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…
Browsing: leave accrual
Q. How does the expeditionary or campaign medal qualify an employee for the possibility of being in an increased leave category? I was under the impression that campaign and expeditionary medals only qualify for leave categories when an employee is a retiree from the military. Is this correct? In my scenario, I have seven years of active-duty Navy service and five years of civil service in FERS totaling 12 years. I am in Leave Category 2, which grants of six hours of leave per pay period until I reach 15 years of service. At that time, my leave jumps to Category 3, for…
Q. I served four years in the Army and was medically retired. I am now a federal employee and am accruing four hours of leave per pay period. Because my retirement was not deemed “service-connected,” only the year that I spent in Iraq counts toward my service computation date. I am no longer receiving retirement payments because my Veterans Affairs Department disability is greater than my retirement amount. If I buy back my military time, will all of the years count toward my SCD and retirement? A. For nonretired members, full credit for uniformed service (including active duty and active…
Q. I am retired from the Coast Guard with 22 years of service. I now work for the Bureau of Prisons in the Department of Justice as GL09. When hired, human resources told me I would get eight hours of leave per pay period, or 26 days per year. I received my first leave statement and it shows only four hours per pay period. HR said it made a mistake and four is all I can get unless I can show I have the Expeditionary Medal, in which case I may get six hours per pay period. What is the…
Q. What is the best month and day to retire? I should have 240 hours at the end of December, which could be carried over to the next year. If I retire in December, would I not only receive the 240 hours but 208 for the next year. If I retire Jan. 1 of the next year, would I receive the 240 in the hole plus the 208 I would accrue for the new year? I am trying to get 400 hours. How can I do this? I know it takes a while for the retirement benefits to arrive and I…
Q. I separated from the Army in 1997 after nine years of active service and three years of National Guard service. I separated under the provisions of the Special Separation Benefit. My separation benefit was $38,000. I have recently received a job offer as a GS-12 employee. I’m 46 years old and wish to understand if buying back my military time would prove beneficial. Thank you. A. If you become a federal employee and make a deposit for your nine years of active-duty service, you’ll be given credit for that time in determining your length of service and in your annuity calculation. As a rule, you’d…
Q: I am a new civil servant, hired in April of 2011 after 24 years of active duty time in the Air Force (combined AD and Reserves). If I understand the leave accrual policy correctly, I am not eligible for an increased leave accrual rate unless I served during a war declared by Congress or during an expeditionary period where a medal is authorized. Am I correct in assuming if I was on active duty orders but did not deploy to a Global War On Terror area (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) I am only eligible for four hours per pay period? I…
Q: You recently answered a question regarding sick leave credit, outlining the formula used to determine the credit at retirement. Does the same formula apply to a worker who works a 4-10 work week? A: Yes.
Q: I served two dependent-restricted tours in South Korea (1988-1989 and 2001-2002). I retired from the Army in 2006. I now work for the Army as a civilian. Does the time I spent in Korea count toward leave accrual? For example, I accrue four hours of annual and sick leave per pay period. Would that time allow me to accrue six hours per pay period, and would I get that credit from the time I began my federal civilian service in March 2009? A: No, it wouldn’t. For retired members of the military, leave accrual credit is only given for…
Q: I am at an activity that was to be realigned and relocated from California to Virginia. The realignment was completed, and the relocation is in process. I will be relocating to Virginia in the first week of January, prior to the end of the leave year. Will my use-or-lose annual leave hours, as of my relocation date, be restored under 5 U.S.C. 6304(d)(3)? A: If you accompany your organization to its new duty location. you will receive a lump-sum payment for hours in excess of the 240 at the time of your move and will no longer be eligible…