FAQ: Benefits

No.  Donations made to the ELTP do not count against the limitation to the donations under VLTP.

Yes. You may not receive more than 240 hours of donated leave at one time.

No.

No.  According to government-wide regulations, donations to an ELTP may not be directed to a specific individual.  Donations made to an ELTP are applied towards a central pool.

No. Commissioned Corps members are not eligible to participate in the HHS ELTP, either as a leave donor or as a recipient.

No.  ELTP, as described above, is only for those employees directly affected or employees whose family members were directly affected by a major disaster or emergency. ELTP cannot be used in order to “volunteer” to help the situation.

No. The ELTP covers more than just medical conditions.  Perhaps you need time to file insurance claims for lost property, or to assist a family member relocate from a major disaster or emergency area.  In order to receive leave under ELTP, you need only to demonstrate “severe hardship resulting in required absence from work.”

When the emergency ends, you will receive a proportional share of any unused leave remaining in the bank.

Perhaps.  It depends on the amount of leave in the bank available.  Employees directly impacted by the major disaster or emergency have first priority to available leave.  Employees who need to assist family members impacted by the event have secondary priority to the leave.

Submit an OPM Form 1637, Application to Become a Leave Recipient under the Emergency Leave Transfer Program and OPM Form 71, Request for Leave or Approved Absence (both can be found on the OPM website) to your supervisor for approval.

If you have not used all the leave you were granted within a month of your estimated end date, you will be asked whether the time needs to be extended. If the original need for the leave is over, any remaining leave will be returned to the leave bank to be distributed.

If you encounter problems with your Login and/or Password or technical issues using myPay (DFAS), contact the DFAS Centralized Customer Support Unit toll-free at (888) 332-7411. This support line is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. They can provide assistance on how to use the options available to you in myPay. They will also provide support for establishing and changing your Login and/or Password.

If the regular bi-weekly payday falls on a Federal holiday, it is to your benefit to check with your financial institution before making any financial transactions. The official payday is Friday of payday week. The Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch has no control over when funds will be made available through the financial institution.

Information on Savings Bonds can be found at Treasury Direct. To purchase a Savings Bond, simply go to myPay . Address changes for Savings Bonds are also accomplished through myPay. Once you make your address change in myPay, EHRP/Capital HR will be updated and the Department of Treasury will be notified. Any problems with Savings Bonds should be directed to your HR Client Services Division contact, or you may access the Treasury’s website.

The processing/termination of personal debt collection and wage garnishment is the responsibility of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Employees must deal directly with DFAS at 888-332-7411. The address is Garnishment Operations-HGA, P.O. Box 998002, Cleveland OH 44199-8002. Documents related to this subject may also be faxed to 216-522-6960.

You can view and print a prior year's W-2 in myPay. If you are separated and no longer have access to myPay, you may submit a Request for Duplicate, Corrected or Prior Year W-2, Wage and Tax Statement Form to your assigned Payroll Liaison in the Leave, Payroll, and Workforce Support Branch. You must indicate on the form whether you want a duplicate W-2 from HHS (prior to pay period 10/2005), DFAS, or both.  Your request will then be forwarded to HHS for processing. Please make sure that the current address and the address to which the W-2 should be sent is correct on the form.

Immediately contact the Leave, Payroll & Workforce Support Branch to discuss your missing pay. Your assigned Payroll Liaison will research this issue and if needed provide a resolution on how the pay can be received. 

Duplicate copies of 1099, 1099G, or 1042S must be obtained from the Office of Financial Management (OFM). For 1099s, contact OFM’s Customer Service number at (301) 496-6088. For 1099G or 1042S, you may call (301) 496-5635.

As an NIH employee, it is strongly encouraged that you have your salary directly deposited into your account at the financial institution(s) of your choice. If you decide to change accounts or financial institutions, DO NOT CLOSE YOUR OLD ACCOUNT until you have received your direct deposit in your new account. Once that happens, you may then close your old account. If you want to begin or change your net deposit account, you need to do so through myPay.

CAN changes/corrections must be sent to OFM, 2115 East Jefferson Street, Room 3B-338E, using a Payroll Number Correction (CAN) Change Form. The Benefits and Payroll Liaison Branch will not update CANs.

The CFC is the annual fundraising drive conducted by Federal employees in the workplace each fall. To contribute, you must work through your IC CFC contact person. When signing up during the CFC drive in the fall, the salary deductions begin the first leave period of the following year. You may start making contributions at any time throughout the year; however, you cannot retroactively contribute to the CFC. For more information, visit OPM’s CFC website.

If you do not receive an expected direct deposit payment by the official Friday payday, you must complete the Missing Electronic Funds Transfer Request Form to initiate the tracer process. Once completed submit the form to Bldg 31, Room B3C23. This paperwork is forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which sends the information, in turn, to DFAS. DFAS queries the financial institution to which the payment was sent. If the financial institution returns the funds to DFAS, DFAS will alert HHS that the funds have been returned. In the interim, employees may be entitled to an Emergency Salary Loan Payment.

If your check is mailed to your address of record and is lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated, you must complete a Statement of Claimant Requesting Recertified Check to request a re-certified check. Once completed submit the form to Bldg 31, Room B3C23. This paperwork is forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which sends the information, in turn, to DFAS. DFAS will use the information to make the determination to reissue a recertified check, based on the information provided, and for canceling the original check. The information will also verify a proper mailing address.

You are encouraged to closely review your Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) each pay period to confirm that your pay, allotments, deductions, and leave balances are accurately reflected. Please note that benefits such as the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) and the FERS pension factor into overall federal employee payroll deductions, and you are encouraged to plan accordingly. You may contact your servicing Benefits Specialist for more information about your benefits as a federal employee. If you note an error with payroll deductions and/or missing pay, immediately contact the Leave, Payroll & Workforce Support Branch. Your assigned Payroll Liaison will research this issue and if needed provide a resolution.

After the necessary paperwork has been completed and a TSP loan check has been issued, the TSP Service Office sends paperwork to DFAS. Because there can be a timeliness issue in forwarding the paperwork, you may wish to FAX your TSP paperwork to the Retirement and Employee Benefits Branch at (301) 402-5506. Faxing this paperwork will help to ensure that the TSP loan repayment process is started in a timely manner and that the TSP Service Office is receiving your loan payments.

Your coverage will continue for up to 365 days of non-pay status. You have the option of terminating your coverage during the period of non-pay status or continuing the coverage. If you elect to continue your coverage, you must incur a debt or make direct payments to DFAS while in non-pay status. You will need to sign a Notice of Intent Agreement for LWOP Status. Please notify your benefits contact for additional information. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management provides additional information on LWOP and its impact on Federal benefits.