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.