Federal employees have more opportunities to take time off work to help family members who are military service members or veterans under new rules.

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry issued a memo Dec. 29 outlining the changes mandated by the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. For the first time, federal employees will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave per year under the Family and Medical Leave Act to help a family member who is on active duty or is being called up for active duty.

Feds also are now able to take up to 26 weeks of paid or unpaid leave per year under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for family members who are veterans and need medical treatment, recuperation or therapy for a serious injury or illness. Previously, feds could only take time off to help injured or ill family members who were active-duty military. To qualify, the veteran must have been a member of the military, National Guard or Reserves during the five years preceding the treatment, recuperation or therapy.

The new law also expands the definition of "serious injury or illness" to cover conditions that existed before the family member's active-duty service and were aggravated while on active duty.

Berry's memo also extends for another year a waiver of premium pay limits for federal employees supporting the military or other emergency operations in the Middle East or African nations covered by the U.S. United States Africa Command. Those employees will be able to earn up to $227,300 in 2010.