Q. I’m 61 with about 18 years under FERS and 800 hours of sick leave. I quit my job with the post office in February 2012 and will defer my retirement until December, when I turn 62. Can I wait another month until January 2014 and receive 100 percent of sick leave value? Would this be a good move to make?
A. No. Sick leave is never included in a deferred annuity, either for determining years of service or in the annuity computation. If you had retired under the MRA+10 provision and postponed the receipt of your annuity to a later date to reduce or eliminate the age penalty, you would have received credit for your unused sick leave.
