By Reg Jones
GS leave while mobilized
February 28th, 2012 | LEAVE
Q: I am a civilian GS employee and an active reservist. I am getting deployed to Afghanistan for about 100 days. I was wondering if I am allowed to use any/all/combination of my military leave, civilian regular leave or sick leave while I am deployed. This would allow me to get my GS salary as well as my Army salary at the same time. My GS salary is more than my active-duty salary will be.
A: You may take military leave (the 15 days granted each year for training), annual leave or LWOP-US. You may not use sick leave. For more information about your civilian benefits while on active duty, go to www.opm.gov/flsa/oca/compmemo/2001/2001-09a.asp.
Tags: LEAVE, military service
Eligibility for unemployment
February 27th, 2012 | Unemployment compensation
Q: I am retired military with 29 years of service on April 1, 2010. I have been employed in the Defense Department lab demo program since April 12, 2010. Have an SCD leave date of Dec. 13, 1990, SCD Civ of April 4, 2010 and SCD RIF of April 12, 2010. If given a notice of involuntary separation by my agency, will I be eligible for unemployment? Where can I find more details?
A: You’ll have to check with your state unemployment office.
Tags: Early retirement, military service
Unused sick leave
February 24th, 2012 | Sick leave
Q: As a postal worker under FERS, I will retire with 35 years service with a balance of one year of unused sick leave. Will I be credited as if I had worked 36 years? I earn $60,000 annually. How many retirement years will it take me to receive and realize the year of sick leave I turn back?
A: If you retire after December 31, 2013, you’ll get full credit for your unused sick leave. If you have 2,087 hours, you’ll receive one year’s credit in your annuity calculation. Therefore, using your figures, instead of the formula being 0.01 x $60,000 x 35, it will be 0.01 x $60,000 x 36. Since I have no idea what you are getting at with your second question, I can’t respond to it.
Tags: FERS, Postal Service
Leave accrual
February 23rd, 2012 | Annual leave
Q: I retired from the Air Force in 1998, after 26 years and two months of service. In September 2000 I started a civil service career; and immediately started paying the deposit of the military buyback to secure all of my military service, (completed by April 2003). I am trying to ascertain whether I should have been placed in the CSRS Offset pension program, and started acquiring eight hours annual leave per pay period. I am 57 and preparing for retirement in about three years and trying to ensure my record is accurately reflecting my benefits.
A: Because you were first employed after Dec. 31, 1987, you were automatically placed in FERS. As someone receiving military retired pay, you would only be entitled to credit for that time in determining your leave accrual rate if that pay was awarded on account of a service-connected disability either incurred in combat with an enemy of the U.S. or caused by an instrumentality of war and incurred in the line of duty during a period of war.
Tags: FERS, military buyback
Transferring leave
February 23rd, 2012 | LEAVE
Q: My husband is retired military (10-percent disabled) and works for the postal service. If he were to apply for a GS position, and be selected, would his time (14 years) and sick/annual leave transfer over to the GS position?
A: Yes, his years of service and annual- and sick-leave balances would transfer to his new position.
Tags: Postal Service
LWOP and benefits
February 22nd, 2012 | Unpaid leave
Q: I will be on long-term 12 to 18 months of LWOP. Can you tell me the impact on my retirement (FERS), health benefits, life insurance and any taxes due. How do I pay these premiums to continue my benefits in the future, especially when I retire.
A: The answers to all your questions except taxes due will be found at www.opm.gov/oca/leave/HTML/LWOP_eff.asp. For the tax question, you’ll have to go to the Internal Revenue Service.
Tags: FERS
Sick and annual leave
February 20th, 2012 | LEAVE
Q: I am a FERS employee who has more than a year of accumulated Sick leave. Under the current rules, I can get credit for 50 percent until 2014 when I can get 100 percent credit. What’s the first day I can retire to get the 100 percent credit, and how does that fit with the best day to retire to take advantage of getting paid for the maximum amount of annual leave 240 carry over, plus the maximum accumulated during the last year? Can I get both or will I have to make a choice?
A: You can get full credit for your unused sick leave if you retire on or after Jan. 1, 2014. Because the 2013 leave year ends on Jan. 11, 2014, you could retire up to that date and get credit for all your accumulated annual leave.
Tags: FERS
Length of service
February 17th, 2012 | Sick leave
Q: I am 7 days short of my 40 years of service, But with the sick leave , it puts me at 40 years, 3 months. Do I get a 40-year pin and certificate?
A: Whether you get a pin and a certificate is up to your agency. However, these forms of recognition are only given to employees who have actually completed a service milestone. While unused sick leave can be added to your length of service when you retire, it can’t be used to increase your service time while you are still working.
Tags: LEAVE
LWOP calculation
February 7th, 2012 | Unpaid leave
Q: I have been employed in law enforcement for the past 13 years. Early in my career, I was ill and had leave without pay for 2 months. If I left the LEO position in seven years for a non-LEO federal position, will I have to take into account the 2 months of LWOP in ensuring I have 20 years in an LEO position? Also, am I correct that I can work 20 years in a LEO position then 4 years in a non-LEO position and retire at 50 with a law enforcement retirement?
A: As a rule, periods of leave without pay that don’t exceed six months are treated as if you were still on the job for retirement purposes. However, you’ll need to check with your personnel office to see if there are any variations to that rule affecting LEOs of which I’m unaware. As for your second question, yes, you can take a noncovered position after having served in a covered position for 20 years and retire at age 50.
Tags: law enforcement, LEAVE
Does reserve service warrant retirement credit?
February 3rd, 2012 | LEAVE RETIREMENT
Q. Do veterans receive any credit for reserve time they have served in the military? If so, would the credit go toward leave or retirement? In addition, would the military have to verify the reserve time as being creditable?
A: No credit of any kind is given for reserve time.