The Civil Life

Normally, federal employees have to take sick leave for preventive screening, such as mammograms or prostate cancer screens.  However, if the employee has less than 80 hours of sick leave, they can ask for up to 4 hours of excused leave each year for health screenings.  This small benefit can be particularly helpful for people who have used up their sick leave, such as new parents who have recently returned to work.

Or paternity benefits? The answer is no — it’s one of the few places the federal government lags behind industry, at least for white collar professionals. However, you can piece together a maternity leave using a few approaches:

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