Q: I am a new civil servant, hired in April of 2011 after 24 years of active duty time in the Air Force (combined AD and Reserves). If I understand the leave accrual policy correctly, I am not eligible for an increased leave accrual rate unless I served during a war declared by Congress or during an expeditionary period where a medal is authorized. Am I correct in assuming if I was on active duty orders but did not deploy to a Global War On Terror area (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) I am only eligible for four hours per pay period? I am asking for clarification, as I was on a GPS operations crew that provided direct support to warfighters in the area of responsibility. My OPRs from that time period state that our innovative operations “allowed B-52s to provide close air support to ground troops in the Afghanistan AOR.” Another mentions our actions “reduced risk for warfighers in Operation Iraqi Freedom” and still another says we “enabled GPS guided bombing for Operation Enduring Freedom.” We accomplished additional operations during this time period, which significantly increased the accuracy of GPS-guided munitions used in those engagements. When I left that position, I went to work at a MAJCOM Command Post. My MPA orders were justified as providing GWOT support for the MAJCOM CC and one OPR states “Enabled space force support to warfighters in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.” Again, I was stateside.
A: You’ll find the rules at www.opm.gov/flsa/oca/leave/html/ANNUAL.asp. Click on Creditable Service for Leave Accrual. If there’s still a question, your personnel office can check with OPM.
