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erg923

erg923

Regional Clinical Officer, Centene Corporation
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Would "sick leave" earned and NOT used on the internship year still be available to you if you came back to the VA as staff psych a year later (did post doc outside VA system) or do you start over from scratch? Asking for a friend. All my peeps are out today and HR never returns my emails...
Thanks!
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thanks
 
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Yeah, like WisNeuro mentioned, I don't know that it's possible to get it back after a break in service of more than a couple months. Heck, I had no break in service between internship and postdoc and mine didn't even transfer over (although if I'd been motivated enough, I probably could've pursued that).
 
in the VA system? They are pretty clear that sick leave can carry over from year to year (assuming no break in service, apparently)
 
erg923 said:
in the VA system? They are pretty clear that sick leave can carry over from year to year (assuming no break in service, apparently)
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Yep, just moved from one VA/VISN to another. My guess is that since I didn't actively ask to have the leave transferred, and since internship and post-doc positions are time-limited (and thus not "typical" GS-level spots), the leave didn't transfer automatically and I would've had to fill out some forms to have it credited.

I'd imagine it's a smoother transition when going from staff position to staff position, or perhaps even internship/post-doc to staff.
 
Ok. Well...get a flu shot, bro.
 
I did internship at one VA in a different VISN, did post doc away from the VA, and returned to work at the VA a year later. My sick leave transferred in from internship. I did have to request that it do so and it took about a month.
 
Oh. Ok. Hmm. Mixed feedback. I think it would be safe to say that she should make an explict request to HR?
 
So they had a record of your internship leave usage in the system, somwehere, even after 2 years? Did all the sick leave hours carry over?
 
Yes. They had to do something through Vista, but it all transferred over. They had paid out unused vacation time, so that didn't transfer. I was motivated to get it transferred because my second week on the job I got horrendously sick and had to be out, and it was counted as AWOL/unpaid time until the leave transferred in.
 
Some of these are VA/VISN specific and can be a pain in the ass. I think getting back your leave after a lengthy break in service is possible, but not likely in many VA's.

There's an old saying. "If you've seen one VA....you've seen one VA."
 
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Psycycle said:
Yes. They had to do something through Vista, but it all transferred over. They had paid out unused vacation time, so that didn't transfer. I was motivated to get it transferred because my second week on the job I got horrendously sick and had to be out, and it was counted as AWOL/unpaid time until the leave transferred in.
Click to expand...

I imagine this may have been "exception to the rule" case. I know many people who have been denied leave transfer even after a couple months out.
 
WisNeuro said:
I imagine this may have been "exception to the rule" case. I know many people who have been denied leave transfer even after a couple months out.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not sure if there's a VA-wide policy, but I'd imagine it's going to differ from VA to VA (and, more specifically, from HR dept to HR dept...some are more helpful and/or more efficient than others). Although that makes me wonder if it still may not be too late for me to get my internship time transferred over. Hmm...

Edit: And even if there is a policy written somewhere (which, like erg, I'd be surprised if there isn't), that's not necessarily going to transfer over into it actually happening. Five years keeps coming to mind in terms of maximum break in service length, although that might be related to vesting for retirement benefits rather than transferring leave.
 
WisNeuro said:
Some of these are VA/VISN specific and can be a pain in the ass. I think getting back your leave after a lengthy break in service is possible, but not likely in many VA's.

There's an old saying. "If you've seen one VA....you've seen one VA."
Click to expand...

Well, that seems like a leave policy issue. I cant believe thats not written down somewhere in a manual. They have rules and reg for everything here.
 
It wasn't a special arrangement for me or anything, they said that it was policy to transfer it in.
 
erg923 said:
Well, that seems like a leave policy issue. I cant believe thats not written down somewhere in a manual. They have rules and reg for everything here.
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You would think that, since we are a federal entity, things would be standardized. That is far from the truth. Especially in HR (the absolute worst departments in the VA hands down). Inept doesn't begin to describe it. I love the VA, but hate it's HR system.
 
I have an email in to HR, I will let you know what they say (if they ever respond) so we can settle this matter.
 
WisNeuro said:
This doesn't mention anything about how long it is maintained.
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yeah, I don't know the answer to that other than I was out a year and a month and mine transferred, though I had to request it, it wasn't automatic.
 
Kind of glad this came up though, because with internship I have 3 years in the VA total and I wonder if that would mean that I would bump up to six hours of vacation a pay period instead of the 4 I'm getting now, but I have to make them aware of the internship year. Doesn't hurt to try.
 
Psycycle said:
Kind of glad this came up though, because with internship I have 3 years in the VA total and I wonder if that would mean that I would bump up to six hours of vacation a pay period instead of the 4 I'm getting now, but I have to make them aware of the internship year. Doesn't hurt to try.
Click to expand...

I've heard that this is indeed the case, yes, and I believe one of the former-fellows/now-staff folks I know had internship and postdoc successfully carried over in that respect (although had to explicitly request it via a series of forms).
 
Internship year also counts towards years of service (for retirement purposes).
 
AcronymAllergy said:
I've heard that this is indeed the case, yes, and I believe one of the former-fellows/now-staff folks I know had internship and postdoc successfully carried over in that respect (although had to explicitly request it via a series of forms).
Click to expand...
ah, I miscalculated, it's only 2.5 at this point, but when I reach 3 I am going to be contacting HR!
 
I think it probably depends on the specific HR staff where you are, and how much you push for it.

When I left one VA for another in a different VISN with less than 2 weeks in between, my leave transferred automatically. When I moved from that VA to another in the same VISN, with a few weeks in between, my SL was supposed to transfer with me, but it took a few emails to actually get the process going. Another friend was having trouble because her break in service was more than 30 days.
 
Psycycle said:
Yes. They had to do something through Vista, but it all transferred over. They had paid out unused vacation time, so that didn't transfer. I was motivated to get it transferred because my second week on the job I got horrendously sick and had to be out, and it was counted as AWOL/unpaid time until the leave transferred in.
Click to expand...

During my intern year we received very specific instructions that we had to use all of our vacation time (bc training budget was set and the paperwork would have been a headache for all involved) and we were encouraged to use all of our sick time because it would be lost at the end of our training. I'm not sure if the "use it or lose it" policy with sick time was official, but it was something our DCT made a point to talk to us about during the last 3-4 months of the training year.

As for running into the negative for leave time…I think that also varies by VA. Someone in my cohort took time off for the birth of his child, which happened a couple weeks into training, so it took a number of months for him to get back in the black for that.

HR in the VA seems to be…..a unique experience. For about two years after I left the VA system I received letters about my health insurance benefits. I was worried it was an identity theft scenario…but after quite a few phone calls someone finally figured out the glitch.
 
Psycycle said:
I did internship at one VA in a different VISN, did post doc away from the VA, and returned to work at the VA a year later. My sick leave transferred in from internship. I did have to request that it do so and it took about a month.
Click to expand...

This could be completely unrelated, but this is how it is for BOP sick leave (allegedly). Vacation time does not transfer if there is a break. I figured I'd throw that in there considering they are both federal jobs.
 
suprise suprise, no response from HR abou this today.
 
I think this is it...
"An employee who has a break in service and returns to work for the Federal Government is entitled to the recredit of his or her sick leave, regardless of the length of the break in service. However, sick leave may not be recredited if the employee was reemployed by the Federal Government before December 2, 1994, after a break in service of more than 3 years, and the employee's sick leave was forfeited under the former regulation in effect at the time."

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...n/fact-sheets/sick-leave-general-information/
 
So, it looks like the key is to somehow find a way to make HR actually complete one of their job requirements. I feel like I'd have an easier time getting a bipartisan immigration bill to pass both the House and Senate.
 
HR responded and officially confirmed this just now as well! Its takes several weeks to get the process done, suprise, suprise...but you are entitled to this, so it CANNOT be denied. Just varying degrees of feet dragging, I suppose.

AA, you should look into this for yourself.
 
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