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Sick Leave and FERS: Leave Abuse? Justifiable Cheating? Flexible Ethics?

Fers Sick Leave Usage

Insulator (Retired)
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (formerly)
Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:46 AM

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The thinking on the part of many of my coworkers, when I was retiring, was that I should use all my sick leave before I retired. I would still be working if that was the case. "terminal" sick leave is extremely difficult for Fers employees, though often used bt CSRS employees. I did take three days at a time, to both remain within guidelines and keep my shop off my back, but could not use up all my sick leave before retirement. I gave back over 100 hours of sick leave. My coworkers were mystified that I would not take all, but there came a time when I had more leave than days to work. I do not feel bad either way, using what I did, or giving back what I did. I'm just happy to be retired.

Sick Leave/leave sharing program

Supervisor
Probation
Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:57 AM

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Another issue that I believe prompts employees to "abuse" their sick leave is the leave sharing program. While I'm glad it's there, many think even if they whittle down their leave, they can always be bailed out.

Re: Sick Leave/leave sharing program

HR Specialist
Federal Agency
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:07 AM
Amen! This is the most abused program in my personal opinion in the Federal government. If the taxpayers only knew...and now we want more...let's push forward the legislation to give paid maternity leave and burden the taxpayers more!

sick leave and 'pollen allergies'

AUSA
DOJ
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:09 AM

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I agree that sick leave (or any type of leave) should not be abused; however, I disagree with the article's classification of what should not be classified as an illness. In fact, I felt the writer exuded the elitist, condescending attitude so common in the healthy. A "pollen allergy" is a sickness and is often debilitating to the sufferer. A recent medical study showed that an allergy to ragweed and other pollens not only causes physical ailments, but also causes a release of chemicals in the body which in turn causes depression---a mental illness. If a "pollen allergy" is not a sickness, then by that standard, an appointment with an allergy doctor is not an appointment with a legitmate doctor and doesn't qualify as an accepted sick leave request? And doesn't that mean that getting allergy shots also would not qualify? And what about allergy-induced asthma? or depression? The writer obviously has been fortunate in his health, but clueless concerning the suffering of others.

Re: sick leave and 'pollen allergies'

General Engineer
DOT
Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:09 AM
Amen to that. I suffer from numerous sinus infections but rarely lose work. I have been diagnosed with reactive athsma and it does affect my productivity. This should obviously be considered an ailment that is covered by sick leave. Whoever said it isn't, I wouldn't wich it upon them, but it would be enlightening if they did eventually suffer from the same.

Working with Sick Employees

Enforcement Specialist
DOI - Minerals Management Service
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:15 AM

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The other side of the problem -
Sick employees showing up to work is persistent and costing $180 billion a year; more HR execs are taking notice.
January 26 2007: 9:53 AM EST
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Practically every workplace has one - the employee who comes to the job aching, coughing and sneezing.
So-called "presenteeism," or going to work when sick, is a persistent problem at more than half of U.S. workplaces and costs U.S. business a whopping $180 billion a year, research shows.
Like its more notorious counterpart absenteeism, it takes on growing importance as employers try to keep an eye on productivity and the bottom line, experts say.
"Employers are increasingly concerned about the threat that sick employees pose in the workplace," said Brett Gorovsky, an analyst at CCH, a Riverwoods, Ill.-based provider of business and corporate law information and a division of Wolters Kluwer.
"Presenteeism can take a very real hit on the bottom line, although it is often unrecognized

Sick or not sick

Normal Government Employee
VA
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:16 AM

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The bottom line here is that each Agency has their own protocal. In the VA an employee can use up to 3 days of sick leave without providing written documentation of doctor care. After all, most peope don't always have to go to the doctor just because of the flu.

So, unless the Agency actually want's to invest "time and money" in following their employees around, get over it!!!!! Now if an employee chooses to submit a false doctor's statement, then there are grounds for fraud.

Advantage of Sick Leave Balance

Union President
USDA Forest Service
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:16 AM

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I was told once at a retirement seminar that an advantage for a FERS employee to maintain a large balance of sick leave is if you purchass "Disability Insurance" in case you get hurt off the job or have a medical illness that lasts a long time, is that your rates will be substantially reduced over the person that has little or no sick leave balance. If you currently have "Disability Insurance" but your insurer doesn't know that you have a large balance of Sick Leave built up, you probably need to discuss it with them or do some insurance shopping.
For the commenters that CSRS should get social security that doesn't apply because you didn't pay into SS. All of your contribution 7% went to CSRS, while with FERS their contribution of 7% was split between FERS and SS which is why FERS has a smaller % they payout.
For FERS employees that switched from CSRS there are different rules and you are eligible for credit of the amount of sick leave you had at the time of the switch.

Re: Advantage of Sick Leave Balance

General Engineer
DOT
Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:21 PM
I was informed when I left DoD, in 1987, under CSRS that my sick leave would disappear if I came back to government more than two years after I left. ( I had a balance of about 500-600+ hours over a period of 6 years) I came back to Goverment about 27 months after I left. I was told by a fellow co-worker here that the requirement was that I would have had to be gone for more than 3 years to lose my sick leave. I came back as a CSRS offset but have since switched to FERS. I'm not sure what the right answer is. Can you answer that?

Re: Advantage of Sick Leave Balance

Engineer
DoD
Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:27 AM
With regards to disability insurance, the sick leave balance in and of itself does not affect your insurance premium. Your premium, in part, is based on the number of days of disability you have before your insurance policy "kicks in"....the longer that period the lower the premium. My disability policy and my long term care policy require that I have 90 days (non-consecutive) of disability or illness before either will pay, thus 90 days of leave (sick or annual) becomes the "insurance" that would get me past that 90 day period. I could also get by that 90 day period through the use of personal savings. How that 90 days is handled is irrelevant to an insurance company.

Sick leave

AUSA
DOJ
Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:36 AM

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Let FERS employees add unused sick leave to their longevity time in service calculations at retirement and watch the sick leave abuse problem become a dramatically less serious concern.

OR

To save money give FERS employees the option to add unused annual leave AND unused sick leave to longevity credit at retirement and not pay FERS employees for unused annual leave. I could add one full year of service to my retirement calculations under such a plan.

Re: Sick leave

AUSA
DOJ
Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:14 AM
What a great idea! Give FERS employees the OPTION to add unused annual leave and unused sick leave to longevity service credit at retirement. The government would no longer pay a cash payout for unused annual leave. Saves money for the government and gives a real retirement benefit to FERS employees. Many retiring employees would add about a year of service credit to their retirement calculations under such a plan. Will anyone push this idea?
Total Comments: 129
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