How do I find out if an ELTP is active right now?

Ask your agency's HR office, or check OPM's CHCOC transmittal memos, which announce every activation (for example, CPM 2025-05 for the January 2025 California wildfires). Each ELTP is specific to one declared disaster and has its own donation and application window.

Can I donate ELTP leave to a specific disaster victim?

No. ELTP donations go into a pool for the disaster, and agencies distribute hours based on need — 5 CFR 630.1109 expressly bars earmarking a specific recipient. If you want to support one particular colleague and their situation qualifies as a medical emergency, the VLTP allows exactly that.

Does donating to an ELTP reduce how much I can give through the VLTP?

No. The ELTP has its own donor limit — 1 to 104 hours of annual leave per leave year — and those hours do not count against the separate cap on VLTP and leave-bank donations.

Do ELTP recipients have to exhaust their own leave first?

No. Unlike the VLTP, an emergency leave recipient is not required to use their own accrued leave before using donated ELTP hours. The program is designed for speed in the aftermath of a disaster.

Was an ELTP activated for recent hurricanes and wildfires?

Yes. OPM authorized ELTPs for Hurricane Helene (October 2024, CPM 2024-20), Hurricane Milton (October 2024, CPM 2024-21), and the Los Angeles County wildfires (January 2025, CPM 2025-05), among others. Activations are announced through OPM CHCOC memos to agency HR offices.

The Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP), Explained

By the LeaveTransfer.org team · Last reviewed July 1, 2026

The Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP) lets federal employees donate annual leave to colleagues harmed by a Presidentially declared disaster or emergency — hurricanes, wildfires, and similar catastrophes. Unlike the everyday Voluntary Leave Transfer Program, an ELTP exists only when the President directs OPM to activate one, donations go to a disaster pool rather than a named person, and recipients don't have to exhaust their own leave first.

When does an Emergency Leave Transfer Program exist?

Only on command. After a declared major disaster or emergency causes "severe adverse effects for a substantial number of employees," the President may direct OPM to establish an emergency leave transfer program for that specific event. OPM then authorizes agencies to run it — so each ELTP is tied to one named disaster, opens when activated, and winds down when the need passes.

These activations are not rare. Recent examples: the January 2025 California wildfires (OPM memo CPM 2025-05), Hurricane Milton (CPM 2024-21), and Hurricane Helene (CPM 2024-20) — three activations within four months. To find out whether an ELTP is open right now, ask your HR office or scan OPM's CHCOC transmittals, where each activation is announced.

Who qualifies for ELTP donations?

An employee is eligible when the disaster has caused them — or a family member — hardship severe enough that their absence from work is required: evacuating, rebuilding a destroyed home, caring for injured relatives, handling a death in the family. When the need arises through a family member, the regulation adds one condition: the family member must lack reasonable access to other forms of assistance.

The application (OPM Form 1637, or an agency equivalent) goes to the employee's agency, which must approve or deny it within 10 calendar days excluding weekends and holidays — the same deadline the VLTP uses. Unlike the VLTP, an ELTP recipient does not have to use up their own paid leave first; disaster relief is meant to arrive fast.

How ELTP donations work

You give to the event, not a person. Donors may not earmark hours for a specific recipient — agencies distribute pooled donations based on need. (Want to help one specific colleague? If their situation qualifies as a medical emergency, the VLTP still works during a disaster.)
Donate 1 to 104 hours per leave year of annual leave, waivable under written agency criteria — and ELTP giving does not count against your VLTP or leave-bank donation cap.
Recipients draw up to 240 hours at a time, with further disbursements possible as the agency reassesses need.
Leave banks can help too: with its board's concurrence, an agency leave bank may contribute hours into an ELTP.
Leftovers go back. Unused ELTP leave is returned proportionally to the donors and banks that gave it. If donations fall short, OPM coordinates transfers from other agencies.

ELTP vs. VLTP at a glance

Question	ELTP	VLTP
When available	Only after Presidential direction per disaster	Always, at every agency
Qualifying event	Declared disaster/emergency hardship	Personal or family medical emergency
Donations go to	A disaster pool	A named colleague
Use own leave first?	No	Yes, each pay period
Donor cap	1–104 hours/year (separate cap)	Half your annual accrual (shared with bank giving)
Receiving cap	240 hours per disbursement	None
Forms	OPM 1637 / 1638 / 1639	OPM 630 / 630-A / 630-B

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out if an ELTP is active right now?: Ask your agency's HR office, or check OPM's CHCOC transmittal memos, which announce every activation (for example, CPM 2025-05 for the January 2025 California wildfires). Each ELTP is specific to one declared disaster and has its own donation and application window.
Can I donate ELTP leave to a specific disaster victim?: No. ELTP donations go into a pool for the disaster, and agencies distribute hours based on need — 5 CFR 630.1109 expressly bars earmarking a specific recipient. If you want to support one particular colleague and their situation qualifies as a medical emergency, the VLTP allows exactly that.
Does donating to an ELTP reduce how much I can give through the VLTP?: No. The ELTP has its own donor limit — 1 to 104 hours of annual leave per leave year — and those hours do not count against the separate cap on VLTP and leave-bank donations.
Do ELTP recipients have to exhaust their own leave first?: No. Unlike the VLTP, an emergency leave recipient is not required to use their own accrued leave before using donated ELTP hours. The program is designed for speed in the aftermath of a disaster.
Was an ELTP activated for recent hurricanes and wildfires?: Yes. OPM authorized ELTPs for Hurricane Helene (October 2024, CPM 2024-20), Hurricane Milton (October 2024, CPM 2024-21), and the Los Angeles County wildfires (January 2025, CPM 2025-05), among others. Activations are announced through OPM CHCOC memos to agency HR offices.

Donating annual leaveDonate annual leave to a federal coworker through the VLTP: donation limits, OPM Forms 630-A and 630-B, tax rules, and what happens to unused hours.Leave banks vs. leave transferFederal leave bank vs. the VLTP: how leave banks work, membership and contributions, where unused leave goes, and how to choose between the two programs.VLTP vs. FMLA & other optionsOut of paid leave? Compare the VLTP with FMLA, advanced annual and sick leave, leave banks, and the ELTP — and see which federal leave options combine.VLTP frequently asked questionsAnswers to the most common questions about the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program: donating, receiving, forms, taxes, privacy, and how LeaveTransfer.org helps.

Sources

Official government sources, verified July 1, 2026: