Q. The fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Act requires the military services, upon request, to review certain separations for medical conditions where the rating was 20 percent or less. There is a possibility I will be granted medical retirement under this NDAA, and I am curious as to how this will affect my service-connected disability leave. I have been civil service since Nov. 15, 2005, and have a current SCD leave date of Feb. 11, 1994. My retirement will be based on a service-connected disability that was not incurred in combat or caused by an instrumentality of war; however I…
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Q: I have already started to pay back my military time with $75 per pay period, but I was under the impression that my leave service computation date would increase before the total buyback was paid in full. Example, I am buying back 12 years of active duty, and currently have 8 years of civil service. Shouldn’t I go from six hours per pay period to eight hours per pay period, or do I have to pay my buyback in full before this change in LCD will take place? A: You won’t get any credit for your active-duty service until…
Q: I am 48 with 18 years of government service in Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Postal Service. I am on a two-week leave of absence due to stress and would like to resign without filing action so that I may find other government employment. I have never been in negative leave status and have successful evaluations. 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. If you didn’t report to…
Q: I read that the best day to retire for CSRS at the end of the leave year in 2013 is Dec. 28, which confuses me since we’re always told to retire at the end of the month or first three days of the month. I know Dec. 28 is the end of a pay period, but wouldn’t it work out just as well if I retired on Jan. 2 or 3 since I’d get paid for the New Year holiday? A: You can retire on any day that suits you. However, keep these facts in mind. First, if you…
Q: I will be 59 years and 8 months old with 37 years, 7 months of federal service on my target retirement date of Dec. 31. I only earned 33 quarters of Social Security; to earn more credit on Social Security, can paid annual leave be considered as Social Security income for the year 2012, because the paid annual leave is not included as Civil Service Retirement System income for the year 2011? If so, what is the procedure to report it as Social Security income? And will this only be applied at the end of the year of retirement,…
Q: I will have approximately 372 hours of annual leave on the books prior to my Oct. 31 retirement date. Can I take all of my leave at once prior to my retirement date, or do I have to accept a lump-sum payment? A: The civilian federal government doesn’t provide for terminal leave. You can only use your annual leave in that manner if it is appoved by your supervisor.
Q: My retirement date was July 1. I have negative-170 hours of sick leave and negative-32 hours of annual leave. I will receive an annuity, but I will get an interim amount first: How much will I have to pay back? A: Unless your agency waives payment, you will owe a debt that must be repaid. Whether they will require you to pay it before you separate or ask the Office of Personnel Management to withhold the required amount from your annuity is a decision they will have to make. You need to talk to someone in your personnel office…
Q: I had to take leave/terminate from my government job in February 2001. Unfortunately, I accepted money and my time from Feb. 25, 1991, to Feb. 23, 2001, was lost. It has been rumored that we can now buy back time such as this. With a service computation date of November 1987 and a retirement date of October 2010, that would give me a total of 22 years, 11 months. I’m willing to buy this time back and would like to know what agency deals with this. A: If you return to work for the federal government, you can redeposit…
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: I plan to retire at the end of December, 2011. I will have 44 years of continuous federal service under CSRS. I have 1,300 hours of accrued sick leave. Will my sick leave in any way increase my monthly annuity? If yes, at what rate? A: Let’s start at the beginning. Because you have more than 41 years and 11 months of creditable service, your earned annuity will be capped at 80 percent of your High-3. Any additional contributions you have made to the retirement fund will be refunded to you with the option of purchasing additional annuity that…