Military Service Credit for Leave Accrual

Per Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, a federal employee can receive service credit if he or she participated in war or was awarded campaign or expeditionary badge/medal. Go to http://www.opm.gov for specific details. If you are planning on retiring or separating from military service and have participated in campaigns or expeditions (were awarded campaign or expedition badge/medal), make sure to have the inclusive dates included in your DD214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. You need to keep copy of DD214 Member-4.

If you have less than 3 years of federal service, you will only accrue 4 hours per pay period (bi-weekly). There is normally 26 pay periods in a calendar year. At 3 years, you start accruing 6 hours per pay period. Receiving service credit for participation in military campaign or expedition will have you accruing more leave faster or sooner (2 more hours per pay period or 4 hours more per month, 52 more hours in a year).

What do you do if you are already a federal employee and wish to receive the credit? You can go online to http://www.opm.gov and download the SF 813 form, Verification of Military Retiree's Service in NonWartime Campaigns or Expeditions. Pre-fill out this form with inclusive dates of your participation in qualifying military operations. You can use copies of deployment orders, medal citations, or performance reports to substantiate your claim. You can also Google (search Wikepedia) military operation's name to get an idea of the inclusive dates. Send (e-mail scanned copy, hand-carry or fax) the pre-filled out SF 813 to your Civilian Personnel Office (CPO). It may be a good idea to call first and get the person's name who will be handling your request, so you have a good Point of Contact for follow up. Your CPO will then send this to the military department responsible for verifying your records. For the Air Force, the SF 813 will be sent to AFPC Records; there is a clerk assigned to verify records based on your social security number. Your CPO will take care of adjusting your Service Computation Date (SCD). Follow up after a few weeks to ensure your records were updated.

Please contact your servicing Civilian Personnel Office (CPO) or Human Resources Office (HRO) if you have additional questions regarding processing, information required, etc. as they may vary from one military service to another.

Expert Resumes For Military To Civilian Transitions

Military-to-Civilian Resumes and Letters, 3rd Edition:
How to Best Communicate Your Strengths to Employers
(Military Resumes and Cover Letters)

Military to Federal Career Guide:
Ten Steps to Transforming Your Military Experience into a Competitive Federal Resume

Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide:
The Essential Job Search Handbook for Service Members

Federal Resume Guidebook:
Strategies for Writing a Winning Federal Electronic Resume, KSAs, and Essays, 4th Edition

Ten Steps to a Federal Job:
Navigating the Federal Job System, Writing Federal Resumes, KSAs and Cover Letters with a Mission

The Book of U.S. Government Jobs:
Where They Are, What's Available & How to Get One
(9th Edition)
(Book of Us Government Jobs)

How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job:
Your Complete Guide to Opportunities, Internships, Resumes and Cover Letters, Application Essays
(KSAs), Interviews, Salaries, Promotions and More!