Q: What would happen if someone wants to retire on Aug. 31, 2010 (service date), but his sick leave will give him three months’ credit. Can he retire three months early with the same annuity? A: No. Unused sick leave never qualifies anyone to retire. It’s only credited after you meet the age and service requirements to retire.
Browsing: sick leave
Q: Let’s say I have six months of sick leave credit. Can I retire at age 61 1/2, and qualify for the multiplier of 1.1 that we get at age 62? A: No, you can’t. Sick leave may only be added after you have met the age and service requirements for a retirement benefit.
Well, FERS employees, the long wait is over. Thanks to Public Law 111-84, you are entitled to get credit for your unused sick leave in your annuity calculation when you retire. Previously, this benefit was available only to employees under the Civil Service Retirement System, not those under the Federal Employees Retirement System. There’s one hitch:You’ll get credit for only half of your unused sick leave until 2014. Still, half a loaf is better than none. How will that benefit affect your annuity when you retire? I’ll give a few examples to illustrate that. But first I’ll explain how sick…
Q: I am a federal employee covered under the Civil Service Retirement System and will be retiring on Jan. 3, 2011, with 42 years, 1 month of service and 2,700 hours of sick leave. I need knee surgery, which will require that I be off work for three months. Should I have the surgery before I retire and use my sick leave, or postpone the surgery until I retire and apply all the sick leave toward my annuity? A: You are asking for advice, which I don’t give. The decision is up to you. However, assuming that you are going…
Q: I transferred to the Federal Employees Retirement System from the Civil Service Retirement System during the 1998 open season. At the time of my transfer, I had accumulated 1,675 hours of sick leave. I understood at the time that the credit for sick leave to be applied toward my retirement would be the lesser of my balance at the time of my retirement or the 1,675 hours, whichever was less. This amount would be applied to the CSRS component. I now have 2,544 hours of sick leave accumulated. I have accumulated an additional 869 hours of sick leave since…
Q: Will civil service employees who have accumulated sick leave be able to roll this into their Thrift Savings Plan? If so, is there a limit? A: No you can’t. Unused sick leave has no cash value. It can only be added to your actual service and used in the computation of your annuity.
Q: I was a government employee for just over three years (2000-2003) and had accumulated a considerable amount of sick leave during that period. After five years in the private sector, I am now back with the government. Did I forfeit all of the sick leave that I had on the books when I separated in 2003, or is that sick leave transferable to my current balance? A: Your previous unused sick leave balance should be recredited to you. — Reg Jones