Employees and the military: What is Civil Air Patrol Leave?

If one of your employees is a member of the US Air Force, you must provide them with time off without pay for military service. Under the Civil Air Patrol Employment Protection Act, employers are required to provide any employee who is part of the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol with time off to attend emergency operational missions. This law protects employees who volunteer for this military service and ensures that their job and position is restored upon their return.

If you have 16 or more employees, you must comply with this law. Employers who have more than 15 employees are required to provide employees with up to 10 days of unpaid, job-protected leave. Eligible employees are able to request up to a total of 30 days of unpaid leave to perform a mission.

The leave for a single emergency must not exceed 3 days, unless you wish to approve additional time. Unless an extension is requested and granted by appropriate government entities, a single emergency mission is limited to three days. An employee’s right to take leave is only authorized if it’s an operational mission of the Civil Air Patrol.

Make sure your employee handbook includes this leave if you have at least 16 employees. The employee handbook should include all of the details and eligibility requirements for employees to refer to if they have any questions. Including this information in the handbook can keep employees informed about their rights and protect employers.

We can help you write your employee handbook, including all the necessary and recommended components. We can put together an employee handbook for your company which outlines all of the policies and procedures. We’ll ensure that all of the required components are included within the handbook so you can rest assured that your company is fully compliant with all labor laws.