UNOS DonateLife

August 25, 1999

New UNOS Leave Policy Supports Living Organ Donation

Living donation offers a huge benefit, but having to miss work and possibly several paychecks can be worrisome for potential donors.

UNOS is striving to encourage living donation by adopting a supportive policy and encouraging others to do likewise. A new UNOS policy offers encouragement to all employees who wish to donate bone marrow, an organ or tissue. A recently-implemented leave policy offers employees there up to four weeks of paid leave, as required by a physician's recommendation. Approval for such paid leave requires the signature of the executive director.

"UNOS has long recognized the sacrifices made by organ donors, their families and living donors. With our donor leave policy, UNOS wants to recognize the potential gift of life made by our employees and hope our members and other healthcare organizations follow our lead. It's the right thing to do to encourage donation," said UNOS Executive Director Walter Graham.

Federal employees might soon see a similar benefit. They would be granted more paid leave under a bill passed by the House of Representatives in July.

H.R. 457, introduced by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., authorizes seven days of paid leave a year for those who make bone marrow donations and 30 days for organ donations, in addition to sick leave. The current law allows federal employees to take only seven days of paid leave for donating organs.

Cummings told the Associated Press, "Experience has shown that an organ transplant operation and post operative recovery for living donors may take as long as six to eight weeks. Tragically, every day 12 people die while waiting for a transplant. Every 16 minutes another name is added to the waiting list."

"It is important that Congress encourage citizens to consider becoming organ donors," said a report from the House Committee on Government Reform.

The bill was encouraged at UNOS. "We are pleased the federal government is moving in this direction, and we would also encourage all of our member organizations to enact such a policy if they do not already have one in place," said Mr. Graham.

TRIO welcomed the passage of H.R. 457 in the House. Bruce Weir, president of TRIO and a heart recipient of 11 years, said, "Given the critical need for increased organ donation, it is vital that the federal government lead by example in enabling more people to serve as organ donors. Each step made toward increasing organ donation is an important one."

Mr. Weir said TRIO was pleased with the action by the House and encouraged the Senate to do the same. The House passed the bill last year, but the Senate did not act on it before adjourning for the year.

A similar bill, S.B. 1341, was introduced this year by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. The Senate version has been passed on to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.