Q. Can I be terminated and denied my retirement if I decide to use all of my sick time (400+ hours) while waiting for my retirement package to go through? A very stressful situation arose before a day off and I do not wish to return to work at the Postal Service. I am under FERS. I have 10 years with the Postal Service in Cleveland as an electronic tech and 7½ years of credited military service.
A. You can only take sick leave if you meet the requirements to do so. If you were to try to take sick leave without meeting those requirements, you could be declared AWOL and separated from the service. However, even if you were, you would still be eligible to apply for a deferred annuity at age 62.
