The District government is dedicated to the health and wellness of District employees and residents. Blood, bone marrow, and organ donations benefit residents battling chronic diseases, experiencing surgical complications, and people who are severely affected by natural disasters or accidents. This issuance provides additional information about the various leave options available to employees who wish to make a blood, bone marrow, or organ donation. 

Agencies shall grant administrative leave for a District employee who is a volunteer blood, bone marrow, or organ donor. Employees requiring more than the approved amount of administrative leave may request to use their own annual leave, sick leave, compensatory time off, exempt time off, or be placed on a leave without pay (LWOP) status, as appropriate. Bone marrow donors and organ donors may also be eligible for Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). 

Blood Donors

An employee who volunteers to donate blood to the American Red Cross or any similar organization, or who donates blood to any District government employee in need of a blood transfusion shall be given up to two hours of administrative leave to make their donation.

Bone Marrow Donors

An employee who volunteers to serve as a bone marrow donor and who does not receive any compensation other than for the costs and expenses associated with the donation shall receive up to seven days of administrative leave in a calendar year.

Organ Donors

An employee who volunteers to serve as an organ donor and who does not receive any compensation other than for the costs and expenses associated with the donation shall receive up to 30 days of administrative leave in a calendar year. When determining the number of hours to provide an employee for this purpose, agencies should provide the employee the necessary number of hours to make and recover from a donation. 

Bone marrow donation or organ donation may be considered qualifying medical events under the Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) program.  Employees may use donor leave before using their own PFML entitlement. 

Administrative leave used for donating organs or bone marrow is not deducted from an employee’s available PFML entitlement. 

Administrative Leave

Employees may request administrative leave to donate blood, bone marrow and organs through the employee self-service portal. Employees should make their request at least three days in advance when possible. 

1. Log in to PeopleSoft.
2. Click Request Absence.
3. In the Absence Type dropdown menu, select A-Other Leave.
4. In the Reason dropdown menu, select Administrative Leave.
5. Enter the Start Date and End Date of your leave request, as well as the Start Time, End Time, and total number of hours of absence you are requesting.
6. In the Comments field, note that you are requesting the leave to make a blood, bone marrow, or organ donation. To receive the appropriate number of leave hours, please ensure to denote the type of donation you are planning to make.

Paid Family and Medical Leave

Employees should follow the procedures outlined in Issuance I-2023-1 Paid Family and Medical Leave Program to apply for leave under the PFML program.

Employees should record their approved leave time using the “Administrative Leave With Pay – ADL” timecode.

1. Before submitting a timesheet with donor leave, click “Save for Later.”
2. Add a comment under the “Reported Time Status” section for any admin leave taken and note that the leave was used for the purposes of blood, bone marrow, or organ donation. 
3. Submit your time.

Agencies may request additional documentation from an employee when processing a request for blood, bone marrow, or organ donor leave. Documentation may include, but is not limited to:

• An appointment confirmation from the Red Cross or similar organization;
• Documentation from the medical facility where the donation is to take place or from the employee’s doctor; or
• Written communications to the employee notifying them that they have been identified as a potential match for a specific patient. 

1. Administrative Leave, 6-B DCMR § 1266
2. Excused Absence in Connection with Serving as a Bone Marrow or Organ Donor, 6-B DCMR § 1259.
3. Paid parental, family, and medical leave, DC Code § 1-612.04 (c)(4)(C).
4. Donor Leave, DC Code § 1-612.03(b).