By Reg Jones
Military leave for a term-hire job
August 6th, 2010 | EMPLOYMENT LEAVE Military leave
Q: My nephew has a term-hire job, and he just found out he will be deploying to Iraq soon. It looks like he will be leaving three weeks before the end of his contract. Will he be able to work those three weeks when he gets back? Also, it sounds like they were going to extend the contract, so would that mean he would also get that extension when he comes back? And, does a term hire get any paid military leave?
A: When he goes on active duty, during those three weeks he will be on military leave, called LWOP-US. At the end of those three weeks, he will no longer be a federal civilian employee. When he returns from active duty, if the project or workload needs that were the basis for his being hired in the first place still exist, his agency could, at its discretion, offer him a new term appointment.
Tags: Active-duty service, LWOP, LWOP-US, Military leave, term hire, term-hire position
High-3 rules and military leave
August 3rd, 2010 | Creditable service: FERS EMPLOYMENT FERS annuity computation LEAVE Military leave PAY RETIREMENT
Q: I am an employee with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a covered 6(c) law enforcement position. I have 19 6(c) law enforcement years for retirement purposes. I am also in the National Guard.
If I enter the active-duty Army and take leave without pay for the next five years, which years would be included to make up my “high 3″ for retirement purposes under the Federal Employees Retirement System? Is the high-3 calculation based on actual money earned (i.e., the three years prior to entering active duty with the military), or is it based on my paygrade and scale I would received if I retire at the end of my leave period? If it is the latter, would it include the 25 percent Law Enforcement Availability Pay which I am receiving now?
A: Your high-3 would be the one you had on the day you went on LWOP-US. However, you would have to return to a covered position and make a deposit to the retirement system to receive credit for that period of time as a law enforcement officer.
Tags: Federal Employees Retirement System, FERS, high-3, high-3 calculation, Leave without pay, LWOP, Military leave
Military sick leave credit can’t roll over
April 8th, 2010 | Military leave RETIREMENT Sick leave
Q: I have prior military service. Now I am a federal employee. Can unused military sick leave be used as service credit in the computation of benefits under the Federal Employees Retirement System when I retire?
A: No. You can’t use it in your annuity computation or for any other purpose as a civilian employee of the federal government.
Tags: FERS, military, RETIREMENT, sick leave