The Postal Service™ supports the employment of veterans who have chosen to commence or resume a civilian career with the Postal Service following their military service. On November 5, 2015, President Obama signed the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114–75) (Act). The Act requires federal agencies to make leave immediately available to eligible disabled service members to attend medical appointments without loss or reduction of pay.
Wounded Warriors Leave (WWL), as designated, will be available to eligible veterans to attend medical appointments and receive related treatment for a service-connected disability. Eligible veterans include all Postal Service employees hired on or after November 5, 2016, that have a minimum 30 percent combined disability rating. WWL consists of 104 hours of leave to be used in the initial 12 months of employment. In addition to being available to new hires, the WWL benefit is also available to employees who return to the Postal Service on or after November 5, 2016, from military service or leave in which they have suffered a qualifying disability.
WWL is a separate leave category, distinct from annual or sick leave. WWL is only available during the first 12 months of employment, unless an employee returns from Military Leave (without a break in service) with a new service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more. The WWL is offered to employees as a one-time benefit. Once the leave has been exhausted an employee is not eligible to receive the benefit again. Further, any WWL not used in the 12-month eligibility period is forfeited.
It is an employee’s responsibility to notify the Postal Service of his or her eligibility before requesting WWL. Employees must provide documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or on any Office of Personnel Management (OPM) certification form developed for administration of WWL, certifying that the employee has a qualifying service-connected disability. Send documentation to support WWL eligibility to the HR Shared Service Center:
n Via mail at PO Box 970400, Greensboro, NC 27497-0400; or
n Via fax at 651-994-3521.
Employees must request WWL in advance, unless the leave is unforeseeable. Prior to the absence, employees must complete PS Form 3971, Request for or Notification of Absence, designating the reason for the absence as “other” and writing “Wounded Warriors Leave” in the space provided. Within 15 calendar days from their return to work, employees must provide to their supervisor a completed PS Form 5980, Treatment Verification for Wounded Warriors Leave, signed by their medical provider.
WWL can be used in combination with other employee-accrued leave and may also be used in conjunction with the Family Medical Leave Act provided the employee meets eligibility requirements.
For additional information on the Wounded Warriors Leave program, please see MI EL-510-2016-7, Wounded Warriors Leave, and PS Form 5980, Treatment Verification for Wounded Warriors Leave, on PolicyNet at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim/.
— Compensation and Benefits,
Human Resources, 11-10-16
