The Office of Personnel Management on Monday finalized a regulation that expands the definition of "family member" for purposes of determining leave and long-term care benefits. The regulations, published in the Federal Register, modify definitions of "family member" and "immediate relative" for determining use of sick leave, funeral leave, voluntary leave transfer, voluntary leave bank and emergency leave transfer.
The final rule broadens the definition to include "any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association is the equivalent of a family relationship," such as step-parents and step-children, grandparents, grandchildren, and same-sex or opposite-sex domestic partners. Earlier this month, OPM finalized rules that expand the definition of "qualified relative" to include same-sex domestic partners of eligible federal employees for purposes of applying for coverage in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program.
OPM has said that the regulations will help agencies to better address the family needs of an increasingly diverse federal workforce and will enhance the government's ability to compete with the private sector for talent.
The final rule takes effect on July 14.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.