A. All officers and employees of the Commonwealth or of any political subdivision of the Commonwealth who are volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol shall be entitled to leaves of absence from their respective duties without loss of seniority, accrued leave, benefits, or efficiency rating on all days during which such officer or employee is (i) engaged in training for emergency missions with the Civil Air Patrol, not to exceed 10 workdays per federal fiscal year, or (ii) responding to an emergency mission as a Civil Air Patrol volunteer, not to exceed 30 workdays per federal fiscal year.

B. Any officer or employee requesting leave pursuant to this section shall provide (i) certification that the officer or employee has been authorized by the United States Air Force, the Governor, or a department, division, agency, or political subdivision of the Commonwealth to respond to or train for an emergency mission and (ii) verification from the Civil Air Patrol of the emergency need of the officer's or employee's volunteer service.

C. An employer may treat the officer or employee leaves of absence pursuant to this section as unpaid leave. No employer shall require an employee to exhaust any other leave to which the officer or employee is entitled prior to such leaves of absence. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent an employer from providing paid leave during such leaves of absence.

D. Any officer or employee aggrieved by a violation of any provision of this section may bring an action pursuant to the State Grievance Procedure (§ 2.2-3000 et seq.).

2018, c. 277.