Army Regulation Leave And Passes
The purpose of army regulation leave and passes is to provide clear guidelines to all Soldiers about the process of applying for and obtaining leave. It is also intended to ensure the safety of Soldiers within a unit. The policy applies to all Soldiers assigned to or attached to a unit. Before applying for leave, Soldiers should first receive permission from their Troop Commander. Earned leave is an important part of being a Soldier, and leaders are responsible for executing a program that ensures the equal distribution of leave for soldiers in each section.
Army members can take up to three days of leave during a normal duty week. This is a privilege granted to deserving soldiers. A three-day pass is normally granted over the weekend, while a four-day pass gives a Service Member an additional day off during a normal workweek. A four-day pass is a privilege granted by commanders to deserving Service Members. A four-day pass may not be taken in conjunction with another leave. In order to qualify for a pass, a Service Member must take at least two days of duty.
In most cases, a Soldier can carry over up to 60 days of annual accrued leave from year to year. A Soldier can also carry over up to 60 days of annual leave if he elects not to out-process it.
Army Redesigns Leave Forms To Simplify Time
The Army recently rolled out a major update to leave regulations that includes changes ranging from more user-friendly leave forms to clearer descriptions of the service’s parental leave policy.
The June 3 revision of Army Regulation 600-8-10, which covers leaves and passes, is part of the largest update to Army military leave policy in more than a decade, Larry Lock, chief of Compensation and Entitlements for the Army’s G-1 office, said in an Army news release.
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“We’re an all-volunteer force since 1973, and to sustain our force we want to take care of our people,” Lock said in the release. “One way to do that is to streamline the process for requesting leave and enhance morale by encouraging soldiers to take time off.”
Based on input from soldiers, the service improved the Department of Army Form 31, or Request and Authority for Leave, which has not been updated since 1993, Lock said.
“To be a more usable form … the Army updated the DA Form 31 to make sure commanders and soldiers clearly understand what type of leave was chargeable and what type was non-chargeable,” he said. “Soldiers, Army leaders and commanders need to keep track of leave, for personnel reasons and for audit purposes.”
Both the new DA Form 31 and the new DA Form 4179 are available on the Army Publishing Division website.
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Army Revamps Leave And Pass Regulation
The new regulation encompasses recent changes in leave and passes, rearranges the sections to make it more user friendly, clarifies policy, and covers the new leave forms, he said. It also aligns the terminology more closely with Defense Department Instruction 1327.06, or Leave and Liberty Policy and Procedures.
The result is a regulation that is more comprehensive and will reduce confusion, especially for Soldiers working in joint environments, he said.
The DOD Instruction covers leave and liberty procedures and sets a blueprint so the Army can be uniform with the other military services. Based on input from Soldiers, the Army took the opportunity to improve the Department of Army Form 31, or Request and Authority for Leave, and the DA Form 4179, or Leave Log.
Were an all-volunteer force since 1973, and to sustain our force we want to take care of our people, Lock said. One way to do that is to streamline the process for requesting leave, and enhance morale by encouraging Soldiers to take time off.
Last updated in 1993, the time to update the leave form had come, he said, especially with so many changes to the regulation.
To be a more usable form given changes in the types of leave, the Army updated the DA Form 31 to make sure commanders and Soldiers clearly understand what type of leave was chargeable and what type was non-chargeable, Lock said. Soldiers, Army leaders and commanders need to keep track of leave, for personnel reasons and for audit purposes.
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Army Revamps Leave Pass Regulation
WASHINGTON The June 3 revision of Army Regulation 600-8-10, which covers leaves and passes, is part of the largest update to Army military leave policy in more than a decade, said Larry Lock, chief of Compensation and Entitlements for the Armys G-1 office.
The new regulation encompasses recent changes in leave and passes, rearranges the sections to make it more user friendly, clarifies policy, and covers the new leave forms, he said. It also aligns the terminology more closely with Defense Department Instruction 1327.06, or Leave and Liberty Policy and Procedures.
The result is a regulation that is more comprehensive and will reduce confusion, especially for Soldiers working in joint environments, he said.
The DOD Instruction covers leave and liberty procedures and sets a blueprint so the Army can be uniform with the other military services. Based on input from Soldiers, the Army took the opportunity to improve the Department of Army Form 31, or Request and Authority for Leave, and the DA Form 4179, or Leave Log.
Weve been an all-volunteer force since 1973, and to sustain our force we want to take care of our people, Lock said. One way to do that is to streamline the process for requesting leave, and enhance morale by encouraging Soldiers to take time off.
We now have an improved process, and that has improved the DA Form 31, Lock said.
Parental Leave
Other Leave Issues
Merging Commanders Priorities And Soldier Needs
In our People First Army, I believe that leaves and passes are something we need to address. For example, are leaders making leave packets too complicated to submit? How easy should commanders make it to submit leave?
Ive been part of units where the leave packet was rather complex and others where it was easy. Sometimes, it was as simple as your DA31, LES, and MEDPROs. But Ive had it also require TRiPs forms and flight itineraries, which I cant always get until I had an approved leave packet. So it was a chicken and egg exercise.
Understanding the readiness issues commanders face, leave, and passes should be simple to request. Right now, I have to submit a DA31, an LES, and my MEDPROs. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I can put a packet together in about 15 minutes. Also, I have to digitally submit it, which can be a dual-edged sword for some.
I realize that commanders have specific readiness needs they need to maintain. However, I still hear stories of people being denied leave for a funeral, a family reunion, a childs birthday, or even a simple mileage pass.
Of course, there are two sides to every story. However, I believe that leaders are obligated to clearly explain when Soldiers can take leave and provide adequate time to put together a leave form. In addition, Army leaders should remove barriers to taking leave and prioritize the submission of leave packets as soon as a Soldier completes them.
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Leave And Pass Policy
SUBJECT: Command Policy Letter #1
1. References: Army Regulation 600-8-10, Leaves and Passes
2. Purpose. To provide clear guidance regarding leave and pass procedures, assure compliance with AR 600-8-10 and enhance the safety and accountability of Soldiers within the unit.
3. Applicability: This policy applies to all Soldiers assigned or attached to this unit.
4. Commander’s Intent:
a. Leaves and passes are privileges that must be approved by the Troop Commander. At the same time, Soldiers work hard for and earn their leave therefore, leaders must execute an equitable and consistent program in their sections to ensure our Soldiers get the time off they deserve, while meeting mission and regulatory requirements.
b. Safety is a major concern. Platoon Sergeants will ensure that there is a safe travel plan in place before members of their sections are approved to depart on leave or pass. The Soldiers’ supervisory chain is responsible for making sure that this plan is in place. Approval of leave and/or pass will in part be conditional on having an agreed upon travel plan, COVID mitigation measures put in place , and no overdue items listed on current IMR. I want to ensure that individuals are not trying to stretch the limits of what is reasonable by planning to drive too far without proper rest, by operating an unsafe vehicle or by doing anything else that may result in them getting into an accident.
5. Leaves:
6. Passes: Regular and Special
Leaders Soldiers Must Understand Army Policy For Leave And Special Passes
- Master Sgt. David Lutz, Asst. IG, III Corps
There are two kinds of special passes, three-day and four-day.
A three-day pass normally begins at the end of a normal duty day on a given day and ends with the start of a normal duty day on the fourth day after an absence of three consecutive calendar days. The standard for calculating the period of the pass is to count calendar days, not the number of hours to be taken.
A four-day pass must include at least two consecutive non-duty days. For example, a Soldier may depart on a four-day pass on Friday evening after the duty day and must return at the start of normal duty on Wednesday.
DA Message, sent Jan. 4, 2008, did not establish new leave and pass policy but was intended to clarify existing policy. Whenever a training holiday is granted with or without a federal holiday to make a three or a four-day weekend, it is considered a special pass.
Before April 2005, Soldiers could not take ordinary leave in conjunction with a pass. They had to work a duty day between them or take leave for the whole period.
However, if they chose to work either the 26th or 28th and only take two of the three work days as leave, they could still have been off 10 of the 11 working days. Rather than being more restrictive and costing Soldiers leave, the DoDI has actually benefited them. Again, because of 2005 a Soldier could not string a leave and pass together.
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Army Regulation Ar 600
This United States Army policy, Army Regulation AR 600-8-10 Personnel-General: Leaves and Passes June 2020, covers the Leaves and Passes Program. It prescribes policies and operating tasks governing military personnel absences. This regulation applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve, unless otherwise stated. This regulation prescribes the policies and mandated operating tasks for military absences, including leave, pass, and administrative absence. This regulation is binding on all entities involved in granting leave, pass, and other forms of absence from duty.
ISBN: 9798669746896
Clarification Of Military Leave In Combination With Pass
MILPER Message 16-328 Clarification of Military Leave in Combination with PassIssued:
1. The purpose of this message is to provide guidance to grant ordinary leave in combination with pass. This message will expire 17 Nov 17.
2. IAW Reference A., a regular or special pass may be granted in conjunction with ordinary leave without a duty day in between. To clarify:
a. Only one leave period may be granted in conjunction with a pass .
b. One leave period may be granted in conjunction with two passes .
c Two periods of ordinary leave may NOT be granted without a duty day in between. If inadvertently granted, the entire absence must be charged as leave.
d. The weekend, for Soldiers normally working Monday through Friday, is a regular pass period.
e. Two passes may NOT be granted consecutively without a duty or leave day in between.
f. Soldiers must be physically present on post, at duty location, or local residence area , to start and end leave. The Soldier must also be physically at one of these locations when departing to or returning from a pass.
g. Absences encompassing two regular weekends may include pass Saturday and Sunday, leave Monday through Friday, and pass on the next Saturday and Sunday.
h. Soldiers outside of the areas defined in para 2f., at the beginning or end of any leave period will be charged ordinary leave for their entire absence, or may be charged for absence without leave.
i. A special pass may not, under any circumstances, exceed four days.
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