Joint Resolution No. 557 stated the Commonwealth's desire to reward its dedicated employees and to provide incentives for their continued service. One such reward cited by the resolution was annual leave, which provides employees with time to pursue other interests outside the workplace. Accordingly, HJR No. 557 directed the Department of Human Resource Management, in consultation with the Joint Commission on Management of the Commonwealth's Workforce, to study annual leave benefits provided to state employees and make recommendations on the feasibility of increasing those benefits for long-term employees. 4.10 governs annual leave accrual, carryover allowance, and payment provisions for Executive Branch employees. Employees are permitted to accumulate annual leave credits and carry forward these credits from one year to the next, up to certain limits based on their years of state service.
Annual leave is used for vacations, as well as all other personal absences.
The use of annual leave is encouraged to ensure a workforce that is adequately rested and renewed, but requires management approval in order to control daily staffing levels and workflow. Currently, increases in annual leave accrual are awarded at five, ten, and twenty years of service. There is no increase at either fifteen or twenty-five years of service. Of the twelve other States for which information was available, Virginia ranks last in the amount of annual leave granted to employees with fifteen years of service. Virginia, along with Georgia and Missouri, also ranks near the bottom with regard to employees with twenty-five years of service.