Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§210–1 Annual and sick leave

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - ADMINISTRATION AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › Part Part A— - Administration › § 210–1

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Under rules made by the President, commissioned officers of the Regular Corps and officers of the Ready Reserve Corps on active duty may get annual leave and sick leave without losing pay or other allowances. Those rules can allow officers to carry over up to 120 days of unused annual leave into the next leave year. Accumulated annual leave means unused yearly leave kept for the next leave year. Accrued annual leave means the annual leave an officer earns during one leave year.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §210–1

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In accordance with regulations of the President, commissioned officers of the Regular Corps and officers of the Ready Ready 11 So in original. Reserve Corps on active duty may be granted annual leave and sick leave without any deductions from their pay and allowances.
(b)The regulations described in subsection (a) may authorize accumulated annual leave of not more than 120 days for any commissioned officer of the Regular Corps or officer of the Ready Reserve Corps on active duty.
(c)For purposes of this section the term “accumulated annual leave” means unused accrued annual leave carried forward from one leave year into a succeeding leave year, and the term “accrued annual leave” means the annual leave accruing to an officer during one leave year.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–328, § 2225(a)(1), substituted “Ready Reserve Corps” for “Reserve Corps” and struck out “: Provided, That such

Regulations

shall not authorize annual leave to be accumulated in excess of sixty days” after “allowances”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–328, § 2225(a)(2), added subsec. (b). Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 117–328, § 2225(a)(3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c). 2020—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–136 substituted “Ready Reserve Corps” for “Reserve Corps”. 1979—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–76, repealed subsec. (c) which set forth limitations on granting of annual leave under subsec. (a) of this section. 1962—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 87–649 repealed subsec. (b) which required forfeiture of all pay and allowances of an officer absent without leave. See section 503 of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 87–649 repealed last sentence which authorized a lump-sum payment for unused accumulated and accrued annual leave on date of separation, retirement, or release from active duty. See section 501 of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 87–649 repealed subsec. (d) insofar as it was applicable to the last sentence of subsec. (c). See Amendment note above.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2022 Amendment Pub. L. 117–328, div. FF, title II, § 2225(b), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 5750, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to accumulated annual leave (as defined in section 219 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 210–1)) that a commissioned officer of the Regular Corps or officer of the Ready Reserve Corps on active duty would, but for the

Regulations

described in such section, lose at the end of fiscal year 2022 or a subsequent fiscal year.”

Effective Date

of 1962 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 87–649 effective Nov. 1, 1962, see section 15 of Pub. L. 87–649, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services.

Effective Date

Section effective July 1, 1950, see section 3(a) of act Aug. 9, 1950, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1950 Amendment note under section 210 of this title. Authorization To Accumulate Excess Annual Leave Pub. L. 117–180, div. D, title III, § 302, Sept. 30, 2022, 136 Stat. 2136, provided that: “For purposes of annual leave accumulated in fiscal year 2022, the authority provided in section 2106 of division C of Public Law 116–159 (42 U.S.C. 210–1 note) shall apply to such leave by substituting ‘2022’ for ‘2020’ in subsections (a) and (d)(2).” Pub. L. 116–159, div. C, title I, § 2106, Oct. 1, 2020, 134 Stat. 729, provided that: “(a) In General.—Notwithstanding section 219 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 210–1), a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service who, except for this section, would lose at the end of the fiscal year 2020 accumulated annual leave in excess of 60 days, may retain such amounts of accumulated annual leave in excess of 60 days. “(b) Use of Excess Leave.—Annual leave retained pursuant to subsection (a) shall be lost unless it is used by the officer no later than September 30, 2023. “(c) Applicability.—This section shall not apply to an officer on terminal leave preceding separation, retirement, or release from active duty, as of the

Effective Date

specified in subsection (d). “(d)

Effective Date

.—This section shall become effective on the earlier of—“(1) the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 1, 2020]; or “(2)
September 30, 2020.” Compensation for Prior Accumulated and Accrued Leave; Limitation; Inapplicable to Officers on Terminal Leave Prior to
July 1, 1950Act Aug. 9, 1950, ch. 654, § 3(b), (c), 64 Stat. 426, 427, provided that any officer credited with more than sixty days of accumulated and accrued leave on
June 30, 1949, be compensated for so much of such leave as exceeds sixty days, that such compensation be due and payable on
July 1, 1950, and that the provisions of this Act not apply to any officer on terminal leave preceding separation, retirement, or release from active duty. Availability of FundsAct Aug. 9, 1950, ch. 654, § 4, 64 Stat. 427, provided for the availability of funds for payment of compensation for prior accumulated and accrued leave for any officer under section 3 of this Act. Leave

Regulations

Act Aug. 9, 1950, ch. 654, § 5, 64 Stat. 427, provided that: “Except insofar as the provisions of this Act [enacting this section, amending section 210 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 210 of this title] are inconsistent therewith, leave

Regulations

adopted prior to the enactment of this Act [Aug. 9, 1950], pursuant to the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.], shall remain in effect until repealed, amended, or superseded.”

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Functions of Public Health Service, of Surgeon General of Public Health Service, and all other officers and employees of Public Health Service, and functions of all agencies of or in Public Health Service transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855, 80 Stat. 1610, set out as a note under section 202 of this title. Delegation of Functions Functions of President delegated to Secretary of Health and Human Services, see Ex. Ord. No. 11140, Jan. 30, 1964, 29 F.R. 1637, as amended, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 210–1

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73