Q. I was affected by base realignment and closure in 1995. My agency moved from Kettering, Ohio, to Columbus, more than 90 miles each way. Married with a child in school, I was not able to relocate. Incidentally, I was also on workers’ compensation at the time. I resigned due to work offered outside my commuting area but received workers’ comp for the next 13 years. In March 2009, I gained employment at another government agency (we moved to another state). The new agency doesn’t want to give me my full tenure toward retirement. It was always my belief that if an individual is receiving workers’ comp, he is still considered an employee who is treated as if he has never left his agency. I originally joined the federal government in December 1975. If my seniority continued, I would now have 37 years. But the agency I work for has recomputed my seniority to be October 1988. Am I entitled to my 1975 seniority date?
A. No, you aren’t. The period of time between when you resigned from the government and when you returned to work can’t be included when determining your years of creditable service.
