Section 709 - Emergency leave of absence(b) LIMITATIONS.-An emergency leave of absence under this section-(1) may be granted only once for any member;(2) may be granted only to prevent the member from entering unearned leave status or excess leave status; and(3) may not extend for a period of more than 14 days.(c) QUALIFYING EMERGENCY.-In this section, the term "qualifying emergency", with respect to a member of the armed forces, means a circumstance that-(1) is due to-(A) a medical condition of a member of the immediate family of the member; or(B) any other hardship that the Secretary concerned determines appropriate for purposes of this section; and(2) is verified to the Secretary's satisfaction based upon information or opinion from a source in addition to the member that the Secretary considers to be objective and reliable.(d) MILITARY DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS.-Regulations prescribed under this section by the Secretaries of the military department shall be as uniform as practicable and shall be subject to approval by the Secretary of Defense.(e) DEFINITIONS.-In this section:(1) The term "unearned leave status" means leave approved to be used by a member of the armed forces that exceeds the amount of leave credit that has been accrued as a result of the member's active service and that has not been previously used by the member.(2) The term "excess leave status" means leave approved to be used by a member of the armed forces that is unearned leave for which a member is unable to accrue leave credit during the member's current term of service before the member's separation.Added Pub. L. 107-314, div. A, title V, §572(a), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2557. - Secretary concerned
- The term "Secretary concerned" means-(A) the Secretary of the Army, with respect to matters concerning the Army;(B) the Secretary of the Navy, with respect to matters concerning the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Department of the Navy;(C) the Secretary of the Air Force, with respect to matters concerning the Air Force and the Space Force; and(D) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.
- active service
- The term "active service" means service on active duty or full-time National Guard duty.
- armed forces
- The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.