Q. I was employed by the Postal Service for more than five years with a start date of March 17, 2007. I applied for a position with the Defense Department, DCMA division, and was accepted. I started work with DoD on April 9. I have received three paychecks to date, earning six hours of leave per pay period, so my start date with the federal government went back to March 17, 2007. I had accrued approximately 136 hours of annual leave and 327 hours of sick leave. I am in the new position, and human resources in Kansas is telling me my time does not carry over. Am I losing out on sick time?
A. Whoever told you that is mistaken. Your accrued sick and annual leave is transferable. If you get an argument, make them show you in writing where it says that it isn’t. If they can’t and still hold the same view, ask them to refer the question up the line. Eventually, your agency headquarters or Office of Personnel Management will square them away.
