Q: As a federal employee working at a VA hospital, I would like to know where to find the reference that tells how far in advance a request for annual leave must be submitted and how long can a supervisor hold a request without either approving or rejecting said request. Who can deny the request? Is there an appeal procedure? Also, how far can an employee be transferred to another facility against that employee’s will? If this transfer is permanent, does the first hospital have any financial duty to me? The second hospital is in the same VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network) as the first.
A: There isn’t any governmentwide policy for requesting annual leave or the approval or denial of same. Whatever policies there are will be in your agency’s operating manual. An employee can be transferred to any location within the activity’s commuting area. That area will be defined in your agency’s operating manual. However, if you signed a mobility agreement when you were employed, you could be transferred outside the local commuting area.
