A new decree makes access to permission per caregiver more flexible for civil servants

Access to leave for caregivers in the public service is extended, with the possibility, in particular, of dividing it into half days instead of full days, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.

Created to allow civil servants or employees of the private sector to care for a loved one who is disabled or has lost their autonomy, the leave for caregivers has until now only been open to civil servants whose loved ones suffered from a disability or a loss of autonomy “of particular gravity”.

From now on, they will also be able to request this type of permit when the disability or loss of autonomy of one of their relatives requires “periodic assistance”, “without necessarily being particularly serious”, according to the text of the decree. .

Possible division into half days

Another novelty is that, if until now public servants had to take at least one day for this caretaker leave, they will be able to divide it into half days.

This relaxation will also apply to parental presence leave, another type of leave for parents whose child is seriously ill or disabled.

The decree published on Sunday finally specifies the “exceptional” renewal conditions of this parental presence permit, whose initial duration is set at 310 days.

unsolicited help

The publication of the text comes almost three months after the announcement by the government of a plan to support public officials who suffer from chronic diseases, the second axis of which was to make access to leave for caregivers more flexible.

Of a maximum duration of three months, renewable within a year limit throughout the entire professional career, care leave is unpaid but can be compensated by a daily allowance (Ajpa) paid by CAF. However, both in the public and private sectors, this subsidy is still little requested.

According to figures published by the Department of Social Security, between September 2020 and February 2022, just over 6,600 Ajpa beneficiaries were identified, while 270,000 employees and 67,000 public officials would be eligible.