(a) With the exception of employees funded by federal monies and those exempted in section 5, subsection (a) of Act No. 7261, any employee who has accumulated five or more years of government service may take up to two years, but not less than one year of Voluntary Leave Without Pay for any purpose whatsoever without losing seniority and shall have the right to return to his employment.
(b) During the period that the employee is on Voluntary Leave Without Pay, the Government in addition to paying the employer's share of contributions to the Health Insurance and Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) shall also pay the employee's share to both the Health Insurance and GERS.
(c) During the period of Voluntary Leave Without Pay the employee may not accumulate annual leave or sick leave.
(d) Voluntary Leave Without Pay may be taken only once during the employee's employment with the Government, based on the approval of the agency or department head, and may not be combined with any other kind of leave.
(e) Notwithstanding subsection (a), any employee who elects to take voluntary leave without pay must give the agency head thirty (30) days notice and must return to work on or before October 1, 2016. Participation in Voluntary Leave Without Pay is subject to the approval of the Agency or Department head.