Governor Establishes Donated Leave Program for State Employees in the Military
(Salem, OR) – Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced that he has created a program to allow state employees to donate leave time to coworkers who are serving in active duty in the National Guard or Reserves.
There are over 200 state employees in the National Guard and Reserves, with 80 currently serving in active duty.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the state employees who are courageously serving our country in the armed forces,” said Governor Kulongoski. “Since their military wages are often lower than their regular wages, many of these men and women face significant reductions in income when they are called into active duty. Their coworkers know how hard this is on them and their families, and many state employees have asked how they can help. This program provides the opportunity for state employees to donate leave to support their coworkers who are making sacrifices for our country.”
Under the donated leave program, administered by the state Department of Administrative Services (DAS), state employees may donate accrued vacation leave and comp time to active-duty coworkers within their agency. Employees can either direct their donations to a specific individual or to the agency program pool.
The dollar value of donated leave hours will be calculated by multiplying the donor’s base hourly rate times the number of hours donated. As donated hours are available, participants will receive a payment on a monthly basis for an amount up to the difference between their gross military pay and their regular gross base pay as a state employee.
All employees who are called up to active duty in leave without pay status will have the option to be enrolled in the program; participants can elect to receive either individual donations or to be placed in the agency program donation pool. DAS is working with the military department to enroll state employees who are already serving in active duty.
For further information about the program, contact Jeanne Davis, DAS HRSD at 503-378-8301 or Nancie Young at 503-373-7062.
Contact:
Marian Hammond, 503-378-6169
Anna Richter-Taylor, 503-378-6496
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