Central Government employees covered by the CCS (Leave) Rules can receive up to 42 days of Special Casual Leave (SCL) when they donate an organ to another person. The benefit was introduced by the Department of Personnel & Training through OM No. A-24011/23/2022-Estt. (Leave) dated 25 April 2023 as a special welfare measure to support organ donation and recovery after surgery.
This is an existing rule from 2023, not a newly introduced 2026 benefit.
Who can claim the benefit?
The concession applies to a living donor who has been duly approved for organ donation by a Government-registered medical practitioner/doctor in accordance with the organ-transplant law referred to in the DoPT order.
The provision is not restricted to kidney donation or one particular surgery. DoPT states that the maximum leave period can be considered irrespective of the type of surgery used for removal of the donor’s organ.
The actual leave sanctioned depends on the medical recommendation and can be up to 42 days.
Why does the rule allow more than the normal SCL ceiling?
DoPT specifically created this concession despite the general provision under Appendix III of the CCS (Leave) Rules under which Special Casual Leave ordinarily does not exceed 30 days in a calendar year.
Organ removal was recognised as a major surgery requiring both hospitalisation and post-hospital recovery. The 42-day concession therefore operates as a specific welfare relaxation for organ donors.
When can the leave start?
Normally, the Special Casual Leave should be taken in one continuous spell beginning from the date of hospital admission.
Where medically necessary, it may begin up to one week before the surgery, provided the Government-registered doctor recommends it.
DoPT also permits the leave to be split or used flexibly where the treating Government-registered medical practitioner recommends such an arrangement.
Can Special Casual Leave be combined with another leave?
Normally, no.
The 2023 DoPT OM states that organ-donor Special Casual Leave should not be combined with another type of leave.
An exception can be made where complications arise from the surgery, subject to medical recommendation from a Government-registered practitioner or doctor.
This makes the organ-donor SCL a distinct leave concession rather than an automatic extension of Earned Leave, Half Pay Leave or another leave account.
What hospital conditions apply?
Organ-donation treatment should, as far as possible, be undertaken at an Authorised Hospital.
For this purpose, the DoPT order defines an Authorised Hospital as:
- a Government Hospital; or
- a private hospital empanelled under CGHS.
If no Authorised Hospital is available in the relevant area or zone and the treatment is undertaken at another private hospital, the employee must produce a medical certificate duly certified by the concerned Head of Department of that hospital.
Which Central Government employees are covered?
The OM states that these orders apply to Government employees appointed to civil services and civil posts connected with the affairs of the Union of India, in terms of Rule 2 of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972.
Therefore, the rule should not automatically be described as applying to:
- every State Government employee;
- every PSU employee;
- every autonomous body employee; or
- every uniformed service member.
Their entitlement would depend on the leave rules or adoption orders applicable to the respective organisation.
What should an employee arrange before applying?
A prospective donor should ensure that the organ donation has been medically approved and retain the relevant hospital and medical records supporting the leave period.
Where an employee wants the leave to begin before surgery, to be split, or to be combined with another leave because of surgical complications, the medical recommendation becomes particularly important.
The employee should submit the request through the competent departmental leave-sanctioning authority rather than assume that the full 42-day period is automatic.
Why this should not be presented as a new 2026 announcement?
The original entitlement comes from the 25 April 2023 DoPT OM.
DoPT again included the provision in its 8 April 2024 consolidated guidance on leave, which specifically references the 2023 order and the maximum 42-day concession.
So if the rule is circulating again in 2026, the accurate presentation is:
an important existing Central Government employee welfare entitlement that many employees may still not know about, rather than a newly sanctioned 2026 leave benefit.
Conclusion
The organ-donor leave provision gives eligible Central Government civil employees a medically supported Special Casual Leave concession of up to 42 days, with flexibility for pre-surgery leave, splitting in appropriate cases and special treatment where complications arise.
Its practical value lies in protecting an employee’s recovery period while encouraging living organ donation. Employees considering organ donation should verify their coverage under the CCS Leave Rules and obtain the required medical approval before submitting the leave request.
Official sources
- DoPT OM No. A-24011/23/2022-Estt. (Leave), dated 25 April 2023 — Grant of Special Casual Leave to Organ Donors.
- DoPT consolidated Leave OM dated 8 April 2024, reiterating the 42-day organ-donor SCL provision.
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