Use-It-Or-Lose-It Bill's A Loser

A bill that would have fixed the problem with Uncle Sam's use-it-or-lose it sick leave system isn't going to make it this year. Instead Congress will use the limited time remaining on its self-enforcing calendar to deal with the financial bailout plan.

"FERS flu" is my name for what causes so many long-time feds, some of whom never had a sick day in their lives, to suddenly develop all sorts of aches, pains and ailments which require them to burn up most of their unused sick leave before they retire.

Workers under the old Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) have an incentive to stay healthy. Once they are otherwise eligible to retire (age, service time, etc.), they can apply their unused sick leave toward their service time. In some cases that add-on credit boosts their lifetime annuity (which is fully indexed to inflation) hundreds to thousands of dollars each year. Many CSRS employees have thousands of hours of sick leave banked and waiting to boost their pensions.

The problem is that the majority of people who are currently working for the federal government and the U.S. Postal service, about 3 of every 4 employees, are not under the old CSRS system. They are under the Federal Employees Retirement System, affectionately known as FERS. So for them there is no incentive to save sick leave. Many see it as a use-it-or-lose-it system, and Congress estimates about $65 million is paid out each year to sick folks who really aren't sick. They are suffering from FERS flu.

In July the House passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act (H.R. 1108). That bill contained a rider, written by Rep. James Moran (D-Va.), which would have given FERS employees the same incentive to use sick leave only when they are really sick. Like their CSRS office mates, the FERS folks could have applied their unused sick leave balances to their retirement account.

The Senate approved similar language (S. 625), but the short-working period that Congress has remaining, will instead be devoted to working on the massive financial bailout plan which has dominated the news.

Congress almost certainly will take up the Moran bill next year. And it has a 50/50 shot at making it. But that's next year. For now, it looks like another round of FERS flu will sweep most federal agencies.

For details on the proposal, click here.

Nearly Useless Factoid

Texting behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, researchers said last week. AFP reports "young drivers (aged 17-24) using a simulator found that reaction time slowed by 35% when they were writing or reading text messages while driving. In comparison, reaction time deteriorated by 21% for those under the influence of cannabis, and by 12% at the legal alcohol limit."

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com