Q. A friend of mine will soon have 42 years of service. He was told he will receive a lump sum for his sick leave when he retires, since it can’t be added to his years of service at that point. Is this true?
A. No. The reverse is true! Although he will have reached the 80 percent limit on the amount of annuity he can receive based on his actual service, he can’t be paid one red cent for his unused sick leave. Instead, that unused sick leave, which isn’t subject to the 80 percent limit, will be added to his actual service time and used to increase the amount of his annuity.