Q. In 2011, I left my civil service job for 175 days to deploy to Afghanistan as an active-duty officer. While deployed, I used a day or two of annual or military leave every pay period to pay for my health care benefits. FERS payments also were made on the days I was on paid leave. When I got back from my deployment, I was told I had to buy back the time, and I put in paperwork with DFAS to do so. However, I just read in my agency’s furlough FAQ that: The amount of a CSRS or FERS…
Browsing: Military leave
Q. I am a military reservist. If I am activated/mobilized into active duty, can I use annual leave with my military leave to cover some of the time I will be activated? Can I use sick leave as well? I do not want to take leave without pay if I can help it. A. You may only use annual leave.
Q. I am currently a 6c AIA who is getting ready to start Title 10 contingency orders stateside. I realize that Title 10 orders for a contingency are not a factor for five years of military leave, but how will this affect my retirement? Will I still be able to retire at the minimum 20 years, and will I have to make contributions to the FERS retirement? (I realize I will have to buy back the military years for a higher retirement percentage.) A. If you are called to active duty and on completion of that assignment return to a…
Q. At the beginning of the fiscal year, I took 120 hours of military leave as a federal employee. Recently, I was hired by another federal agency. Will I have a new balance of military leave with my new agency, or will I have to wait until the beginning of the next fiscal year? A. You are only entitled to 15 days of military leave in a calendar year. This usually is taken when an employee is on active duty for training (ANACDUTRA). Such leave is treated as though you were still on the job, for pay and benefits purposes.…
Q: My nephew has a term-hire job, and he just found out he will be deploying to Iraq soon. It looks like he will be leaving three weeks before the end of his contract. Will he be able to work those three weeks when he gets back? Also, it sounds like they were going to extend the contract, so would that mean he would also get that extension when he comes back? And, does a term hire get any paid military leave? A: When he goes on active duty, during those three weeks he will be on military leave, called…
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: Just wondering what happened to the lawsuit about reservists having to take military leave days on their days off. I was a reservist from 1991 to 2007. I don’t think it really affected me more than 2-3 years, but I’m still interested. A: You are referring to the 2003 opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. It held that agencies should have allowed 15 workdays of military leave for reserve training each year instead of 15 calendar days, which was the practice before the law was amended on Dec. 21, 2000, to allow reservists…
Q: I am a federal employee working under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I have served approximately 7.5 years on active military duty, either as an active-duty soldier or as a reservist activated under Title 10. I have bought back the 7.5 years of military time. In doing so, am I entitled to receive the equivalent of annual leave time that I would have received had I been employed with the federal government? If so, will it be calculated at a rate of four hours per pay period or the six hours that I am currently accruing? A: Accordng to…