresponding to 5 U.S.C. 
6382(a)(3) and (4)), an employee may elect to substitute the annual and 
sick leave identified in paragraph (c) of this section, except that any 
sick leave

[[Page 48092]]

credited to the employee may be substituted without regard to any of 
the normally applicable limitations on the use of sick leave.
    (e) Employee entitlement to substitute. (1) An employee is entitled 
to elect whether or not to substitute paid leave for leave without pay 
under this subpart, as permitted in this section.
    (2) An agency may not deny an employee's election to make a 
substitution permitted under this section.
    (3) An agency may not require an employee to substitute paid leave 
for leave without pay.
    (4) An employee may request to use annual leave or sick leave 
without invoking family and medical leave, and, in that case, the 
agency exercises its normal authority with respect to approving or 
disapproving the timing of when the leave may be used.
    (f) Notification by employee and retroactive substitution. (1) An 
employee must notify the agency of the employee's election to 
substitute paid leave for leave without pay under this section prior to 
the date such paid leave commences (i.e., no retroactive substitution), 
except as provided in paragraphs (f)(2) through (f)(4) of this section.
    (2) An employee may retroactively substitute annual leave or sick 
leave for leave without pay granted under this subpart covering a past 
period of time, if the substitution is made in conjunction with the 
retroactive granting of leave without pay under Sec.  630.1203(b).
    (3) An employee may retroactively substitute transferred (donated) 
annual leave for leave without pay granted under this subpart in the 
circumstances covered by Sec. Sec.  630.909(d) or 630.1009(d).
    (4) An employee may retroactively substitute paid parental leave 
for applicable leave without pay granted under this subpart, as 
provided in Sec.  630.1706(a) and subject to the requirements governing 
paid parental leave in subpart Q of this part. If the employee's leave 
without pay was not granted on a prospective basis under this subpart, 
the retroactive substitution of paid parental leave may not be made 
unless the leave without pay period has been retroactively designated 
as leave under this subpart, as allowed under Sec.  630.1203(b).

0
6. Revise Sec.  630.1213(b)(3) to read as follows:


Sec.  630.1213   Records and reports.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (3) The number of hours or days of leave taken under this subpart, 
including any paid leave substituted for leave without pay under Sec.  
630.1206; and
* * * * *

0
7. Add subpart Q to read as follows:
Subpart Q--Paid Parental Leave
Sec.
630.1701 Purpose, applicability, and agency responsibilities.
630.1702 Definitions.
630.1703 Leave entitlement.
630.1704 Pay during leave.
630.1705 Work obligation.
630.1706 Cases of employee incapacitation.
630.1707 Cases of multiple children born or placed in the same time 
period.
630.1708 Records and reports.

Subpart Q--Paid Parental Leave


Sec.  630.1701   Purpose, applicability, and agency responsibilities.

    (a) Purpose. This subpart provides regulations to govern the 
granting of paid parental leave to covered employees. Since paid 
parental leave may only be substituted for unpaid leave granted 
following a birth or placement under specific provisions of the Family 
and Medical Leave Act in title 5, United States Code--specifically, 
section 6382(a)(1)(A) and (B) in 5 U.S.C. chapter 63, subchapter V--
this subpart links to subpart L (Family and Medical Leave) of this 
part.
    (b) Applicability. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this 
paragraph (b), this subpart applies to employees to whom subpart L of 
this part applies, as provided in Sec.  630.1201(b).
    (2) An agency head authorized to issue regulations on family and 
medical leave under 5 U.S.C. chapter 63, subchapter V, as provided in 
Sec.  630.1201(b)(3), is authorized to issue any necessary supplemental 
regulations on paid parental leave, providing those supplemental 
regulations are consistent with the regulations in this subpart.
    (3) This subpart applies to a birth or placement occurring on or 
after October 1, 2020. Paid parental leave may not be provided under 
this subpart for any period of time before October 1, 2020.
    (c) Agency responsibilities. The head of an agency having employees 
covered by this subpart is responsible for the proper administration of 
this subpart, including the responsibility of informing employees of 
their entitlements and obligations.


Sec.  630.1702   Definitions.

    (a) Applicability of subpart L definitions. The definitions of 
terms in Sec.  630.1202 are applicable in this subpart to the extent 
the terms are used, except that, to the extent any definitions of terms 
have been further revised in Sec.  630.1702(b), the provisions of that 
section shall apply for purposes of this subpart.
    (b) Other definitions. In this subpart--
    Agency means an Executive agency as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, 
excluding the Government Accountability Office. When the term 
``agency'' is used in the context of an agency making determinations or 
taking actions, it means the agency head or management officials who 
are authorized (including by delegation) to make the given 
determination or take the given action.
    Birth or placement means the birth of a son or daughter of a 
covered employee, or a new placement of a son or daughter with a 
covered employee for adoption or foster care, that is the basis for 
unpaid leave granted under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) or (2) (which 
correspond to 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(1)(A) or (B), respectively). For the 
purpose of interpreting this definition, the terms birth and placement 
have the meanings given those terms in Sec.  630.1202, except that paid 
parental leave may not be granted based on an anticipated birth or 
placement.
    Child means a son or daughter as defined in Sec.  630.1202 whose 
birth or placement is the basis for entitlement to paid parental leave.
    FMLA unpaid leave means leave without pay granted under the Family 
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations in subpart L of this part.
    Paid parental leave means paid time off from an employee's 
scheduled tour of duty that is authorized under 5 U.S.C. 
6382(d)(2)(B)(i) and this subpart and that is granted to cover periods 
of time within the 12-month period commencing on the date of birth or 
placement to an employee who has a current parental role in connection 
with the child whose birth or placement was the basis for granting FMLA 
unpaid leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) or (2). This leave is not 
available to an employee who does not have a current parental role.


Sec.  630.1703   Leave entitlement.

    (a) Election. An employee may elect to substitute available paid 
parental leave for any FMLA unpaid leave granted under Sec.  
630.1203(a)(1) or (2) (which correspond to 5 U.S.C. 6382(a)(1)(A) or 
(B), respectively) in connection with the occurrence of a birth or 
placement. (See Sec.  630.1206(b).)
    (b) Available paid parental leave. (1) The paid parental leave that 
is available for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section is 12 
administrative workweeks in connection with the birth or placement 
involved. The entitlement to paid parental leave is triggered by the

[[Page 48093]]

occurrence of a birth or placement. The paid parental leave is 
considered to be available only if the employee has a continuing 
parental role with respect to the child whose birth or placement 
triggered the leave entitlement. The 12 administrative workweeks of 
paid parental leave may be used only during the 12-month period 
beginning on the date of the birth or placement involved.
    (2) Since an employee may use only 12 weeks of FMLA unpaid leave in 
any 12-month period under Sec.  630.1203(a), use of FMLA unpaid leave 
not associated with paid parental leave may affect an employee's 
ability to use the full 12 weeks of paid parental leave. 
Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) of this section, an employee will be 
able to use the full amount of paid parental leave only to the extent 
that there are 12 weeks of available FMLA unpaid leave granted under 
the birth or placement provisions in Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) or (2) during 
the 12-month period commencing on the date of birth or placement. The 
availability of paid parental leave will depend on when the employee 
uses various types of FMLA unpaid leave relative to any 12-month period 
established under Sec.  630.1203(c).
    (c) Conversion of weeks to hours. For employees who are charged 
leave on an hourly basis (including fractions of an hour), the 12 
administrative workweeks referenced in paragraph (b) of this section 
must be converted to hours based on the number of hours in the 
employee's scheduled tour of duty (as in effect on the date the 
employee begins a period of using paid parental leave) as follows:
    (1) For a regular full-time employee with 80 hours in the scheduled 
tour of duty over a biweekly pay period, the hours equivalent of 12 
administrative workweeks is 480 hours.
    (2) For a full-time employee with an uncommon tour of duty (as 
defined in Sec.  630.201 and described in Sec.  630.210), the hours 
equivalent of 12 administrative workweeks is derived by multiplying 6 
times the number of hours in the employee's biweekly scheduled tour of 
duty (or 6 times the average hours if the biweekly tour hours vary over 
an established cycle). For example, if an employee has an uncommon tour 
consisting of six 24-hours shifts (144 hours) per biweekly pay period, 
the amount would be 864 hours.
    (3) For a part-time employee, the hours equivalent of 12 
administrative workweeks is derived by multiplying 6 times the number 
of hours in the employee's scheduled tour of duty over a biweekly pay 
period. For example, if an employee has a part-time scheduled tour of 
duty that consists of 40 hours in a biweekly pay period, the amount 
would be 240 hours.
    (d) Conversion of weeks to days. For employees who are charged 
leave on a daily basis, the days equivalent of 12 administrative 
workweeks must be derived based on the average number of workdays in 
the employee's established tour of duty over a biweekly pay period. For 
example, if an employee had 8 workdays each biweekly pay period, the 
days equivalent of 12 administrative workweeks would be 48 days.
    (e) Change in tour. If there is a change in an employee's scheduled 
tour of duty during the 12-month period commencing on the date of a 
given birth or placement, and the employee has not used the full 
allotment of paid parental leave during such 12-month period, the 
remaining balance of paid parental leave must be recalculated based on 
the change in the number of average hours in the employee's scheduled 
tour of duty. For example, if a regular full-time employee has a 
balance of 120 hours of unused paid parental leave for a 12-month 
period that is in progress and then converts to a part-time schedule of 
20 hours per week, the balance would be recalculated to be 60 hours. 
(Since the old schedule was 80 hours biweekly or an average of 40 hours 
weekly, the new part-time tour is half of the former full-time tour. 
40/80 times 120 equals 60.)
    (f) Leave usage. (1) An agency may not require an employee to use 
annual leave or sick leave to the employee's credit as a condition to 
be met before the employee uses paid parental leave. An employee may 
request to use annual leave or sick leave without invoking FMLA unpaid 
leave under subpart L of this part, and, in that case, the agency 
exercises its normal authority with respect to approving or 
disapproving the timing of when the leave may be used.
    (2) Paid parental leave may be used in connection with the 
occurrence of a birth or placement only during the 12-month period 
following birth or placement. (See Sec.  630.1703(b).) Paid parental 
leave may not be used prior to the birth or placement involved even if 
the employee was granted FMLA unpaid leave under Sec.  630.1203(a)(1) 
or (2) for periods prior to the birth or placement event, as allowed 
under Sec.  630.1203(d).
    (3) An employee with a seasonal work schedule may not use paid 
parental leave during the off-season period designated by the agency--
the period during which the employee is scheduled to be released from 
work and placed in nonpay status.
    (g) Treatment of unused leave. If an employee has any unused 
balance of paid parental leave that remains at the end of the 12-month 
period following the birth or placement involved, the entitlement to 
the unused leave elapses at that time. No payment may be made for 
unused paid parental leave that has expired. Paid parental leave may 
not be considered annual leave for purposes of making a lump-sum 
payment for annual leave or for any other purpose.
    (h) Documentation of entitlement and employee certification. (1) At 
the request of the employee's agency, an employee must provide the 
agency with appropriate documentation that shows that the employee's 
use of paid parental leave is directly connected to a birth or 
placement that has occurred. Appropriate documentation may include, but 
is not limited to, a birth certificate or a document from an adoption 
or foster care agency regarding the placement. An agency is responsible 
for determining what documentation is sufficient proof of entitlement.
    (2) An agency may require that an employee sign a certification 
attesting that the paid parental leave is being taken in connection 
with a birth or placement. This employee certification may contain a 
statement in which the employee acknowledges an understanding of the 
consequences of providing a false certification (e.g., the possibility 
that the employing agency could pursue appropriate disciplinary action, 
up to and including removal from Federal Service, or make a referral to 
a Federal entity that investigates whether conduct constitutes a 
criminal violation).
    (3) An employee must provide any documentation or certification 
required by the agency no later than 15 calendar days after the date 
the agency requests such documentation or certification. If it is not 
practicable under the particular circumstances for an employee to 
respond within the 15-day time frame, despite the employee's diligent, 
good faith efforts, the employee must provide the documentation or 
certification within a reasonable period of time under the 
circumstances involved, but no later than 30 calendar days after the 
date of the agency's original request.
    (4) An agency may grant paid parental leave prior to receiving any 
requested documentation or certification under this paragraph (h) based 
on an employee's communications with a supervisor or management. Under 
these circumstances, the granting of paid parental leave is considered 
to be provisional, pending receipt of the requested documentation or 
certification.
    (5) If the employee fails to provide the agency with the required 
documentation

[[Page 48094]]

or certification within the specified time period, the agency may 
determine that the employee is not entitled to paid parental leave and 
may--
    (i) Allow the employee to request that the absence be charged to 
leave without pay, sick leave, annual leave, or other forms of paid 
time off, as appropriate; or
    (ii) If the employee acted fraudulently, charge the employee as 
absent without leave (AWOL) and pursue any other appropriate action.


Sec.  630.1704  Pay during leave.

    (a) The pay an employee receives when using paid parental leave 
shall be the same pay the employee would receive if the employee were 
using annual leave.
    (b) Paid parental leave is a type of leave that is counted in 
applying the 8-hour rule in 5 CFR 550.122(b) that determines whether 
night pay is payable during periods of leave.
    (c) The pay received during paid parental leave may not include 
Sunday premium pay. (See section 624 of the Treasury and General 
Government Appropriations Act, 1999, Pub. L. 105-277, div. A, Sec.  
101(h), 112 Stat. 2681-518 (Oct. 21, 1998).)


Sec.  630.1705   Work obligation.

    (a) Advance agreement. An employee may not use paid parental leave 
in connection with a birth or placement unless the employee agrees (in 
writing), before the commencement of such leave, to work for the 
applicable employing agency for not less than 12 weeks beginning on the 
employee's first scheduled workday after such leave concludes. (See 
special rules governing cases of incapacitation in Sec.  630.1706.)
    (b) Interpretation. For the purpose of applying paragraph (a) of 
this section--
    (1) The term ``in writing'' means an agreement with the employee's 
handwritten signature or an acceptable electronic signature, consistent 
with the requirements in 5 CFR 850.106, and also is deemed to include 
an agreement documented in an email or text message from the employee, 
as long as the employee, within 24 hours, supplies the required 
signature;
    (2) The term ``work'' means a period during which the employee is 
in duty status, excluding any periods (paid or unpaid) of leave, time 
off (including holiday time off), or other nonduty status (including 
furlough or AWOL status). Such excluded periods will not count toward 
completion of the 12-week work obligation.
    (3) The term ``applicable employing agency'' means the agency 
employing the employee at the time use of paid parental leave 
concludes; and
    (4) The date paid parental leave concludes is--
    (i) The workday on which an employee finishes using 12 
administrative workweeks of paid parental leave during the 12-month 
period that began on the date of birth or placement; or
    (ii) If the employee does not use 12 administrative workweeks of 
paid parental leave during the 12-month period that began on the date 
of birth or placement, the day that is the last workday on which an 
employee used paid parental leave.
    (c) Conversion of weeks to hours. For employees who are charged 
leave on an hourly basis (including fractions of an hour), the 12-week 
work obligation must be converted to hours based on the number of hours 
in the employee's scheduled tour of duty, consistent with the rules in 
Sec.  630.1703(c). If an employee's scheduled tour of duty changes 
before the employee completes the 12-week obligation, the agency must 
recalculate the balance of work hours owed, consistent with the rules 
in Sec.  630.1703(e). An acceptable alternative approach is to express 
each period of work as a fraction or percentage of the average weekly 
scheduled tour of duty hours in the affected biweekly pay period and to 
sum those fractions or percentages until the 12-week obligation is 
completed.
    (d) Conversion of weeks to days. For employees who are charged 
leave on a daily basis, the days equivalent of 12 weeks must be derived 
based on the average number of workdays in the employee's established 
tour of duty over a biweekly pay period, consistent with the rules in 
Sec.  630.1703(d).
    (e) Agreement to make reimbursement when applicable. In the written 
agreement described in paragraph (a) of this section, the employee must 
attest that, in the event the employee does not complete the 12-week 
work obligation, he or she agrees, pursuant to paragraph (f), to make 
reimbursement unless the affected employing agency (or agencies) 
determines (determine) that the reimbursement provision will not be 
applied.
    (f) Application of reimbursement requirement. (1) If an employee 
fails to return for the required 12 weeks of work with the applicable 
employing agency after paid parental leave concludes (as described in 
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section), an agency may require that the 
employee make a reimbursement equal to the total amount of any 
Government contributions paid by the agency on behalf of the employee 
to maintain the employee's health insurance coverage under the Federal 
Employees Health Benefits Program established under 5 U.S.C. chapter 89 
during the period(s) when paid parental leave was used. An employee who 
separates from the applicable employing agency before completing the 
required 12 weeks of work is considered to have failed to return to 
duty under this paragraph. For the purpose of the preceding sentence, 
an intra-agency reassignment without a break in service will not be 
considered a separation.
    (2) The determination to impose the reimbursement requirement is at 
the agency's sole and exclusive discretion, except that an agency may 
not impose the requirement if, in the agency's judgment, the employee 
is unable to return to work for the required 12 weeks because of--
    (i) The continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health 
condition (including mental health) of the employee or the child whose 
birth or placement was the basis for the paid parental leave, but, in 
the case of the employee's serious health condition, only if the 
condition is related to the applicable birth or placement; or
    (ii) Any other circumstance beyond the employee's control, subject 
to paragraph (h) of this section.
    (g) Medical certification. An agency's determination not to apply 
the reimbursement requirement may be conditioned upon the employee's 
supplying of a health care provider certification supporting the 
employee's claim that a serious health condition described in paragraph 
(f)(2)(i) is causing the employee to be unable return to work for the 
required 12 weeks. In cases where an agency's determination regarding 
whether to apply the reimbursement requirement relies on a health 
condition that is not related to the applicable birth or placement or 
that applies to a person not covered by paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this 
section, the agency may also require a medical certification. An agency 
may require additional examinations and certification from other health 
care providers if it deems it necessary, but any such additional 
examinations must be at the agency's expense.
    (h) Circumstances beyond employee's control. The circumstances 
beyond the employee's control referenced in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of 
this section must be ones that truly preclude an employee from 
returning to work with the employing agency. Examples of situations 
beyond the employee's control include such situations as where a parent 
chooses to stay home because a child has a serious health condition or 
an employee moves because the employee's spouse is unexpectedly

[[Page 48095]]

transferred to a job location more than 75 miles from the employee's 
worksite. Matters of employee preference or convenience will not 
suffice. For example, a situation where an employee chooses not to 
return to work to stay home with a well, newborn child would not 
constitute a circumstance beyond the employee's control for purposes of 
this exception.
    (i) Multiple agencies involved. If an employee does not complete 
the 12-week work obligation and if more than one agency provided 
Government contributions on behalf of an employee for that employee's 
health insurance coverage during a period of paid parental leave, each 
agency is responsible for making a determination regarding whether to 
apply the reimbursement requirement described in paragraph (f) of this 
section with respect to periods of paid parental leave during 
employment with the agency. The employing agency that employed the 
employee at the time use of paid parental leave concluded is 
responsible for informing any other affected agency of the employee's 
failure to complete the required 12 weeks of work and of its 
determination regarding application of the reimbursement requirement. 
Any other affected agency will make its own determination regarding 
application of the reimbursement requirement associated with agency 
employment.
    (j) Agency policies on applying the reimbursement requirement. Each 
agency is responsible for adopting its own set of policies governing 
when it will or will not apply the reimbursement requirement described 
in paragraph (f) of this section. A single agency-wide set of policies 
should be in place so that employees within an agency are treated 
consistently.
    (k) Collection of reimbursement. The reimbursement requirement 
described in paragraph (f) of this section, if imposed, is subject to 
collection as a debt owed to the affected agency. (See the Federal 
Claims Collection Standards in 31 CFR parts 900 through 904.)


Sec.  630.1706   Cases of employee incapacitation.

    (a) If an agency determines that an otherwise eligible employee who 
could have made an election during a past period to substitute paid 
parental leave (as provided in Sec.  630.1703) and enter a work 
obligation agreement (as described in Sec.  630.1705) was physically or 
mentally incapable of doing so during that past period, the employee 
may, within 5 workdays of the employee's return to duty status, make an 
election to substitute paid parental leave for applicable FMLA unpaid 
leave under Sec.  630.1703(a) on a retroactive basis. Such a 
retroactive election shall be effective on the date that such an 
election would have been effective if the employee had not been 
incapacitated at the time. Consistent with Sec.  630.1206(f)(4), this 
retroactive election must be made in conjunction with a retroactive 
election under Sec.  630.1203(b), if the FMLA unpaid leave was not 
already approved. As part of such election, the employee must agree (in 
writing, as described in Sec.  630.1705(b)(1)) to meet the work 
obligation or pay the required reimbursement (if applicable) unless--
    (1) Applying the work obligation and the associated reimbursement 
requirement is barred under Sec.  630.1705(f)(2); or
    (2) The agency later concludes under its policies established under 
Sec.  630.1705(f)(1) that the circumstances support a determination to 
not apply the reimbursement requirement.
    (b)(1) If an agency determines that an otherwise eligible employee 
is physically or mentally incapable of making an election to substitute 
paid parental leave (as provided in Sec.  630.1703) and entering into a 
work obligation agreement (as described in Sec.  630.1705), the agency 
must, upon the request of a personal representative of the employee 
whom the agency finds acceptable, provide conditional approval of 
substitution of paid parental leave for applicable FMLA unpaid leave 
under Sec.  630.1703(a) on a prospective basis. The conditional 
approval is based on the presumption that the employee would have 
elected to substitute paid parental leave for the applicable FMLA 
unpaid leave and would have entered into the work obligation agreement 
if the employee had not been incapacitated. Within 5 workdays after 
returning to work, the employee must enter into a written agreement to 
meet the work obligation described in Sec.  630.1705 or pay the 
required reimbursement (if applicable) unless--
    (i) Applying the work obligation and the associated reimbursement 
requirement is barred under Sec.  630.1705(f)(2); or
    (ii) The agency later concludes under its policies established 
under Sec.  630.1705(f)(1) that the circumstances support a 
determination to not apply the reimbursement requirement.
    (2) If an employee covered by paragraph (b)(1) of this section 
declines to enter into the written agreement after being determined by 
the agency to no longer be incapacitated, the agency must cancel any 
portion of the 12 weeks of paid parental leave that has not been 
exhausted, and designate as invalid any paid parental leave that was 
used based on the conditional approval. The time covered by the 
invalidated paid parental leave must be converted to leave without pay 
unless the employee requests that other paid leave or paid time off to 
the employee's credit be applied (as appropriate) in place of the 
invalidated paid parental leave. To the extent the employee has 
invalidated paid parental leave hours not replaced by other paid leave 
or paid time off, pay received for those hours is a debt to the 
employing agency and is subject to collection under the Federal Claims 
Collection Standards in 31 CFR parts 900 through 904.


Sec.  630.1707   Cases of multiple children born or placed in the same 
time period.

    (a) If an employee has multiple children born or placed on the same 
day, the multiple-child birth/placement event is considered to be a 
single event that triggers a single entitlement of up to 12 weeks of 
paid parental leave under Sec.  630.1703(b).
    (b) If an employee has one or more children born or placed during 
the 12-month period following the date of an earlier birth or placement 
of a child of the employee, the provisions of this subpart shall be 
independently administered for each birth or placement event. Any paid 
parental leave substituted for FMLA unpaid leave during the 12-month 
period beginning on the date of a child's birth or placement shall 
count towards the 12-week limit on paid parental leave described in 
Sec.  630.1703(b) applicable in connection with the birth or placement 
involved. The substitution of paid parental leave may count toward 
multiple 12-week limits to the extent that there are multiple ongoing 
12-month periods beginning on the date of an applicable birth or 
placement, each of which encompasses the day on which the leave is 
used. Therefore, whenever paid parental leave is substituted during 
periods of time when separate 12-month periods (each beginning on a 
date of birth or placement) overlap, the paid parental leave will count 
toward each affected period's 12-week limit. For example, if an 
employee has a child born on June 1 and another child placed for 
adoption on October 1 of the same year, each event would generate 
entitlement to substitute up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave during 
the separate 12-month periods beginning on the date of the birth and on 
the date of the placement, respectively. Those two 12-month periods 
would be June 1-May 31 and October 1-September 30. The overlap period 
for these two 12-month periods would be October 1-May 31. If

[[Page 48096]]

the employee substitutes paid parental leave during that overlap 
period, that amount of paid parental leave would count towards both the 
12-week limit associated with the birth event and the 12-week limit 
associated with the placement event.


Sec.  630.1708   Records and reports.

    (a) Record of usage of paid parental leave. An agency must maintain 
an accurate record of an employee's usage of paid parental leave.
    (b) Reporting. In agency data systems (including timekeeping 
systems) and in data reports submitted to OPM, an agency must record 
usage of paid parental leave in the manner prescribed by the Office of 
Personnel Management.

[FR Doc. 2020-14832 Filed 8-6-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P