Sick leave

[charmed855]

I'm glad I haven't "abused" it over the years. That might be another $10k-$20k in my pocket at retirement, God willing.

 

[Show-me]

10%, I don't think so. Quit trying to low ball us.

 

[The Great Pumpkin]

Most corporations have lumped annual and sick leave together into personal leave. Also many will automatically cash out the employee for accumulated leave over a certain amount. They do not want employees accumulating 6 months of leave and the taking it off during major projects. If you think sick leave is not guaranteed then you need to work for a company that values production and project completion deadlines. If they could afford to do without them that long they wouldn't have hired them. The fact is that the govt expects supervisors to take the hit and operate without the employee while they are off. Any leave they do not take prior to retirement is gravy for them. They never enact rules that positively impact employees. If you tell me you want to pay me .10 on the dollar for time I have earned I will laugh at you. I work hard for all my leave. If they don't want to pay me for it then I will take it off. I am already saving them money by not leaving the project I am working on to take leave or be sick. Many times that I am sick I do not call in because of my work ethic or projects that I am working on. I save my time for a catastrophic illness that may or may not ever come. This directly benefits the gov't and places a burden on me and my family. I don't see the benefit to taking a 900% devaluation of my services and smiling. i think it is better to take aid time off towards the end of my career to get things settled over taking prison wages for the time I worked hard for.

 

[Show-me]

Twenty-four hours of sick leave equal one occurrence. I'll take the 100% until they figure it out.

 

[vic]

I gave back over a years worth of SL.

 

[Show-me]

I gave back over a years worth of SL.

I am very sorry and it makes me sick to my stomach to hear it.

 

[Intrepid_Timer]

I had anal glaucoma this morning. I just couldn't see my a** going to work today.

 

[Cortez]

I had anal glaucoma this morning. I just couldn't see my a** going to work today.

I have ARS from time to time - Alcohol Recovery Sickness.

I also schedule my doctor and dentist appts earlier in the afternoon to give me a couple hours off afterwards.

 

[vic]

then maybe you should take a sick day if it makes you sick. It makes me sick when people abuse it

 

[ATCJeff]

I'm glad I haven't "abused" it over the years. That might be another $10k-$20k in my pocket at retirement, God willing.

Did you read? 10 cents on the dollar. Wow, where do I sign up?

Let's see...I can goto the doctor and get a long term leave or I can stay at work and the Gov't will pay 10 cents on the dollar. Hmmm

I guess I'm lucky. The FAA forces us to take sick leave if we take any medication they determine might cause a risk while working planes. About the only thing we can take and still work is asprin.

 

[nnuut]

I think it should count as longevity just like CSRS! Why not, cost them too much money? Crooks!:nuts:

 

[Show-me]

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?sid=1308836&nid=22

December 13, 2007 - 2:00am


Had your flu shot this year? Are you exercising regularly, eating healthy? Well that's great -- but it may not help if you are in the majority Federal Retirement System and are even thinking about retiring.

Great minds who track socioligical trends, monitor possible epidemics, that sort of thing, are busy trying to connect the dots on what appears to be a growing problem.

Call it the FERS Flu.

The issue: Sick leave use among many previously disgustingly healthy civil servants appears to jump dramatically in the 12 month period before they retire.

There are a number of possible reasons for this. They include the natural aging process -- new viruses in the workplace -- a pre-retirement form of depression that lowers immunity. Some even think that once it is known someone is retiring that individual becomes a lame duck at the office. He or she is no longer in the loop. Or is not considered for promotion or training because they are self-proclaimed short-timers.

There is one other clue.

Most of the suddenly-sick employees are under the newer Federal Employees Retirement System. FERS covers virtually everybody hired after December 31st, 1983. FERS was designed to replace the old Civil Service Retirement System. CSRS is the best retirement plan in the nation for people who spend a full career (30 or more years) with the same employer -- Uncle Sam.

But most people who come to work for the government (2/3rds) do not make it a full career. They spend time with a federal agency, then move to a job in the private sector. Or work in the private sector and join government later in their working life.

FERS was designed to be portable by giving employees a very generous 401(k) plan, with a 5 percent government match. Those who leave government can transfer their money out of the Thrift Savings Plan into a new company's 401(k) plan if they like. And FERS employees get full Social Security coverage. Their civil service benefit (for which they pay less than CSRS employees) is not as generous as the CSRS formula.

There is one other significant difference between CSRS and FERS.

At the end of their careers, CSRS workers can apply the accumulated unused sick leave toward retirement. That can give them months, in some cases years, of "extra" service. That extra service time can boost their civil service annuity (which is fully indexed to inflation) for life. It's a good deal and Congress did that to cut down on what investigators said was something similar to what is happening now. It appeared that many long-time, previously healthy employees were using their sick leave rather than losing it. So the system was changed.

While medical and scientific types pursue the possible biological or psychological causes of FERS Flu, pragmatists are looking at another cause and another potential cure. Coud it be, they wonder, that because they are under a use-it-or-lose it sick leave system, FERS employees decide to use it before they lose it? Could it be that simple? And if so, is there a cure?

Maybe.

There are a number of ideas being considered. Some think the solution would be for Congress to authorize some kind of compensation -- a lump sum payment or credit toward retirement. Once the proposal is finalized (next year) it will then have to go through the regular legislaltive process.

Postal Buyout Rumor Postal clerks in the Los Angeles area are being given the option to retire early. But the American Postal Workers Union says no financial incentives, such as a buyout or an enhanced retirement formula, go with the deal. This may be the source, at least this year, of the SuperBuyout Rumor in yesterday's column. To check it out, click here.

 

[Show-me]

Cough, cough, cough.

 

[Silverbird]

Dr., I have this eye problem. I can't see why I can't carry over my sick leave into retirement, or even donate it to someone who needs it. I think this condition is known as "FERS". Can you write me a note?

 

[nnuut]

Why not let it count on there service years towards retirement like the CSRS? If they can cash it in, CSRS should be able to cash in their unused Sick Leave also.:nuts:

 

[Silverbird]

We've got a different version of the phenomena at my Agency. Got one person I know about who needs multiple bypass type surgeries still working in order to use up his sick leave since he's not going to get compensation for it if he retires. It's nice to have an experienced guy still here BUT not good for him to still be working! Hope this doesn't get to be a trend.

 

[Idaho Dave]

By the time I retire, $10,000 will be the cost of a new pair of shoes. For those who got in in '87 or '88, it could make a little difference, but I have 25 years before I'm eligible for full retirement---that is if they don't change it on me before then.

 

[Callme_CO]

I've read every post on this tread and i'm confused how abusing sick leave (if you can do that) makes people sick. I guess it's the the place i work for.

Most people in other departments, branches, or whatever can schedule an A/L day here or there. Not I. I mean I should but then that would mean more work for the admin LT. and we couldn't have that. I've tried scheduling a day of A/L anywhere from one month to six months ahead of time. Did i get denied...no..i'd have to get a response to get denied. So then comes S/L The one assured leave i have that they really can't say no to at the time.

Now don't get me wrong i've never taken sick leave for a day that should have been A/L. I went my whole first year with only taking 2 days of A/L infact i've been there a year and a half and only 2 days of A/L. My son was born 6 months ago and since then i've burned about all my sick leave saved on him excluding two days i've been in the hospital for myself. And what do i come back to???? Lt's and the captain looking at me like i abused S/L I worked so much over time the first year my base pay was 37k and i cleared 55K but i take two days off for a sickness and i look bad. You can't abuse sick leave especially where i work. (BOP). I finally am scheduled 2 weeks of annual leave in august which means i will have been with the BOP 2 years before i had any annual leave.

With all that anybody who thinks i should feel bad for taking sick-leave when i deserve to take it is full of S**t.

::steps off soapbox::

 

[JOVARN]

Under FERS VA Nurses can take their un-used SL and put that toward their retirement to reduce the number of days they spend on the job. That was initiated as a result of addressing the nursing shortage. I don’t know about you but I want my co-worker to call in when sick, and if you offer this plan to all, many will take advantage of it and come to work sick. Again they try to solve a problem by creating one. The deal with the Nurses has not reduced the end of Gov life leave abuse. Some of the Nurses feel empowered at the end of their career as you often hear what can they do to me?

 

[JOVARN]

I am a Union official and on my job they thing nothing of placing employees on SL restriction. You cant have it both ways