Convalescent leave in the Army is paid time off to recover from an illness, injury, childbirth, or other medical condition, and it does not count against the 30 days of ordinary leave a soldier earns each year. A healthcare provider recommends it, and a unit commander or hospital commander approves it, usually for up to 30 days per medical condition.
What Makes It Different From Regular Leave
Convalescent leave is medically driven. A provider has to conclude the soldier is not yet fit for duty and needs time to recover. It isn’t discretionary, and it isn’t a vacation category a soldier can request on their own. While on convalescent leave, the soldier keeps full pay and allowances and their leave balance stays untouched.
One boundary matters up front: convalescent leave covers the soldier’s own medical condition only. It cannot be used to care for a spouse, child, or other family member, no matter how serious that person’s illness.
Who Qualifies
Any active-duty soldier with a diagnosed medical condition that makes them temporarily unfit for duty can qualify. Typical situations include surgical recovery, injuries from training, serious illness, and recovery from childbirth. DoD Instruction 1327.06 also specifically recognizes eligibility for soldiers who experience a sexual assault and have an identified medical condition from that assault affecting their fitness for duty.
Two things have to line up: a diagnosed condition and a healthcare provider’s determination that the soldier isn’t ready to return to duty. The provider’s recommendation is the starting point, not the decision.
If the provider decides a soldier doesn’t meet the threshold for convalescent leave, they can recommend up to 48 hours of special liberty instead. That gives the soldier immediate rest and a follow-up appointment to reassess whether convalescent leave is warranted.
How Long It Lasts
The cap is 30 days per medical condition. The regulation tells commanders to keep the duration to the minimum essential for recovery, based on diagnosis, prognosis, and likely outcome. Nobody automatically gets 30 days. The provider tailors the recommendation to the soldier’s actual medical needs.
Anything longer than 30 days moves up the chain. Extensions require approval at the O-5 level (lieutenant colonel or equivalent), coordinated with the supporting military treatment facility.
How to Request It
The process starts with a medical evaluation at a military treatment facility. The provider documents the diagnosis and prognosis, sets any activity restrictions, schedules follow-up care, and recommends a specific duration.
Two forms anchor the paperwork:
- DA Form 3349, the Physical Profile Record, documenting the condition and duty limitations. It must be issued and verified before convalescent leave can be approved. For Reserve Component soldiers, verification comes from a military treatment facility or a designated Reserve Component surgeon.
- DA Form 31, the standard Request and Authority for Leave, submitted through the chain of command with the medical documentation attached.
Who Approves It
The regulation draws a clear line here: the attending physician can recommend convalescent leave but cannot approve it. Approval for periods of 30 days or less rests with the unit commander or the hospital commander, or their designee.
For anything beyond 30 days, approval moves to an O-5 level officer working with the supporting medical treatment facility. Commanders also weigh operational needs when approving leave, though a legitimate medical recommendation carries real weight.
Maternity Convalescent Leave
Birth parents receive up to six weeks of maternity convalescent leave, which is a separate category from ordinary convalescent leave. It starts on the first full day after the child’s birth or the date the birth parent is released from the hospital, whichever is later. It has to be taken as one continuous block. A birth parent can request fewer than six weeks with the medical provider’s agreement, but the leave cannot be split.
If a diagnosed medical condition requires additional recovery beyond six weeks, the healthcare provider can recommend extended maternity convalescent leave in writing, and the unit commander can approve it.
A benefit soldiers often overlook: maternity convalescent leave and the Military Parental Leave Program are two separate entitlements. After maternity convalescent leave, birth parents receive an additional 12 weeks of non-chargeable parental leave. Non-birth parents receive 12 weeks of parental leave starting from the date of the child’s birth, to be used within one year. When a soldier stacks maternity convalescent leave, parental (caregiver) leave, and ordinary leave, the order is fixed: maternity convalescent leave first, then caregiver leave, then ordinary leave.
Returning to Duty and Extensions
When convalescent leave ends, the soldier reports back to the unit or medical facility as directed. A medical re-evaluation typically follows to decide whether the soldier is fit for full duty, needs continued duty limitations, or needs more recovery time.
If the original period isn’t enough, the soldier can request an extension. Extensions follow the same approval chain, and anything that pushes the total beyond 30 days shifts to O-5 approval. The provider has to document the continued medical necessity in writing.
While on leave, soldiers are expected to follow their provider’s restrictions, attend scheduled follow-ups, and stay in contact with the unit. Ignoring medical instructions can complicate both the recovery and standing with the command.
Reserve and National Guard Members
Reserve Component soldiers and National Guard members on qualifying active-duty orders are eligible under the same general framework. For the Military Parental Leave Program specifically, eligibility extends to Reserve Component soldiers performing active Guard and Reserve duty or full-time National Guard duty for more than 12 months, and those on active service orders exceeding 12 months.
There is a meaningful catch. Any parental leave entitlement not used before the soldier separates from active service is forfeited. The Army will not extend active service or recall a Reserve Component member solely to allow them to use parental leave. If you’re approaching the end of an active-duty period, plan the leave carefully so you don’t lose the benefit.