Leave, Liberty, and Administrative Absence - S-1 Procedural Overview

Role and responsibility

S-1 admin specialists own leave and liberty processing at the unit level. The S-1 clerk processes MOL leave requests. The S-1 chief reviews leave balances and audits special leave accrual cases. The S-1 officer signs by direction on emergency leave and humanitarian routing. The chain of command approves leave per command policy and operational tempo.

Source documents flow from MOL leave requests, leave chits, emergency notifications, and humanitarian requests. Leave transactions land in MCTFS through MOL or UD-MIPS. Outputs include the approved leave order, the LES leave balance update, the special leave accrual approval when applicable, and the Page 11 entry for liberty restrictions.

MCAAT and the IGMC FA inspectors check leave balance accuracy, terminal leave processing at separation per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J Chapter 2 Leave Regulations, and lump-sum sell-back caps per DODFMR Vol 7ADODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35. The 60-day lifetime cap on lump-sum sell-back is the most cited finding.

Trigger events

• Marine submits leave request through MOL.
• Emergency leave required for family death or serious illness.
• Humanitarian leave requested for hardship circumstances.
• Special Leave Accrual approval required for combat zone or operational deployment.
• Terminal leave at separation.
• Lump-sum leave sell-back election at separation.
• Liberty restriction order issued by chain.

Processing workflow

1. Receive request. The Marine submits through MOL or paper request. The S-1 clerk runs receipt.
2. Validate leave balance. Pull current accrued leave from MOL or MCTFS. Confirm balance covers requested duration.
3. Determine leave type. Annual, advance, sick, convalescent, emergency, humanitarian, terminal, or other per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J.
4. Route through chain. The chain of command approves per unit policy and operational tempo.
5. Process through MOL leave module. The S-1 clerk cuts the leave transaction with start date, end date, and duty status.
6. Cut MCTFS leave transaction. Submit through UD-MIPS per MCTFSPRIUMMCTFSPRIUM leave transaction format. The S-1 chief reviews.
7. Audit Special Leave Accrual cases. For combat zone or qualifying deployments, route SLA per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J.
8. Process emergency leave. Run expedited routing through chain and the Red Cross when applicable.
9. Document liberty restrictions in Page 11. Per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 6, document command-imposed liberty limits.
10. Reconcile leave balance. Audit the next LES against MCTFS leave balance.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• MCTFS. Master leave balance and pay state.
• MOL. Self-service leave module.
• UD-MIPS. Cuts leave transactions with KSDs.
• OMPF Field Folder. Holds leave orders and Page 11 entries.

Forms

• NAVMC 10274 Application for Leave or Liberty. Standard leave request.
• Leave Order. Generated in MOL or by S-1.
• DD Form 1610 Travel Authorization. Used when leave includes travel reimbursement.
• NAVMC 118 (11) Administrative Remarks. Page 11 documenting liberty restrictions.
• Special Leave Accrual approval. Per MCO 1050.3J Chapter 4.

Common pitfalls

• Leave taken without approval. The Marine returns to find pay impact. Approve before departure.
• Lump-sum sell-back exceeds 60 days lifetime cap. Per DODFMR Vol 7ADODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35, the cap is lifetime. Audit prior sell-back history before approval.
• Terminal leave start date wrong. Per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J Chapter 2 Leave Regulations, terminal leave runs to separation date. Cut precise start date.
• SLA not approved before deployment. The Marine loses use-it-or-lose-it leave. Process SLA at deployment trigger.
• LES leave balance diverges from MCTFS. Reconcile each cycle and correct via MCTFS transaction.

Decision points

• Emergency leave authorization. The notification arrives outside duty hours. The S-1 officer signs by direction per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J. Red Cross verification supports.
• Advance leave approval. The Marine has insufficient accrued leave but qualifies for advance. The commander approves per MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J.
• Liberty restriction scope. The chain imposes 50-mile or installation liberty. The S-1 officer documents per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K.

Authority

This category sits under MCO 1050.3JMCO 1050.3J Marine Corps Leave and Liberty Manual. DoD-level pay rules at DODFMR Vol 7ADODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35 (lump-sum sell-back cap of 60 days lifetime). S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0111-GENA-2013 (Process special leave accrual). The IGMC Leave, Liberty, and Administrative Absence FA checklist provides the audit baseline.

Related references

• MCO 1050.3J Marine Corps Leave and Liberty Manual. Authoritative source.
• DODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35. Lump-sum sell-back rules.
• MCO 5000.14D Marine Corps Administrative Procedures. S-1 leave responsibilities.
• MCTFSPRIUM. Leave transaction format.
• MCO P1070.12K Individual Records Administration Manual. Page 11 documentation.
• NAVMC 3500.3E Manpower and Administration T-R Manual. Event 0111-GENA-2013.