• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide

  • ABOUT US
  • MEMBERS
    • MEMBER ACCESS (must be logged in)
  • SERVICES
  • RESOURCES
  • AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
  • ABOUT US
  • MEMBERS
    • MEMBER ACCESS (must be logged in)
  • SERVICES
  • RESOURCES
  • AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
You are here: Home / At Last, Paid Parental Leave Policy Started October 1, 2020

At Last, Paid Parental Leave Policy Started October 1, 2020

Federal employees may receive up to 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child as stated in the updated 3 FAM 3530, The Family and Medical leave Act of 1993 (FMLA).  The updated FMLA amends the FMLA to allow the employee to substitute PPL for unpaid FMLA. The amendments for the PPL are contained in section 3 FAM 3535.

PPL must take place in the 12 months following the birth or placement of the child. PPL may be substituted for FMLA only following the birth or placement of the child and not the anticipated birth or placement. (3 FAM 3535.1) The employee must agree to work for 12 weeks after the end of the leave period or must reimburse the Department for any contributions made by the Department to the employee’s Federal Employee Health Benefit during the 12 week PPL period.  Exceptions described “as circumstances beyond the employee’s control” are listed in 3 FAM 3535.5 (e).

To be eligible for PPL, an employee must be eligible for FLMA; they must be Foreign Service (including EFMs on Family Member Appointments) or Civil Servants (including EFMs), and they must have completed 12 months of federal service. The 12 months of service is not required to be consecutive or completed with the Department of State.

FMLA, or unpaid medical leave, is limited to 12 weeks in a 12 month period. If an employee has used FMLA for medical reasons other than birth or placement of a child then the PPL time may be reduced by that amount of time (3 FAM 3535.3(b)).  

PPL requests do not depend on marital status. Unmarried parent employees may request PPL as long as the parent is caring for the child.

For more information, see the updated 3 FAM 3530, and especially 3 FAM 3535 or Announcement #72742 from HR dated September 24, 2020. The announcement also lists other resources including video tutorials on leave options for new parents. Specific forms are required to request FMLA and to substitute PPL for FMLA.  They are listed in both the FAM and the Announcement.

The policy is not without its caveats but is a huge step forward towards being in line with policies of other developed countries. The Paid Parental Leave Working Group is still pursuing common sense policy changes and appreciates input into their Innovation Portal.

Ann LaPorta

Footer

CONNECT WITH US

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
4001 North Ninth Street, Suite 214
Arlington, VA, 22203
703-820-5420

Our Vision Statement

AAFSW will continue to be a catalyst for beneficial change through advocacy and support for our Foreign Affairs Community. By providing resources, services and engaging programs through our effective network, we promote the goals and serve the needs of Foreign Service and Civil Service employees, spouses, partners, members of household and retirees.

Follow

My Tweets

Copyright © 2022 · Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide · Connecting the U.S. Foreign Affairs Community at Home and Abroad

AAFSW uses cookies to optimize your experience, analyze traffic, and personalize content. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of cookies on our site.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT