Return to Article: House resuscitates FERS sick leave fix
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91500
I can not see the benefit of adding 6 months or a year of service to the end of a 30 yr career. Wouldn't be better to take a year off with FULL pay at the end of your career vs adding a few dollars to your annuity?
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88852
I have 30 years combined service and never believed in shirking duties in the Army and in my civilian job. I have values and 1400 hours of sick leave should be my choice to use or donate to somebody in need.
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83627
I learned to USE my sick leave for doctor appoinments, illness, mental health days. I earned it and I won't see it go to waste.
I am more concerned about being able to buy back 7 years of service and hope this passes soon.
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81680
Walt, re-read Rob's post. He didn't state that sick leave was donated. He just said 'leave'. You make it sound like he did not know what he was talking about. You are in error. I clearly agree with Rob. I will not donate any (annual) leave to someone who squandered their sick leave. I will not feel sorry for them, only the innocent family members who have to live with them and who are supported by them.
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81677
Walt, re-read Rob's post. He didn't state that sick leave was donated. He just said 'leave'. You make it sound like he did not know what he was talking about. You are in error. I clearly agree with Rob. I will not donate any (annual) leave to someone who squandered their sick leave. I will not feel sorry for them, only the innocent family members who have to live with them and who are supported by them.
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81675
Leave is leave. The civilian world has gone to a concept of paid annual leave, sick and vacation are the same. A day off from work counts as one day of leave weather sick in bed or on the beach playing in the sun. My recommendation would be to either count both FERS and CSRS sick leave into the retirement process or make sick leave not count for retirement and let employees use them at will prior to retirement, but recieve no monetary reward. Classifing leave for the purpose of being sick is the problem here.
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81654
Sick leave or annual leave, almost the same since you can just think of them as combined and possible time off. (be SURE to dump all your sick leave BEFORE retiring !!)
Big Jake (retired 2008)
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81562
Rob - Sick Leave cannot be donated, only Annual Leave. Check your facts.
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81483
The FERS program was created as a way to pass part of the cost of retirement from the government to the employee. The original language talked about the number of time today's employees change careers as compared to the old CSRS employee. The TSP portion of the FERS was designed to be portable; however the FERS employee only receives 1 percent per year served toward retirement. The CSRS employee received two percent per year. If you do the math the FERS employee received one half the base annuities the CSRS employee receives. Now in reference to the sick leave, congress got this one wrong. The CSRS employee received credit unused sick leave toward retirement. FERS employees do not. Al things being equal, what wouldn't FERS employees get the same credit for unused sick leave?
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81474
We need to remember that FERS coverage is only .8% the other 6.2% goes in to Social Security. This is why we have TSP matching funds. The sick leave issue is separate from the TSP issue. I believe we should receive credit towards our service for our sick leave, this would help make the plan more equitabl. I also would have preferred not to pay into social security to ensure that my retirement was more secure.
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81464
Give FERS folks the best parts of CSRS and CSRS folks the best parts of FERS, then we can all stop calling each other names.
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81454
And so with this passage will be the demise of the leave donor program which was funded and used primarily by FERS employees. The leave donor program was created to assist FERS employees whom abused their sick leave then asked for a donation when a real illness occurred. So in the short term for those of you whom squandered your sick leave and are in need of a donation you will find less FERS employees willing to part with their leave. Just the fact's.
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81443
Its simply amazing everytime I hear the FERS side state CSRS has a better retirement, that one important fact is left out...
we pay for it.
You see, CSRS folks pay 7% of their income to receive just under 2% of their high-three for every year they work (its only 2% after 10 years). No Social Security, and no matching TSP.
On the other hand, FERS pays 0.8% of their wages into the "CSRS component" and get 1% of their high three for every year they work. And they get matching funds, and they get Social Security.
Let me repeat; it costs CSRS folks 7% of their wages to get a 2% per year annuity; it costs FERS folks 0.8% of their wages to get 1% annuity.
I think FERS is pretty generous if you look at how it actually costs the employee.
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81442
I find it hard to believe that anyone will receive full, half, or even a quarter pay for unused sick leave. Particularly at this time when "there is no money". MUCH less will any retired get any type of credit for their unused Sick Leave. I wouldn't hold my breath - or sick leave.
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81428
If all you CSRS-ers want the TSP matching so badly, why didn't you switch to FERS when you were given the chance? Probably because you know that you have the better deal. Just relax and enjoy your pensions. Would you rather worry about the state of SS or whether you saved enough in TSP to last the rest of your life? Please. If any one of you would like to trade with me, let me know.
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81414
The federal government should suspend all TSP matching, COLAs and consider implement furloughs like the states and private industry are doing.
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81407
Are you all forgetting that CSRS people less $$ deducted from they pay check (in those deductions lines), whereas FERS people have more deductions from each pay check. Compare the deductions of both and tell CSRS people to stop whining! I wish I was in CSRS!
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81386
I am a FERS employee, and I am not the least bit worried about using all of my earned sick leave prior to retiring. Since my failing TSP fund has virtually "tanked" any plans I had to retire at 60 (3 1/2 years away), I figure I'll just work til I die and they can scoop up my lifeless body from my desk. I certainly won't be able to afford to retire any time soon.
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81381
Like I said, FERS is the better plan ! What's this about CSRS being infantly better? Not so. The TSP has matching funds and the Social Security is much greater AND one's wife gets 1/2 at retirement age and the FAA employee does not have to die like with the gov'ment pensions to get 1/2. CSRS is just locked in to 1 check per month with no flexibility and no matching funds at all ! Plus FERS get to take all their sick leave the last few years and that's REALLY nice !
Big Jake (retired 2008)
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81343
Why is it everytime this subject comes up all the csrs folks start whining about parity and they should get matching TSP. Listen very carefully, csrs is infinitly better and more generous than fers, you have a great retirement plan, stop whining about wanting more, get a life people.
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81328
Sally,
Yes, and the FERS employees would love to have that FAT pension that the CSRS folks get also; but that's not gonna happen. The TSP was supposed to compensate us for a pension that is one half of a CSRS pension. The sick leave provision is small change, and it will happen in the Fall.
best,
John
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81295
After reading all of these comments, I can see one glaring reason to approve it. To eliminate the, "them versus us" ideas that seem so easy for some people to state. The Government makes changes all of the time, and so far, ours has done fairly well for all of us. If you're going to keep whining everytime someone else gets an advantage that you want, then put your thumb in your mouth so the rest of us don't have to hear it.
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81292
This is a long time coming! The handbook Re: the mid-1980s on whether to stay with CSRS or change to FERS was GROSSLY misleading. It did not specifically say that accumulated sick leave would be lost upon retirement. There was, however, one ONE sentence alluding to this (in legaleze). I started Civil Service with 25 yrs. in the private sector, so I chose the FERS plan. Add another 25 years in DoD. I never took sick leave 'just because it was on the books' - only when sick. I had accumulated 6-1/2 months of sick leave before I learned that I would lose it all. Ah, if only this bill would reinstate the sick leave I lost. Sick Leave: Use it, don't abuse it. You earn it.
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81286
Vernon, the locality pay for Alaska and Hawaii is still in this bill. This has been a long time coming too. It needs to pass.
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81273
I think they should leave it alone. If they give the benefit of sick leave to FERS, then they should match TSP for CSRS. Sorry Sam (above), your link doesn't validate not giving the matching. If they want parity, then lets make all the key elements the same. FERs wants the TSP earnings and now they want the sick leave calculation as well?
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81272
I think they should leave it alone. If they give the benefit of sick leave to FERS, then they should match TSP for CSRS. Sorry Sam (above), your link doesn't validate not giving the matching. If they want parity, then lets make all the key elements the same. FERs wants the TSP earnings and now they want the sick leave calculation as well?
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81262
If passed, there will soon be a LOT of ill people at the office "saving" their Sick Leave.
Why use it when you can "recover" at work?
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81251
Is this just another ploy to get FERS employees to save up their sick leave in hopes of having it counted toward their annuity? This makes the third time this issue has come up for approval in Congress, and, although I hope it succeeds this time, I am still going to use up as much sick leave as I can in case it gets thrown out again. I have less than two years until I retire, and I am going to either use all my sick leave, or get credit for what I have left when I retire. It doesn't matter, as long as the government doesn't get it back.
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81246
I agree that this system needs this overhaul and should be fair. I also believe because I am under both systems when I retire and have paid SS under FERS, Air Force and Ford Motor that I should not loss to the WIND FALL TAX from my CSRS portion its a seprate retirement. 356.00 is a lot of money when your pension is 1,447.00 then tax it.
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81236
Maybe this time since the issue of unused sick leave counting toward an individual pension is not tied to tobacco legislation it might stand a chance of getting approved.
Once H.R. 2990 is passed and become law, will procedures be in place, so people who plan on retiring in 2010 can benefit for this bill?
When the implementation procedures are developed should they include a retroactive clause where by personnel who retired "X" number of years ago, and were not compensated for unused sick leave, now be accredited, in their monthly retirement checks, for those lost unused sick leave hours?
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81229
Although the effort to allow FERS employees to use their sick leave toward retirement is a great bit of news, I cannot help but wonder about the re-employed annuitants. At this point most of them are CSRS annuitants receiving an excellent retirement income. They already suffer no penalty to their annuity for coming back and now it's going to be easier? Anyone thinking of the rising work force and how this effects their chances for promotion?
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81223
All the above changes are fine but...When will someone evaluate the social security windfall elimination and eliminate it?
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81219
I hope it dies a slow death...they should pay you for your sick leave not have some lame CSRS $2 a month to your annuity option...they have taught FERS to use it or lose it...
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81216
For those who are going to argue that now CSRS should get TSP matching, I say no. See this link for an explanation of why:
govexec.com/dailyfed/0306/033106rp.htm
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81210
As a current federal employee with roughly 20-25 years left before retirement, I am deeply encouraged that this issue is now at the forefront. It is very clear that, if this bill passes, the federal employee AND federal agencies will benefit from this provision. In addition, the American people/taxpayers deserve the decency and confidence that a federal employee will serve and uphold the Constitution of the U.S. and avoid abusing the sick leave provision that we earn.
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81209
I'm so glad to see that the House is trying to get this passed for the Federal workforce. It certainly will help a lot of current employees and would encourage those who have left the Government to consider coming back to the Federal workforce.
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81208
To allow FERS to get credit for their Sick Leave when they leave if not used is great, is there a specified number of hours they must have. Also to rehire the CSRS employees after retirement with no deduction in annuity, is there a age or number of years service limit.
Now to the Offset & Windfall, is this enbeded in the bill anywhere.
They need to get that back an do a repeal for those who have enough years to retire. Maybe, 20 years and age 62. Those with 30 or more years should be able to draw all they are entitled for both annuity and social security. Most of them are getting into the age bracket that they need the funds to live. This is especially true for those who are in the lower grade brackets. Maybe but a $ cap on this. Retirement less than $85,000 or $90,000 average. These should not have the averaging # of years changed for those with the 30 + years. Those who have given their best years of life for their country's benefit.
Thanks for keeping us posted.
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81190
Why was the locality pay for Hawaii and Alaska strip from the bill, they should change the bill leaving Hawaii and Alaska because they are part of 50 states that should be receiving locality pay and strip Puerto Rico and the other foreign other countries from the bill.
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81185
As a FERS employee, I strongly recommend approval of this legislation to fix the sick leave issue, and to allow redeposit (with interest)of prior FERS retirement contributions. While the FERS retirement benefits remain threadbare in relation to the CSRS retirement annuity, fixing these glaring inequities would be a good step to more closely aligning the rational for benefits within the two systems. The next step would be to actually grant FERS retires a COLA (for which they are currently denied prior to age 62, and belatedly provided at a 1% annual reduction thereafter) in line with what is offered to CSRS, Military, and Social Security retirees. Why FERS retirees are singled out for COLA discrimination is a mystery to me. Presumably FERS employees are exempt from ravages of inflation.
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