5. Full time employees' credit hour balances may not exceed 24 hours at    any time. Employees who have accumulated 24 credit hours must reduce their  balances before working additional credit hours.  A full-time employee may carry over from one pay period to the next a maximum of 24 credit hours, regardless of when they were earned, without risk of forfeiture. A full time seasonal employee may carry over from one season to the next a maximum of 24 credit hours.

6.  A part-time employee can accumulate or carry over to a succeeding pay period not more than one-fourth of the hours in such employee's biweekly  basic work requirement.

7. If credit hours are requested and approved and overtime is subsequently made available before the work is performed, the employee will    be notified and afforded the opportunity to work overtime instead.  Once    credit hours have been worked, they may not be changed to overtime    subsequently made available.

8. Holidays and premium pay for flexible schedules will be consistent    with P.L. 97-221.

C.  Procedures for Using Credit Hours

1.  Employees will request to use credit hours in advance using form SF-    71.

2. Employees may use credit hours in increments of one-quarter hour.      They may be used alone, in lieu of or in combination with approved leave, in order to take a full day(s) off.

3. Supervisors will approve use of credit hours under the same criteria    used for the approval of leave.  In the event of a conflict between credit    hour requests, it will be resolved in favor of the employee(s) with the    earliest service computation date (SCD) within the work unit by  position.

Section 5--Provisions Related to Compressed Work Schedule

A.  Scheduling CWS (5-4-9) Plans

1. DOC employees currently on a fixed shift will remain on the fixed    shift.  However, so that fixed-shift DOC employees may participate in the    CWS plan, the fixed shift is extended by one hour to accommodate a 5-4-9 schedule and/or credit hours.

2. Each DOC will establish a 9-hour tour to be used during the off season    on those occasions when employees on a CWS schedule are