| Bill that Allows Conversion of Sick Leave to Retirement Credits Advances |
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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved legislation that would allow employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System to count their unused sick leave toward calculating their retirement annuities.
The bill also would automatically enroll new federal civilian employees in the Thrift Savings Plan, the government’s retirement investment program.
The provisions are among several affecting federal employees in HR 1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The bill will now head for a vote before the full House.
The sick leave provision has long been sought by federal employee advocates who say that the current system, where FERS employees receive no credit for unused sick leave at retirement, encourages them to use up as much sick leave as possible in their final years. This so-called “FERS flu” costs the government an estimated $68 million in lost productivity each year, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Civil Service Retirement System employees already get credit for unused sick leave in their annuities. |
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