Federal employees earn paid sick leave to help them manage personal health needs, care for eligible family members, and address certain adoption-related situations. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), full-time employees accrue 4 hours of sick leave each biweekly pay period, or approximately 13 days per year. Unlike annual leave, there is no limit on the amount of sick leave that can be accumulated, allowing employees to build a substantial leave balance over time.
Federal employees may use sick leave for their own medical appointments, illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or recovery from a medical condition. They may also use sick leave to care for an eligible family member who is ill, accompany a family member to medical appointments, or make arrangements following the death of a qualifying family member. In cases involving a family member with a serious health condition, employees may use up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of accrued sick leave each leave year, subject to applicable rules. For routine family care or bereavement, employees may generally use up to 104 hours (13 days) of sick leave each leave year.
Employees are expected to follow their agency’s procedures for requesting sick leave. Agencies may require advance notice for scheduled medical appointments and may request medical documentation for absences longer than three consecutive workdays—or sooner if agency policy requires. Employees typically have 15 days to provide requested documentation, with extensions available in certain circumstances.
If an employee does not have enough accrued sick leave, an agency may, at its discretion, grant advanced sick leave. Agencies may advance up to 240 hours (30 days) of sick leave for an employee’s own serious medical condition or other qualifying circumstances, provided the employee is expected to return to work.
One unique benefit of federal sick leave is that unused balances are not lost at retirement. Instead, for employees who retire with an immediate annuity, unused sick leave is converted into additional creditable service, which can increase the amount of their retirement annuity.
Federal employees should always consult their agency’s human resources office for agency-specific policies and procedures, as individual agencies may have additional requirements beyond OPM’s government-wide regulations.
Understanding Disability Retirement for Federal Employees
A serious medical condition does not automatically end a federal career. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers disability retirement benefits to eligible federal employees who are no longer able to perform the essential duties of their position because of a disease or injury that is expected to last at least one year.
For employees covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), eligibility generally requires at least 18 months of creditable civilian service. Employees covered under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) must have at least five years of creditable civilian service. In both systems, the employing agency must certify that it cannot reasonably accommodate the employee’s medical condition or reassign the employee to a vacant position at the same grade or pay level within the commuting area.
Employees should apply for disability retirement while still employed or within one year of separating from federal service. FERS employees under age 62 are also required to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), although approval for Social Security benefits is not required for OPM to consider the disability retirement application.
For most FERS employees under age 62, disability retirement benefits are calculated at 60% of the employee’s high-three average salary during the first year, reduced by 100% of any Social Security disability benefit received. Beginning in the second year, the benefit is generally 40% of the high-three average salary, reduced by 60% of any Social Security disability benefit. At age 62, OPM recalculates the annuity as though the employee had continued working until age 62, including credit for the years spent on disability retirement.
Disability retirement is not always permanent. OPM may periodically request updated medical documentation, and benefits can end if the employee medically recovers, returns to equivalent federal employment, or earns at least 80% of the current salary of the position from which they retired.
Disability retirement can provide important financial protection for federal employees whose medical conditions prevent them from continuing their federal careers. Employees considering this option should work closely with their agency’s Human Resources office and ensure that all required medical documentation is complete before submitting an application.
Shawn entered financial services in the late 1980s and spent the first half of his career learning every corner of the industry — from insurance and annuities through investments and estate planning, before specializing in federal benefits in the late 2000s. Since then he has trained thousands of advisors, brokers and agents who today serve federal employees nationwide. He founded FedEd Academy™ to bring real, exam-grade education to the industry, and the Registered Federal Benefits Specialist℠ designation to give graduates a credential their clients can trust.
