Q: I am a 48-year-old employee with 18 years of government service in the U.S. Postal Service and the Veterans Affairs Department. I am on a two-week leave of absence due to stress from my supervisor and would like to resign without filing action so that I may find other government employment. What is the longest unpaid absence I can take so that I may try another type of employment while on unpaid leave status? A: If you didn’t report to work, you’d be considered to be absent without leave and your agency could begin the process of separating you…
Browsing: Leave without pay
Q: I am a FERS Rural Carrier in New Jersey. I have 13 years in as a full-time carrier. I have a question about using LWOP (leave without pay). Every year I use all of my annual leave, however I have more than 100 sick days unused. I am a healthy person in general, but in 2010, I did have to use three weeks of SL (under FMLA) for the care of my father. However, the question is, I would like to take more time off. If I have coverage of my route and the time I take off does…
Q: I am a career federal employee. I still have a couple of years before I can retire. I have a family emergency on the other side of the U.S. that I must attend to for several months. I have tried for months to find another federal job in that city, but have had no luck. I do have a hardship transfer approval. I have been told by my supervisors that I could use leave without pay. My question is this: Can I hold a nonfederal job while I am taking LWOP? I will need income when I move, and if I…
Q: I’m a Federal Employees Retirement System employee who is about to take three-plus years’ leave without pay from my job to serve with an overseas international organization. What are the rules regarding unused annual leave? I plan to return to this job upon completion of the overseas posting. Can I cash in my days now? Will they be returned if I don’t use them, or may I use them after commencing my overseas post, in effect starting the other job while on “LWOP-leave”? A: You cannot cash in your unused annual leave when you go on LWOP, nor may…
Q. Is there a time limit on leave without pay status, before an employee is subject to termination? A. Leave-without- pay can only be taken with your agency’s approval. As a rule, an upper limit is set, after which date an employee is expected to return to duty. While an extension can be granted, an agency isn’t required to do so. Failure to return to work when a period of LWOP expires can trigger an adverse action, which could lead to an employee’s termination.
Q: If I received compensation for two years because of an injury at the U.S. Postal Service, does this delay my retirement for two years? A: If you were in leave-without-pay status while in receipt of workers’ compensation benefits, you’ll receive full credit for that period of time in determining your length of service and your high-3. LWOP while receiving Federal Employees Compensation Act, or FECA, benefits isn’t subject to the six-month limitation in a calendar year, as is other LWOP.
Q: I am an employee with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a covered 6(c) law enforcement position. I have 19 6(c) law enforcement years for retirement purposes. I am also in the National Guard. If I enter the active-duty Army and take leave without pay for the next five years, which years would be included to make up my “high 3” for retirement purposes under the Federal Employees Retirement System? Is the high-3 calculation based on actual money earned (i.e., the three years prior to entering active duty with the military), or is it based on my paygrade and…
Q: When does the leave without pay affect the service computation date? A: A total of six months in a nonpay status in any calendar year is considered to be creditable service and would be treated the same for retirement purposes as if you were still on the job. Any time spent on LWOP outside that window during a calendar year would not be creditable service and, therefore, not included when determining your service computation date. For more information about how LWOP affects other benefits, go to http://opm.gov/oca/leave/html/lwop_eff.htm.