Servicemembers who were unable to take leave this summer due to COVID-19 pandemic are due for some good news.

Under normal circumstances, accrued leave greater than 60 days is considered “use or lose” and will not carry over to the next fiscal year. That changed this spring, when Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Matthew Donovan approved a rule change allowing servicemembers to keep up to 120 days of leave until Sept. 30, 2023.

"The department's actions to stem the spread of COVID-19 have significantly limited the ability of service members to take leave during this national emergency, and we know that leave is vital to the health and welfare of our force," Donovan wrote in the memo announcing the change.

[LATEST NEWS AND GUIDANCE: MOAA.org/Coronavirus]

Travel restrictions caused by the pandemic disrupted the PCS cycle and leave plans across the force. Thankfully, the PCS season is back on the move.

Although many exceptions to policy were previously approved for PCS travel during the pandemic, restrictions remain in place, based on COVID-19 rates and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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The latest travel guidance is available at DoD’s coronavirus response webpage. As of Aug. 24, 45% of military installations had lifted all travel restrictions.