[Decision Concerning HUD Employee's Entitlement to Administrative Leave]

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requested an opinion concerning whether it should grant an employee administrative leave to participate in a cancer research effort. GAO held that: (1) absent a statutory provision, agencies had discretion to grant short-term administrative leave to employees; and (2) the employee's participation in the research for 3 days a month was consistent with previous decisions and available guidelines for granting short periods of administrative leave. Accordingly, HUD should grant the employee administrative leave.