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Moreover, a staff member who proves that he cannot be covered by any other pension scheme may apply to continue to acquire further pension rights for the duration of his unpaid leave, provided that he bears the cost of the contribution equal to three times the rate laid down in Article 41(h); the contributions shall be calculated by reference to the basic salary for his grade and step. Any period of unpaid leave or leave on personal grounds shall not count for the purposes of the application of the second paragraph of Article 35.

In exceptional circumstances a staff member may at his own request be granted unpaid leave on compelling personal grounds. The director shall determine the length of such leave, which shall not exceed one quarter of the length of time already worked by the staff member concerned or:

— three months for staff having less than four years' seniority,

— six months in all other cases. During his leave, a staff member shall cease to be insured against sickness and accident as provided for in Articles 38 and 38a. However, a staff member who provides evidence that he cannot be covered by any other public scheme of insurance against the risks referred to in Articles 38 and 38a may, not later than the month following that in which his unpaid leave begins, apply to continue to be covered in accordance with those Articles, provided that he bears half the cost of the contributions required to cover the risks referred to in Articles 38 and 38a for the duration of his leave; the contributions shall be calculated by reference to the staff member's last basic salary.