physical or mental condition that substantially impairs the veteran’s ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of a disability or disabilities related to military service or would be so absent treatment; or (4) an injury, including a psychological injury, on the basis of which the covered veteran has been enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. “Qualifying exigencies” include activities such as short-notice deployment, military events, arranging alternative childcare, making financial and legal arrangements related to the deployment, rest and recuperation, counseling, parental care, and post-deployment debriefings. Military Caregiver Leave Unpaid Military Caregiver Leave is designed to allow eligible employees to care for certain family members who have sustained serious injuries or illnesses in the line of duty while on active duty. The family member must be a “Covered Servicemember,” which means: (1) a current member or veteran of the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves, (2) who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy or, in the case of a veteran, who was a current member of the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves, who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time within five years prior to the treatment which an eligible employee requests; is otherwise in outpatient status; or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, (3) for a serious injury or illness that may render current member medically unfit to perform the duties of the member’s office, grade, rank, or rating. Military Caregiver Leave is not available to care for Servicemembers on the permanent disability retired list. Serious injury or illness specifically includes, but is not limited to, aggravation of a preexisting condition while in the line of duty. To be eligible for Military Caregiver Leave, you must be a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin of the Covered Servicemember. “Next of kin” means the nearest blood relative of the Servicemember, other than the Servicemember’s spouse, parent, son, or daughter, in the following order of priority: blood relatives who have been granted legal custody of the Servicemember by court decree or statutory provisions; brothers and sisters; grandparents; aunts and uncles; and first cousins; unless the Servicemember has specifically designated in writing another blood relative as their nearest blood relative for purposes of Military Caregiver Leave. You must also meet all other eligibility standards as set forth within the FMLA Leave policy. An eligible employee may take up to twenty-six (26) workweeks of Military Caregiver Leave to care for a Covered Servicemember in a “single twelve (12) month period.” The “single twelve (12) month period” begins on the first day leave is taken to care for a Covered Servicemember and ends twelve (12) months thereafter, regardless of the method used to determine leave availability for other FMLA-qualifying reasons. If you do not exhaust your twenty-six (26) workweeks of Military Caregiver Leave during this “single twelve (12) month period,” the remainder is forfeited. Military Caregiver Leave applies on a per-injury basis for each Servicemember. Consequently, an eligible employee may take separate periods of caregiver leave for each and every Covered Servicemember, and/or for each and every serious injury or illness of the same Covered Revised January 2024 Page 46 of 55