Return to Article: A Sick Leave Remedy
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63622
We are well to do! My son works priv sec, had cellulitis, treated to the tune of $650. Lucky he had savings as I didn't at the time. I am stably and gainfully employed! I contribute to TSP and receive matching funds ~ FREE MONEY! Took TSP loan to pay off debts, paying myself back at 5% interest, more than TSP funds! Moved TSP to G fund, the only one in the black til the market turns around. What is not to be grateful for? And yes, I am thrilled to hear I could get my SL paid out or applied to retirement!
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63420
Please switch us back to CSRS this retirement plan is terrible. I had a better plan in the private sector that I have in the federal government. As it stands I will never be able to retire. Can't afford it. I really thought working for the federal government would be much better but in reality its horrible. LOOK AT IT DO THE MATH !!!
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63044
I agree with Old Dog. You people do not realize how good you have it. There are many, many people in the private workforce who do not receive any sick leave, as in ZERO, nor do they receive pay raises every year. I've seen people in the private workforce get fired for coming into work three minutes late. I was once fired for staying home with my sick child who had the chicken pox. We had no such thing as "sick leave" in that company. STOP complaining and start being thankful for the many benefits we receive as a government employee. Just think of sick leave as a free insurance policy, there to use when we really need it.
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61762
Given the chance I would gladly switch to CSRS and give up FERS TSP matching. Individuals can contribute to their own Roth IRAs. CSRS annuities can be counted on. TSP accounts are at the mercy of the market.
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59956
I looked at the House bill and S. 625, but could not find any mention of this - where can I find if the Senate kept this addition?
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56921
Reference: FERS has that employer supported & contributions to TSP system w/o CSRS never getting TSP which has Fed $ into the account ( just our own personal $ ). You FERS' persons knew the system when hired. Stop complaining about it after you made the decision to subscribe to it.
Let me make a contradiction to this quote. I was hired in January 1984 under CSRS. In May of 1984 Congress signed FERS into place and backdated it to the first of January. I had no say in the matter, I had to change to FERS.
What has that gotten for me? My first year with the Government I paid into CSRS, not Social Security. While I'm getting credit for my first year with the Government, I get a lower retirement because I didn't pay into SS that first year.
Where's the justice? Look to our Congressional leadership. I think if Congress want's us to play by their rules, they need to live with it for a year first. Funny how they are always exempt from the laws they sign into place
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56769
I agree with Amilio J. The two systems should be made equal. For CSRS they should get: 5% TSP matching. For FERS they should get: Credit for unused sick leave at retirement; the FERS annual retirement needs to be increased from 1% to 2% per year of service; retirement age needs to be rolled back from 56~58 to 55; COLA should start immediately upon retirement and not at 62, also the COLA should be the full amount that CSRS gets. Instead of throwing rocks at each other why can't civil service unite and get FERS abolished, just as the military got rid of its evil FERS twin, the military REDUX retirement.
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56602
If the two systems are being made "equal", then the CSRS folks should be looking forward to getting matching TSP funds.
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56578
I'm having a hard time figuring out why some moron would attach an issue of federal employee retirement to a bill regulating tobacco companies? It seems to me that this guy isn't giving the issue it's proper respect by making it a stand alone bill, instead of attaching it to a bill that has little to no chance of becoming a law.
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56561
I would suggest doing away with sick leave all together. Instead have a max vacation leave amount per year 240 hrs. No max carryover. It could all be used as sick with no limit and at retirement the excess would extend your retirement time no pay out except for increasing your retirement pay. Increase the amount earned per pay period 2 hrs for all employees.
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56559
"Patrick's" comments are typical of a right-wing hypocrite who chastises Federal employees' benefits while enjoying them himself. As the article makes clear, sick leave is NOT "use-or-lose" under CSRS-- thus the DISPARITY between CSRS and FERS employees. FERS employees lose it if they don't use it, whereas CSRS employees can retire early on it, have it added to their pension calculation, or take it in a lump-sum payment (for each full, 30-day increment). FERS employees, as always, get NADA. People like Patrick are why the highway-robbery system called "FERS" was able to be created in the first place. And you have your buddy Ronnie RayGun to thank for that, Patrick.
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56424
Those in FERS, and CSRS for that matter, who think sick leave is "use or lose" are committing fraud against the US government and the American taxpayer. And you wonder why our jobs are being contracted out!
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56333
How does this proposed FERS sick leave benefit "mandate additonal responsibilities for the Food and Drug Administration" as stated by the Bush advisors? What's is FDA's role in this? What happen to the sick leave that FERS retirees left behind? Did it go into a leave bank to benefit employees that need it?
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56238
As a FERS employee, no complaints with current rules. Looking forward to the 3 and 4 day weekends as I approach retirement. I guarantee I will not loose any sick leave :)
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56222
i am retired (1 year) and the sick leave rules under CSRS added 8 months to my retirement (40 years 9 months). The last 5 years I worked I had 2 major surgeries and 2 minor ones and lots of doctors appointments. No matter who you are, save that sick leave as much as you can until you are in the "retirement zone." You may need it and if not it is a great little help to your retirement years calculation. I retired in excellent health and am enjoying a wonderful retirement. Best wishes to all!
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56203
Good move on Waxman's part. The treatment of the FERS employees was needlessly unfair. The resultant effect on government operations was inane. Employees should be encouraged to come to work, not encouraged to stay home because they would lose the sick leave anyway. The CSRS practice of adding sick leave to service time was a great incentive to work. To many FERS employees dangerously treated sick leave as annual leave. Maybe that contributed to the need for a leave sharing program. Either way they should be treated the same.
Mr. or Ms.Onger has a really good point. CSRS was a self funding program that was done away with in part to provide a short term input into Social Security, but really only deferred the problem of underfunding and over promising by a few years. (Congressional tinkering of a value equal to the ethanol mandates of last year.)
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56201
I don't know if congress will give us in FERS anything for our sick leave, but I wish they would either do it or quit dangling the carrot. If it's such a big deal giving us time for our SL and not giving CSRS matching TSP, give FERS the 15% buy back of all over 500 hours. That was one of the first proposals. People who are going to have a balance of SL at the end of their careers can take the offer, and those that want to use/abuse their SL can do that. Or, just give us nothing and live with the abuse. I had once heard that SL abuse was one of the things that make going contract a money saver.
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56189
Why would I accept cashing in sick leave at a rate of 15% of its value (for hours above 500 hours)? If I use the sick leave I get its full value, all the 'active workforce' benefits (like TSP matching), full credit towards retirement and, by the way, the side benefit of earning more leave while I stay home.
For me, a zero sick leave balance is the way to go.
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56181
What is the benefit for the taxpayers?? When CS are out on sick leave who notices? Services don't improve when they come back, a better lesson should have been justifying the position when they went out on extend leave prior to retirement
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56167
I've often seen quotes both for and against unions but the responses below show why even our duly elected bargaining representatives have limited effectiveness; they represent folks who can not agree on just about anything. The diatribes I've seen herein between the CSRS and the FERS are prime examples of why people like Skeeter feel the way they do. Since we obviously can't agree on which compensation package is better (CSRS vs. FERS); can we at least agree that, despite what individuals like Skeeter say, Uncle Sugar don't give no free rides?!
I must admit that I seldom look a gift horse in the mouth but our administrations (ALL of the various ones) have an OVERALL record of fiscal frugality; i.e. always trying to get more for less, PARTICULARLY when it comes to its "human capital". I must hope that it does so in good faith stewardship for us; regardless of cavalier manner in which it seems to operate. I realize that it doesn't always work the way folks think it should but, after a period of time, it does try to adjust and fire for effect. Even the polls reflect that most of us think that we should be paid based on our performance; it's just that we have a SERIOUS problem with the particular methodology as administered under NSPS.
In this case of the sick leave adjustment, someone saw a need in a specific population and addressed it. They even had a legal precedent with the CSRS; having had to make the same adjustment for them.
Once more, Uncle Sugar doesn't just give the barn away for nothing in return; regardless of what the unknowing think. And I can only pray the damage done during these experiments (e.g. NSPS, FAA, & DHS) doesn't bring the entire system down before they realize they got it wrong yet again. I do feel that this change is one of the good faith attempts to correct a wrong.
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56161
As a CSRS employee, I feel that I've been screwed again. When FERS came along, I had the opportunity to switch but chose not to because I could use my sick leave for adding to my longevity. Looks like I lost again.
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56094
I can't believe that CSRS employees are actually begrudging FERS employees a little more equality!!! I started in 1985, and have been contributing to my TSP with the idea that I could live comfortably after retirement. Since the TSP funds have been "tanking" in the last 5-6 years, I now have to work two extra years after my eligibility date because I won't have enough money to live on. At least the CSRS folks know what they are getting, and can plan on it.
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56060
CSRS is a pension plan second to none, at least in the USA. Despite the plaintive statements from OPM and the Hill that "CSRS is a closed plan," it has continued to get "sweetened" over the years by a pliable Congress that respects the higher incomes (greater tenure) and thus likelier voter registration of the typical CSRS worker. Why should any CSRS pensioner with full qualifications be able to collect any social security -- even if they paid in through some teenage work? Why should CSRS workers be able to contribute to TSP? Yet Connie Morella & co. made it happen in the 1990s, even bumping it up close to the FERS limits.
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56059
It only took 24 years for congress to get this right, makes you wonder what they were thinking about, doesn't take a rocket scientist to see all the sick leave abuse that would happen. As for you CSRS people you got a very generous retirement system so put a sock in it about the tsp matching.
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56033
This may be good for those who were hired after 1984 but doesn't do a thing for those of us who switched to FERS but were hired earlier. I still have no incentive to carry a large sick leave balance because it does nothing for me when I retire. It will probably be amazing how "sick" people will get when they get close to retirement.
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56029
You want a remedy? How about NO SICK LEAVE PERIOD!
Never heard so much crying in my life! People on this thread would complain about .99 cent raise wasn't a dollar! Think you have it so darned bad, go out in the private world where some jobs don't earn 4 hours of sick leave a pay period and even some with none at all!
TRY BEING THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU DO HAVE!
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56025
This is an excellent benefit and one a long time coming. Too often our employees heading for retirement are routinely "sick" in the months heading for the door, negatively impacting on productivity and efficiency.
As far as our CSRS folks crying foul, seriously, if you'd like to swap retirement systems I'm sure you'd have plenty of takers.
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56017
RE: quote If FERS people get credit for unsused sick leave, then CSRS folks should get the same government matching of TSP contributions that FERS gives. R Posted August 7, 2008 10:46 AM endquote
When FERS was established in 1984, CSRS employees could not contribute to it. In the 1990s, CSRS employees were then given the benefit of contributing to it. You had your break; don't ask for more with government matching. Even with a new sick leave credit, I'd switch from FERS to CSRS in a heartbeat.
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56003
Good news. But the CSRS still get their SS slashed. I worked for enough years for a SSn pension before becoming a fed. Nothing big but I paid my share. Then congress passed a law slashing my few hundred by almost 50%. Talk about second class citizens.
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55997
Ref the author's statement of "***Some employees criticized the offer, noting that it still would not put them on equal footing with their colleagues in CSRS.***". The two systems are different and not intended to be equal. Back in the 1980s, we had to make an irrevocable decision to stay with CSRS or go with this FERS. We ran the #'s repeatedly and about 95+% stayed with CSRS. Stop changing the rules-of-the-game because decisions were made based upon the rules. FERS has that employer supported & contributions to TSP system w/o CSRS never getting TSP which has Fed $ into the account ( just our own personal $ ). You FERS' persons knew the system when hired. Stop complaining about it after you made the decision to subscribe to it. signed: almost 40 yr veteran "trench fighter" in FDA
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55986
If FERS people get credit for unsused sick leave, then CSRS folks should get the same government matching of TSP contributions that FERS gives.
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55973
Definitely a step in the right direction towards fair treatment of employees in the FERS system vs. CSRS. Even if Rep. Waxman's proposal passes, CSRS retirees would continue to receive greater compensation for unused sick leave, as their added service time calculated from unused sick leave would result in 2% annuity increase per year of calculated service time vs. FERS employees receiving only 1% annuity increase per year of service.
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55971
This, along with HR 6500 (automatic contribution to TSP) just seem to be moving FERS closer to the attributes of CSRS. Why not simply go back to a tried and proven system, instead of tinkering with FERS? Offer new & current employees the option of selecting CSRS. Then the Congressional tinkering could stop, and the consumer & the market place can decide. I'd trust the collective wisdom of the workforce a lot more than the collective wisdom of Congress.
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55970
This, along with HR 6500 (automatic contribution to TSP) just seem to be moving FERS closer to the attributes of CSRS. Why not simply go back to a tried and proven system, instead of tinkering with FERS? Offer new & current employees the option of selecting CSRS. Then the Congressional tinkering could stop, and the consumer & the market place can decide. I'd trust the collective wisdom of the workforce a lot more than the collective wisdom of Congress.
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55966
Do you think this would be counted as income in determining maximum earnings for Soc Sec retirement before full retirement age?
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55959
This legislation is the right legislation, at the right time, especially since more and more folks are in the FERS plan, which will result in more and more abuse. The last sentence clearly conveys the current theme of "use it or lose it," whether one is really sick, or not! Mr. Waxman's proposed bill is much fairer than Mr. Moran's proposal, and MUCH more likely to prevent sick leave abuse. Moran's proposal would not stop the levels of abuse because, when employees do the math, they determine that they're still far better off just going ahead and being "sick."
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55953
It's about time FERS employees got this benefit!
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55952
Whine, whine, whine - that's all the CSRS people ever do. Their retirement system is much more lucrative than any of the FERS employees - I am all for giving us sick leave advances too at retirement! It's about time!
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55910
FERS folks are entitled to their earned sick leaves. Why would their sick leave benefit be forfeited if not used? It is similar to forfeting your unused salary portion.
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