Q. I am a FERS transferee with more than 29 years in federal service.
When I transferred from CSRS to FERS in 1998, I had 103 hours of sick leave (under CSRS). I am planning to retire in 2014 and will have almost 1,700 hours of sick leave. I am being told that the only sick leave I will get credit for as a FERS transferee is the 103 hours of sick leave that was on the personnel action when I transferred — not the almost 1,700 hours of sick leave that have accumulated since. Can this be correct?
A. The 103 hours that were on the books when you transferred to FERS will be used in the computation of the CSRS portion of your annuity and the remainder used in the computation of the FERS portion of your annuity. The person who told you it wouldn’t hasn’t kept up with the times. A change in the law now permits FERS employees retiring through Dec. 31, 2013, to get half credit for their unused sick leave. If they retire after that date, they’ll get full credit for it.
