In the last round of collective bargaining, the DEA was able to secure a “Catastrophic Leave Bank” as a pilot program. This program primarily asks every Detective for a one-time donation of one vacation day. The days are then banked and used in emergency situations by Detectives when a family member is seriously ill or injured, and the Detective needs time off to act as a caregiver.
Approximately 10% of the membership has opted out of the program. Contractually, the bank of days will not be granted to anyone who has opted out of the program. The member can request a leave of absence, which is an unpaid leave and separation from the service for the time a member is caring for a loved one.
If a member is currently short of an available vacation day to donate, but wishes to participate in the program in the future, the member may prepare a leave donation request (a 49, a sample is on the pdf file below). The member can send the request to the DEA to [email protected] as soon as the member has the days available.
