Jan 2026 - Understanding CAT Leave: What Members Should Know

For this issue, I want to walk everyone through how Catastrophic (CAT) Leave works. The
LVPPA administers CAT Leave for commissioned employees, and I oversee the program for the
PPA. Myron Hamm also regularly helps with CCDC-related CAT Leave requests. While CAT
Leave is a valuable benefit that members may qualify for, it’s important to understand that it isn’t
automatic – this isn’t a bank of hours that everyone simply receives.
CAT Leave is meant to bridge the gap when a member has completely exhausted all of their
own leave and is facing unpaid time off due to a medical issue, or when they need just a little
extra time to recover and get back to work. It is not designed to provide an additional 160 hours
to someone who is permanently separating from the department. Any employee who borrows
hours from the CAT Leave Bank is committing to paying those hours back in full. If someone
separates before repaying those hours, payroll will recover the balance from the employee’s
final check. Once the employee returns to work, payroll begins deducting a portion of newly
accrued hours until the CAT Leave hours are fully repaid.
Donated hours work differently. If an employee receives hours that are specifically donated in
their name through payroll, those hours do not have to be paid back. If more donated hours are
received than the employee actually uses, any unused hours are returned to the CAT Leave
Bank once the employee is back to full duty.
Here are a few key points everyone should know about CAT Leave:
First, CAT Leave cannot be used for workers’ compensation claims – at all. If your injury is
work-related, or if you’re fighting or appealing a workers’ comp claim and you run out of time,
CAT Leave cannot be used. This is not a PPA rule. It's a contractual requirement.
Second, the total lifetime maximum for CAT Leave is 160 hours for your entire career. You can
use CAT Leave more than once if necessary, but you cannot exceed that total. Even if you
borrow hours and pay them back, you do not “reset” and receive another 160 hours later. Again,
donated hours do not have to be repaid, and any unused donated hours go back into the bank
when you return to work.
Third, CAT Leave can be used either for your own personal medical condition or for time
needed to care for a family member.
At its core, CAT Leave is truly meant to help bridge the gap between a serious illness or injury
that is not work-related and your return to full duty. Borrowed hours must be repaid.
There are two key requirements that must be met in order to receive CAT Leave:

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