R 201910Z DEC 24 MARADMIN 625/24 MSGID/GENADMIN/WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//  SUBJ/ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF FORTHCOMING CHANGES TO MCO 1050.3J,  REGULATIONS FOR LEAVE, LIBERTY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE ABSENCE//  REF/A/DOC/USMC/19MAY09//  REF/B/DOC/PUBLIC LAW 118-31/22DEC23//  REF/C/DOC/DOD/4JAN23//  REF/D/DOC/USMC/10MAR21//  REF/E/DOC/USMC/27JAN23//  REF/F/DOC/USMC/8MAR23//  REF/G/DOC/USN/16JAN19//  REF/H/DOC/USMC/17JUN24//  NARR/REF A IS MCO 1050.3J REGULATIONS FOR LEAVE, LIBERTY, AND  ADMINSTRATIVE ABSENCE.  REF B IS THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.  REF C IS DIRECTIVE-TYPE MEMORANDUM 23-001 FOR PARENTAL LEAVE.  REF D IS MCO 5000.12F W/ CH1 PARENTHOOD AND  PREGNANCY.  REF E IS MARADMIN 051/23 EXPANSION OF THE MILITARY  PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM.  REF F IS MARADMIN 129/23 CLARIFICATION TO  MARADMIN 051/23.  REF G IS SECNAVINST 1000.10B PARENTHOOD AND  PREGNANCY.  REF H IS MARADMIN 280/24 INTERIM GUIDANCE ON THE  SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM.//    POC/MANPOWER MILITARY POLICY BRANCH (MPO)/EMAIL:  [email protected]//  GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  The purpose of this MARADMIN is to provide  advance notification of forthcoming changes to reference (a) and  other associated leave and liberty programs.    2.  Background.  Legislation detailed in reference (b),   coupled with Department of Defense initiatives and the Marine Corps’ steadfast commitment to upholding the leave program as a vital  military necessity aimed at bolstering the morale and well-being of Marines and their families, have prompted significant updates and a thorough review of the leave and liberty policy.  As a result of  this review, and with the aim of maintaining Marines and their  families as the central focus of the program, the changes detailed below will be integrated into the upcoming revision of reference  (a).  These changes will take effect immediately unless otherwise  specified.    3.  Combining Leave and Liberty in the Local Area.  Marines are  authorized to take local leave in conjunction with liberty and  will only be charged leave for those days that are duty days.     3.a.  Single or multiple leave periods may be granted in  conjunction with single or multiple liberty periods (examples  include: liberty-leave-liberty; leave-liberty-leave; or liberty- leave-liberty-leave) as long as executed within local liberty  geographical limitations/boundaries.  3.b.  Example:  21-22 December 2024, weekend liberty; 23 December,  leave in the local area; 24-26 December, 72-hour holiday liberty; 27 December, leave in the local area; 28-29 December, weekend  liberty; 30 December, return to duty.  Marine or Sailor is charged 2 days of annual leave for the period of 21-30 December 2024.    3.c.  Geographical Limitation: All leave must begin, be executed,  and end in the vicinity of the Marine’s PDS or worksite, as defined by the 24-hour liberty boundaries established by the local  Commander’s leave and liberty policy.  4.  Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP).    4.a.  Marines eligible for MPLP benefits, as specified in reference (e), may be granted parental leave during the execution of a  Permanent Change of Station (PCS).  It is crucial to ensure members do not exceed their available parental leave entitlement during a  PCS as any additional leave taken as delay-en-route will be taken  from the member’s annual leave balance.    4.b.  The Marine Online platform is currently undergoing  enhancements to integrate parental leave into the Outbound/Inbound Interview Module.  This update aims to include parental leave as a  standard component of the questionnaire process.  These improvements are designed to ensure accurate tracking of parental leave balances  and reduce administrative errors during execution.  Until these  system enhancements are implemented, administrative commands  issuing orders (e.g. IPAC, I&I, etc.) should specify the available balance of parental leave prior to departure, the number of days  authorized, and the remaining balance after completion of the PCS in the endorsement of the PCS orders.    4.c.  Until applicable enhancements are made to the Outbound/Inbound Interview module, Disbursing and Finance Offices will manually  adjust records for elapsed time following execution of PCS when  Marines utilize parental leave enroute.  Parental leave must be  explicitly authorized in the PCS orders.  Any active component  Marine seeking to extend their delay enroute period beyond 45 days must obtain prior approval from Manpower Management Division  (Enlisted Assignments/Officer Assignments); Active Reserve Marines must obtain prior approval from Reserve Affairs Personnel Management (RAM-2).  If such approval is granted, the authorization letter  must be referenced and uploaded to the Marine’s Outbound Interview  and be included in the documentation submitted in the travel claim either through the electronic process completed via the Inbound  Interview or the legacy platform (Document Tracking Management  System).    4.d.  Commands and Marines bear the responsibility of ensuring that  a Marine authorized this leave during the execution of a PCS does  not exceed 84 days of parental leave.    5.  Administrative Absence, also referred to as Permissive Temporary Additional Duty (PTAD), includes clarifications to the below  categories.  5.a.  House Hunting PTAD is intended to facilitate tasks related  to setting up a household in preparation for an ordered PCS.  These  tasks may include searching for a new residence, locating and  viewing potential homes, purchasing or renting a home, initiating  or terminating utility services, enrolling dependents in school or  day care facilities, and packing and unpacking of household goods.    5.b.  Incremental Use of Housing Hunting PTAD: Marines executing a  PCS have the option, if approved, to use House Hunting PTAD in  increments rather than a single continuous period.  This flexibility allows them to use PTAD days both before departing their current PDS  and/or after arriving at their new PDS.  Regardless of increments  used, the total number of eligible PTAD days remains unchanged at  a maximum of 10 days.    5.c.  Skillbridge.  As noted in reference (h), reference (a) will  include a new PTAD subcategory for Skillbridge to facilitate  accurate tracking of participants and number of authorized days used for this program, while also streamlining associated administrative  processes.  Ongoing software updates to Marine Online leave and  travel modules are expected to finish implementing the Skillbridge  PTAD subcategory by the end of calendar year 2024.    5.d. Terminal leave. Per reference (g), parental leave may not be taken consecutively or in conjunction with terminal leave or  transition PTAD. Per reference (h), Skillbridge PTAD may be  authorized for use in conjunction with terminal leave, and  authorized transition PTAD, with the condition that the total number of days spent participating in a Skillbridge program not to exceed  the listed category limitations of 90 or 120 days within reference  (h).  With the exceptions of authorized transition PTAD or  skillbridge PTAD, no other nonchargeable leave or administrative  absence may be combined with terminal leave without a duty day  separating the absences.    5.e. PTAD serves the purpose of allowing commanders to provide  administrative support to Marines and Sailors during specific  transition requirements, participation in official Marine Corps  programs, or to facilitate professional training directly relevant  to a service member’s primary military duties.  This training should unequivocally enhance the member’s value to the Marine Corps,  particularly in cases where funded travel is deemed inappropriate.    5.f.  Commanders and leave approvers are reminded that PTAD may  only be granted for the specified purposes in reference (a) or this MARADMIN.  This ensures the program is not misused to accumulate,  rather than expend, accrued leave, thus preventing adverse  criticism.  Any request for an exception to policy must undergo  thorough review by commanding officers and be routed through the  first O-6 commander in the Marine’s administrative chain of command before submission to HQMC (MPO).  This process aims to uphold the intended purpose of administrative absences and ensures more uniform application across the force.  As a reminder, the Leave, Liberty,  and Administrative Absence Inspector General Checklist provides  oversight for commanders approving PTAD to ensure that only  authorized criteria for PTAD are being approved by the command.    6.  This MARADMIN is applicable to Marines/Sailors in an active duty  status.      7.  Release authorized by Brigadier General David R. Everly,  Director, Manpower Plans and Policy Division, Manpower and Reserve  Affairs.//