If you’ve been following along with military news, you’ll know that the DoD just announced the expansion of the Military Parental Leave Program effective Dec. 27, 2022.
As a former active duty mama (now a Reservist!), I’m quite jealous of these changes, but also so pumped for all of those that are going to benefit!
This is HUGE. We have all been anxiously awaiting this guidance since the change was announced early last year, and waiting to see specifically how the Air Force was going to implement it.
Here’s the bottom line – BOTH military parents (you read that right – MOM and DAD) now get 12 weeks of parental leave following the birth of their child.
This is a major change from the previous policy which was that the birth parent got 6 weeks of convalescent leave and 6 weeks of parental leave, and the secondary caregiver got 3 weeks of leave.
For military mamas, they will get 12 weeks of parental leave following their convalescent leave. That is AMAZING!
**Of note, unlike the previous policy where 6 weeks of convalescent leave was standard, the amount of convalescent leave will now be determined on an individual basis.
Reserve and Guard service members will also receive these benefits if they’ve been on active duty for 12 months or more consecutively.
A few other key facts about the parental leave program changes:
- Adoptive parents (even dual-mil) and eligible foster parents will also be granted 12 weeks of parental leave
- If a member (or dual-mil couple) uses a surrogate to become parents, the birth event is treated as an adoption and they’ll both be authorized 12 weeks of leave
- Parents can take parental leave in up to 12 increments, but each increment has to be at least 7 days… the military member could take 12 1-week chunks of leave in the first year of their child’s life!
- If a commander denies increments of parental leave, the commander MUST allow the service member to take the 12-week leave block all at once
- There are certain exceptions to extending the 1-year period such as deployments, attending an in-residence professional military education course, or a TDY en route concurrent with a PCS
Another big caveat to pay attention to is this – if either parent were already on caregiver leave (or convalescent leave) on Dec. 27, 2022, they are grandfathered into the new program and are eligible for the entire 12 weeks of parental leave.
- Example: An active duty member’s wife gave birth on Dec. 12th and he began his 3 weeks of parental leave on Dec. 14th. Since he was still on his 3-weeks of caregiver leave on Dec. 27th, he is eligible for 12 weeks TOTAL.
If the member’s wife gave birth on Dec. 1st and his 3-weeks of caregiver leave ended on Dec. 17th, he is not eligible for the new 12 week policy.
If the service member had a baby anytime in 2022, but didn’t use caregiver leave at all, they are eligible for the full 12 weeks. Many members take personal leave right after their baby is born instead of using parental leave. If that is the case and they still have parental leave left, they’re eligible for 12 weeks.
There are also new policies with regard to leave following a stillbirth or miscarriage, and leave following the death of a child. The member may be authorized convalescent leave, but it will be dependent on the DoD health care provider.
Overall, these policy changes are such a positive step forward for the DoD. I’m so excited to see the military changing policy that shows both parents need bonding time with their newborn.
If you’re interested in the entire memo and all of the nitty-gritty details, you can read more here!
Can’t wait for all our amazing military parents to get TWELVE weeks to soak up those sweet baby snugs.
Meet Savannah
I joined the Air Force in 2016 as a Public Affairs Officer and just recently separated to become a Reservist. My husband is a Gunship pilot and we’ve been married since 2017. We have two amazing kiddos – a spunky 3-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old son. I love working out, reading a good book, enjoying a nice glass of red wine, and cheesy TV shows. Our family is headed to Laughlin Air Force Base in the Summer of ‘23 and I’m looking forward to more free time, getting to know other spouses, and eating all of the good tacos.
