Annual time VA nurses

[rayray1989]

I recently had an interview at the VA for an RN position and was told I receive about 5 weeks of AL a year. Do I have the capability to sell this time back every year if I wis no to use it?

[Devo19, BSN, MSN, APRN]

RNs can get a maximum of 685 AL hours a fiscal year. They are use or lose but you can donate them to other federal employees in need

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

You can roll over some of your leave and have a maximum balance which I believe is around 2 years worth.

As far as donating your unused leave donate it out wisely. I have seen many use up sick time as fast as they earned it and then got truly sick. They then wanted people to donate their leave to them because they wasted theirs. There are some who truly do need the donation because they saved their time and had an illness etc. which required more time off then they needed.

[Devo19, BSN, MSN, APRN]

Unfortunately, AL can not rollover ... The maximum amount at the end of the fiscal year is 685. SL can rollover.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

I just checked the OPM website related to leave. It stated that a person can carry over 30 days of leave. If over seas it's 45 days and SSE & professionals can carry over 90 days. The leave year starts in the first full pay period in January. For 2017 that period starts on January 8th and ends on January 6th 2018.

I am not sure we're you are coming up with 685 hours since 8 hours of AL per pay period equals 208 hours. Your figure would be 17 weeks of leave per year.

[Devo19, BSN, MSN, APRN]

I work at the VA as a full time RN currently. The VA Handbook 5011/6 part 3 Chapter 3 states that Full time RNs, PAs and EFDAs may carry over no more than 686 annual leave hours. Many of the nurses I know have a problem with having too many hours now so they have to use them before September 30th.

GS- positions can only have around 280 annual leave hours..if you google it...you will download a PDF and it will specify nurses

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

FT (1.0) Title 38 RN:

Pay scales here: Title 38 Pay Schedules - Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)

You accrue 8 hours vacation per pay period = 208 hours per year.

You accrue 4 hours sick time per pay period = 104 hours per year.

You never earn more, ever, even after 30 years of service.

Federal holidays do not use up your vacation hours.

You can maintain a maximum balance of 686 hours of AL which carries over year to year. If you fill it up, it is use or lose and they have to let you use. They also have to let you sign up for at least 5 weeks per year, based on seniority.

You can never sell back AL, but of course it pays out if you leave service (retirement or resignation).

There is no maximum SL balance and it carries over year to year.

You can convert SL to years of service with payout at retirement, although I think there is a limit of 1040 hours.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately, AL can not rollover ... The maximum amount at the end of the fiscal year is 685. SL can rollover.

You state here that AL can not roll over and later state that the max roll over is 685 hours. I think this is were the confusion started. Both of our follow on post are correct.

[Sarah918]

I believe 685 hours can be carried over annually as long as you are a title 38 covered under the current system which is FERS. More tha 685 results in a "use or lose" situation and I've seen people actually lose AL! We (RNs) get 26 paid AL days per year, 10 sick days and 10 paid federal holidays (paid day odd or double time if you work the holiday). Our LPNs and NAs fall under the GS and receive far less annual leave. Our leave benefits as title 38s are good. The biggest problem is a manager who won't approve AL requests even when requested FAR in advance. That is not supposed to happen but does more than you think it would- especially

on acute units.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

That's why you keep a record of AL request if you are getting close to use or lose in that year starting from the 1st of the year. If you are denied AL and you have requested it multiple times you can fight the lose of AL.

[arlo]

you are allow to carry 685 hours maximum - that could be accumulated over many years of not using leave - you get 208 hours per year as an RN - so lets say you used 100 hours per year you would still have 108 left each year to roll to the next year. So after 6-7 years, yes, you could have 685. once you have the 685, then the use or lose comes into play.