Vacation Leave
Vacation leave is calculated by multiplying the total number of hours paid by .0577.
Vacation leave is accrued up to a maximum of 80 hours at any given time. Once the 80-hour maximum has been reached, no further vacation leave will accrue until the balance falls below the 80-hour maximum.
- Vacation leave cannot be paid in advance.
- The Enrollee's earnings statement reflects the available balance of vacation leave as of the end of that pay period.
- The Monitor must approve all vacation leave requests in advance
- Vacation leave hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Under the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet, select "VACATION" and the hours entered under the "HOURS" column in the ADP timesheet system.
Accrued Vacation Leave is available to allow the Enrollee paid time off while on the NEW Solutions program. Up to 80 hours of accrued Vacation leave will be paid out upon separation from the program.
Sick Leave
Sick leave is calculated by multiplying the total number of hours paid by .0462. Sick leave is paid only for medical purposes for enrollees themselves or to attend to an immediate family member. The enrollee's earnings statement reflects the available balance of sick leave.
Sick Leave is accrued to a maximum of 80 hours at any given time. Once the 80-hour maximum has been reached, no further sick leave will accrue until the balance falls below the 80-hour maximum.
- Call the Monitor within 2 hours of start time, when absent or late
- Call each day of absence. If absent for 3 or more consecutive days without calling in, separation proceedings may be initiated.
- Submit a doctor's release by faxing it to your NEW Solutions Field Office when absent for 5 days or more.
Sick leave hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Under the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet, select "SICK" and the hours entered under the "HOURS" column in the ADP timesheet system.
Immediate Family includes spouses, children, daughter/son-in-law, parent, siblings, sister/brother-in-law, grandparent, grandchildren, mother/father-in-law, step parents, step siblings, step children, step grandchildren and domestic partners.
Sick Leave remaining at the end of an enrollee's enrollment is not payable to the enrollee, unless specifically required by applicable State law.
Enrollees returning to the program within six months of separation might be eligible for the reinstatement of their sick leave balances with approval.
The following are the official holidays to be observed by the NEW Solutions Program Enrollees for 2024:
| Day | Date* | Holiday |
| Monday | January 1, 2024 | New Years Day |
| Monday | January 15, 2024 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday |
| Monday | February 19, 2024 | President's Day |
| Monday | May 27, 2024 | Memorial Day |
| Wednesday | June 19, 2024 | Juneteenth |
| Thursday | July 4, 2024 | Independence Day |
| Monday | September 2, 2024 | Labor Day |
| Monday | October 14, 2024 | Columbus Day |
| Monday | November 11, 2024 | Veterans Day |
| Thursday | November 28, 2024 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Wednesday | December 25, 2024 | Christmas Day |
- Enrollees receive holiday pay as a fringe benefit, even if they are not regularly scheduled to work on that day.
- Holiday leave hours must always be claimed on the date of the holiday.
- Enrollees are not permitted to work on authorized holidays.
An Enrollee must be in "Active Pay Status" during the pay period in which the holiday falls to be eligible for payment. An Enrollee's "Active Pay Status" is verified by a time sheet with paid hours (i.e., work, vacation, jury duty, bereavement).
Exceptions
- New Enrollees whose first timesheet reflects a start date after a holiday will not be paid for the holiday.
- Separated Enrollees whose last time sheet reflects a separation day prior to a holiday will not be paid for the holiday.
Holiday pay is pro-rated for Enrollees who work part-time and is calculated by dividing an Enrollee's authorized hours per pay period by 10 and rounding up to the next quarter hour. (Please see chart for examples.)
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The hours should be entered in the Hours column and the code "HOLIDAY" should be selected in the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet.
A maximum of 8 hours will be paid for a holiday. If an Enrollee's approved schedule is 10 hours per day, 4 days per week, only 8 hours of holiday leave should be recorded on the timesheet.
Holiday hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Jury Duty Leave
Up to 10 days of leave may be granted per jury service. Enrollees will be paid for their regularly scheduled hours on a Jury Duty Day. For example, an Enrollee who is regularly scheduled to work 6 hours on Mondays and who is called for jury duty on a Monday will only be paid for 6 hours.
Your Monitor must be informed when you are notified that you have been selected to serve on jury duty.
Jury duty hours must always be claimed on the date of the jury service.
Written evidence of jury service must be submitted to NEW Solutions before any payment will be released. Court remuneration for jury service should be kept by the Enrollee.
The hours should be entered in the Hours column and the code "JURY" should be selected in the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet.
Jury duty hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Leave Without Pay
Up to thirty (30) business days of Leave Without Pay may be approved in a calendar year by the Monitor.
The number of authorized hours for that day should be entered in the "HOURS" column (the electronic timesheet system will not accept zeros), and the code "LWOP" should be selected in the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet.
Leave Without Pay hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Bereavement Leave
Bereavement leave of up to 3 consecutive, regularly scheduled working days may be granted upon the loss of a spouse, child, daughter/son-in-law, parent, sibling, sister/brother-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, mother/father-in-law, step parent, step sibling, step child, step grandchild or domestic partner.
The number of authorized hours for that day should be entered in the Hours column and the code "BEREAV" should be selected in the "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet. The name and relationship of the deceased must be recorded on your timesheet in the Notes section before leave payment will be released.
Bereavement leave hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Family and Medical Leave
The NEW Solutions ACES Program will follow the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) unless an Enrollee is assigned in a state that has a more liberal law. In these cases, the NEW Solutions ACES Program will follow the more liberal state law.
The FMLA entitles eligible enrollees of covered employers to take job-protected, unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons. Eligible enrollees are entitled to:
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Twelve workweeks of leave in any 12-month period for:
- Birth and care of the enrollee's child, within one year of birth
- Placement with the enrollee of a child for adoption or foster care, within one year of the placement
- Care of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent) who has a serious health condition
- For the enrollee's own serious health condition that makes the enrollee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job
- Any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the enrollee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on active duty or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty in the U.S. National Guard or Reserves in support of a contingency operation
- Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness if the enrollee is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the service member (Military Caregiver Leave)
Eligibility requires enrollment in the NEW Solutions ACES Program for a minimum of one year AND at least 1250 duty hours worked during the 12-month period immediately preceding the request for leave. Sick and vacation hours do not count towards the 1250 duty hours.
Requesting family and medical leave requires enrollees to submit a written request, which includes justification, to the NEW Solutions ACES Program Field Office with a copy to the Monitor. Certification may be required as permitted by the FMLA
E-Timesheets must be submitted during family and medical leave for accurate record-keeping purposes. The number of authorized hours for that day should be entered in the "HOURS" column (the electronic timesheet system will not accept zeros), and sick(SICK), vacation (VACATION), or leave without pay (LWOP) should be selected in "PAY CODE" column on the timesheet
Sick and vacation leave hours (if available) must be used concurrently during the time off for family and medical leave. Once sick and vacation leave have been depleted, the remainder of FML is unpaid.
Health Insurance, for those Enrollees covered under the NEW Solutions ACES Program group health care plan, will continue to be paid.
Failure to return to the NEW Solutions ACES Program assignment at the end of the family and medical leave period may prompt NEW Solutions to initiate separation procedures.
Family and Medical Leave hours are non-worked hours and will not be included in any overtime pay calculations.
Click on the state name to view the poster for leave offered by the specific state.
State Paid Family and Medical Leave
California
California - San Francisco
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Washington
Inclement Weather Policy
ACES Enrollees who report to the NRCS office should follow the guidance of their local office for late arrival, early dismissal or office closure due to inclement weather conditions. Enrollees are not eligible to receive pay for the hours of late arrival, early release, or absence due to the NRCS office closings; however they are allowed to make up those hours during the following weeks in coordination with the monitor.
Telework ACES Enrollees - Enrollees who are participating in a telework program, including those who perform telework regularly, those who telework on an ad hoc basis and who do not report to the NRCS office must be prepared to telework or take unscheduled leave. In general, inclement weather and safety leave is not available to telework enrollees who do not report to the office.
Early Release Hours
ACES Enrollees are not eligible to receive pay for the hours of early release granted by the Leadership of the USDA or NRCS to the Agency’s Staff. Enrollees can make up those hours during the following weeks.
Telework ACES Enrollees - Enrollees who are participating in a telework program, including those who perform telework regularly, those who telework on an ad hoc basis and who do not report to the NRCS office must be prepared to telework or take unscheduled leave. In general, early release is not available to telework enrollees who do not report to the office.
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