5 Employee Benefits - USPS

5 Employee Benefits

510 Leave

511 General

511.1

Administration Policy

The Postal Service policy is to administer the leave program on an equitable basis for all employees, considering (a) the needs of the Postal Service and (b) the welfare of the individual employee.

511.2 Responsibilities

511.21

Postal Officials

Postal officials: a. Administer the leave program. b. Inform employees of their leave balance. c. Approve or disapprove requests for leave. d. Record leave in accordance with Handbook F-21, Time and

Attendance, or Handbook F-22, PSDS Time and Attendance. e. Control unscheduled absences (see 511.4).

511.22

Eagan Accounting Service Center

The Eagan Accounting Service Center (ASC): a. Maintains official leave records. b. Provides leave data to installation when employees are being

separated.

511.23

Postal Employees

Postal employees: a. Request leave by completing PS Form 3971, Request for or

Notification of Absence. b. Obtain approval of PS Form 3971 before taking leave -- except in

cases of emergencies. c. Avoid unnecessary forfeiture of annual leave.

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Employee Benefits

511.3 Eligibility

511.31

Covered

Covered by the leave program are: a. Full-time career employees. b. Part-time regular career employees. c. Part-time flexible career employees. d. To the extent provided in the USPS National Rural Letter Carriers'

Association (NRLCA) National Agreement, temporary employees assigned to rural carrier duties. Note: Transitional employees are not covered by the leave program, but do earn leave as specified in their union's national agreement. References to A?E Postmasters also apply to Part-Time Postmasters.

511.32

Not Covered

Not covered by the leave program are: a. Postmaster relief/leave replacements, noncareer officers in charge,

and other temporary employees except as described in 511.31d. b. Casual employees. c. Individuals who work on a fee or contract basis, such as job cleaners.

511.4 Unscheduled Absence

511.41

Definition

Unscheduled absences are any absences from work that are not requested and approved in advance.

511.42

Management Responsibilities

To control unscheduled absences, postal officials: a. Inform employees of leave regulations. b. Discuss attendance records with individual employees when

warranted. c. Maintain and review PS Form 3972, Absence Analysis, and

PS Form 3971.

511.43

Employee Responsibilities

Employees are expected to maintain their assigned schedule and must make every effort to avoid unscheduled absences. In addition, employees must provide acceptable evidence for absences when required.

512 Annual Leave

512.1 General

512.11

Purpose

Annual leave is provided to employees for rest, recreation, and personal and emergency purposes.

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512.222

512.12

Definitions

The following definitions apply for the purposes of 510:

a. Leave year -- the year beginning with the first day of the first complete pay period in a calendar year and ending on the day before the first day of the first complete pay period in the following calendar year.

b. Accumulated leave -- the total unused leave that remains to the credit of the employee at the beginning of any leave year.

c. Current leave -- leave that an employee earns by biweekly pay periods during the current leave year.

d. Accrued leave -- leave that is earned but is unused by an employee during any period during the current leave year.

512.2 Determining Annual Leave Category

512.21

General Policy

Annual leave category is determined by using the leave policy in effect at the time an employee enters a career appointment or transfers into the Postal Service.

Both active military and civilian service, as outlined in 512.22 and 512.23, are used in computing the years of service that determine an employee's annual leave category, but leave credit is not allowed for both civilian and military service that cover the same period of time. Other service not counted is listed in 512.24.

512.22 512.221

512.222

Federal Civilian Service Counted

Service in the Postal Service The following prior service in the Postal Service is used in computing the years of service that determine the annual leave category:

a. Service performed while a career employee of the Postal Service or Post Office Department.

b. Time on the rolls during which an employee served as a substitute rural carrier (not just the dates on which actual service was performed) if the time is creditable for the federal retirement program applicable to the employee.

c. If performed before January 1, 1977, time on the rolls as a casual or temporary employee, or time actually worked as a postmaster relief/ leave replacement in an office other than first-class.

d. For postmaster relief/replacement in a first-class office, time actually worked after July 21, 1947, and before January 1, 1977.

Service in Other Federal Government Organizations, the District of Columbia, or Gallaudet University The following service in the federal government, the District of Columbia, or Gallaudet University, regardless of breaks in service, is used in computing the years of service that determine the annual leave category:

a. Career, career conditional, and excepted appointment service without a "not to exceed" (NTE) date.

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512.23 266

Employee Benefits

b. For Postal Service Law Department and U.S. Postal Inspection Service employees and other nonbargaining unit employees: Career, career conditional, and excepted appointment service, including appointments with a NTE date. The following also applies:

(1) Effective January 5, 2019, the Postal Service began adjusting the leave computation date of Postal Service Law Department and U.S. Postal Inspection Service employees and other nonbargaining unit employees with prior federal service that includes appointments with a NTE date.

(2) Postal Service Law Department and U.S. Postal Inspection Service employees and other nonbargaining unit employees with prior NTE service accrue annual leave effective January 5, 2019, under Table 1 of 512.311.

(3) These adjustments are prospective in application from January 5, 2019. No retroactive annual leave or monetary compensation will be awarded to employees with career, conditional, and excepted appointments for service before January 5, 2019.

c. Seasonal, on-call, or intermittent employment, even though it may be an "indefinite career appointment," credited on a "when actually employed" (WAE) basis. For such appointments, no credit for leave is given for leave without pay (LWOP) periods.

d. Time-limited or temporary appointment service performed before January 1, 1977.

e. VISTA service before October 1, 1973.

f. District of Columbia (D.C.) government service only if:

(1) The person was employed there before October 1, 1987, or, if service in an appointment by the D.C. government to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, on October 1, 1977; and

(2) The service is creditable for Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) purposes.

512.23 512.231

Military Service Counted

Service of an Employee Not Eligible for Military Retirement Annuity The following military service is used in computing the years of service that determine the annual leave category:

a. Periods of active service terminated by honorable discharge or transfer to inactive reserves under honorable conditions. Active service may be in the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and/or U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. armed forces' respective academies.

b. Service performed by employees who are members of the National Guard Service or Air National Guard Service only during periods of active duty with the U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force.

c. Service performed by Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps students during periods of active duty or training duty as members of the Naval or Marine Corps Reserve.

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512.232

512.232

Note: Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments for service-connected injuries or illnesses are not retirement annuities. If a VA disability payment is received and the employee is not eligible for a military retirement annuity, 512.231 applies. If the employee is eligible for a military retirement annuity, 512.232 applies.

Service of an Employee Eligible for Military Retirement Annuity The following military service is used in computing the years of service that determine the annual leave category:

a. Full Credit. Full leave accrual credit for all of active military service is granted if a military retiree meets one of the following four conditions:

(1) Retirement was based on disability resulting from injury or disease received in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict.

(2) Retirement was based on disability caused by an instrumentality of war and incurred in the line of duty during a period of war defined in 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) 101 and 301.

(3) On November 30, 1964, the employee was employed in a civilian office to which the Annual and Sick Leave Act of 1951 applied and continues to be employed in a civilian capacity without a break in civilian service of more than 30 days.

Note:

(a) A military retiree who as a military reservist or member of the National Guard was called from civilian employment to active military duty before November 30, 1964, and after that date was restored to a civilian position (under 5 U.S.C. 3551) does not meet this condition.

(b) Section 3551 provides only for restoration; therefore, the employee is not considered as having been on military furlough or leave of absence from a civilian position or as having been employed on November 30, 1964, in a civilian position to which section 6303(a) of the former Annual and Sick Leave Act applied.

(4) The individual first becomes eligible for a uniformed services annuity while serving as a career employee. This provision applies to members of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces (Reserves and National Guard) who:

(a) Qualify for an annuity because of reserve service;

(b) Are involuntarily recalled to active duty under Title 10;

(c) Qualify for uniformed services retirement during that period of active duty; and then

(d) Are restored to federal civilian employment on completion of that period of involuntary military service.

This provision applies only to the employee's current period of civilian employment; if the employee separates and is reemployed later, the provision is no longer applicable.

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