I-2022-12
| Effective Date: | Expiration Date: | Chapters: |
| Aug. 15, 2022 | When Superseded | 12 |
To support the wellbeing of our workforce regarding the monkeypox virus (MPX) in our region, the District government has established an activity code to track the District government's response to the virus. We are also authorizing administrative leave for District government employees who are required to isolate under CDC guidance due to an MPX infection and who are also unable to telework.
The MPX virus is a viral disease that produces symptoms like smallpox. However, MPX symptoms are milder, and are rarely fatal. The virus can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including direct contact with a rash, scabs, or bodily fluid from a person with MPX; touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that been used by someone with MPX, and contact with respiratory secretions. Additionally, a pregnant person can spread the virus to their unborn children.
The CDC recommends individuals who have contact with animals or people confirmed to have MPX to self-monitor their symptoms for 21 days after the last known exposure.
As of the effective date of this issuance, and notwithstanding 6-B D.C.M.R. § 1266.2, the Department of Human Resources authorizes agencies under its personnel authority to grant qualifying employees no more than 120 hours of administrative leave to isolate due to an MPX infection.
To qualify for MPX administrative leave, an employee must:
Employees may request administrative leave related to MPX the same way they request other forms of leave. In PeopleSoft, click the Request Absence tile, and select “A-Other Leave” as the requested Absence Type.
If the agency uses a leave request system other than PeopleSoft, the agency is responsible for informing employees on the appropriate procedures for requesting MPX related administrative leave.
For most agencies, employees’ immediate supervisors approve leave requests. In other agencies, assigned timekeepers will approve such requests. Regardless, the leave approver must approve administrative leave related to MPX when:
An employee may only receive administrative leave related to MPX for isolation purposes in accordance with CDC guidelines. At present, the CDC recommends that people with MPX remain isolated for the duration of their illness. Current data suggests people can spread MPX from the time symptoms start until all symptoms have resolved, including full healing of the rash with formation of a fresh layer of skin. The CDC notes that it is advisable that individuals with monkeypox remain in isolation for the duration of illness, which typically lasts two to four weeks.
Employees who are unable to work or telework due to MPX should remain in isolation for the duration of their MPX illness and until all symptoms have resolved. An employee who requires additional time for isolation beyond the 120 hours of administrative leave may use any available accrued leave, take advantage of the District’s leave bank and voluntary leave transfer programs, and consult their agency’s FMLA Coordinator for other available leave options.
Agency timekeepers and supervisors are responsible for verifying employees’ eligibility to use administrative leave related to monkeypox. Examples of reasonable documentation to establish eligibility include positive test results or a note from an employee’s healthcare provider. When an employee can telework, supervisors should advise employees to telework instead of taking leave when practicable. However, if an employee cannot telework due to symptoms related to monkeypox, supervisors may request reasonable documentation as to why the employee cannot telework.
When reporting time in PeopleSoft, employees approved for administrative leave under this policy must use Administrative Leave with Pay – ADL time reporting code (TRC) in PeopleSoft.
Employees engaged in activities relating to the District’s response to MPX must indicate these activities on their timesheets. Employees shall do so by using the “MPX” activity code and provides comments that describe their activities as follows:
For more step-by-step assistance, please refer to the video provided (use the MPX task code instead of COVID) [Link].
An employee who is unable to work or telework because of MPX who requires leave beyond the 120 hours authorized by this policy may be entitled to leave under the DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA), the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or both. We encourage employees who have questions about their DCFMLA and FMLA eligibility to contact their agency FMLA Coordinator for additional information.
Agency supervisors, timekeepers, or other employees that have access to information pertaining to employees’ eligibility for administrative leave related to monkeypox are responsible and accountable for safeguarding the integrity, security, and confidentiality of these records regardless of form. Agency supervisors and timekeepers must protect such records from unauthorized access, use, modification, destruction, or improper disclosure. Employee records related to the use of administrative leave for monkeypox must be kept in a confidential file separate and apart from the employee’s personnel file.
The provisions of this issuance apply to those District government agencies under the personnel authority of the Director of the D.C. Department of Human Resources. Other personnel authorities or independent agencies may adopt any or all of these procedures to provide guidance to employees under their respective jurisdictions.
Issued by Interim Director E. Lindsey Maxwell II, Esq., D.C. Department of Human Resources on Aug. 15, 2022, 10:01 a.m.