Evening star., 1932-08-04
REFUNDS POSSIBLE
|NFURLOUGH CASES,
M'CARL DECIDES
Workers Who Are Separated
From Service Can Get
Back Deductions.
HYDE AND HINES ASKED
FOR RULE ON PROBLEM
Controller General Lays Down
Principles to Be Followed
in Cases of Separations.

When Government workers die o.
are separated from the service fol
some other reason. they or their es
tates, under certain conditions. mal
receive refunds in cash from the Gov
ernment on account Of deductions taker
from them for the compulsory fur
lough Controller General McCarl ha!
decided.
The question of refunds was rails ec
by two major Government executive
Secretary of Agriculture Hyde anc
the administrator of veterans affairs
Gen. Frank T. Hines.
The method by which such refunds
are to be computed has been laid dowr
by McCarl in technical decision
which will be of dollars and cents
Importance to many Federal employe;
during jurisdiction of the economy act
Hyde Asks Question.
The first question was asked by Sec
retary of Agriculture Hyde. He queried'
"A furlough of Is days has been taker
in the month of July and a deduction
of 1834 days pay made at the end OF
the month No furlough is taken ir
August. Is it the meaning OF your de-
cision that a deduction Of 2l2 days
pay should still be made in August, ol
should the automatic monthly deduc-
tions cease until. at the rate of two
days per month, the lapSed time equals
the furlough actually taken? unless
the deductions cease until they bal
ance with furlough actually taken, the
EMPLOYEES death or separation in the
interval would apparently leave him
a creditor for the excess of the pre-
rata deduction"
McCarl replied by telling the secre.
tary "it was the intent and meaning
of the decision referred to that the
legislative furlough deductions OF al
least one and one-quarter days pay
for each half month pay period shoulc
not cease or be discontinued until
full calendar months pay shall nave
been so deducted. In the illustrator
given, a minimum OF one ana one
quarter days pay should continue u
be- deducted on each Seml-montnly pay
roll or voucher during August anc
thereafter in the fiscal year 1888, unu
a total of one months pay has beer
deducted"
McCarl then laid down the prlncl'
nles involved. and the method for max
ing the refunds in case OF separator
from the service. He said: III at the
time an employe is separated from the
service. the total amount of leglsla-
tive furlough deductions exceeds one
and quarter days pay Tor eact
working day's absence on furlough and
also. exceeds one and one-quarter days
paw for each semi-monthly pay perloe
since July /, 1882, the amount OF sucr
excess will be for refunding to the en-
plove or to his estate. But in no case
will there be a refund where the tota
of such deductions does not exceed one
and one-Quarter days pay Tor each
working day absent and does not, also
exceed one and one-quarter days pa!
for each semi-monthly pay period since
July /, 1882"
Two Kinds of Cases Involved.
In explanation Of the principles IN
volved. 1t was pointed out that tW'
distinct and separate kind OF excess
are involved. The first one mentlone'
i'm the decision refers to case Wher
deductions have been made from
workers pay envelope, for furlougi
davs which he did not take IN TN
form of absences. In other words j
was pointed out, the act, and McCarl
nreyious decisions require that two ant
q half days' pay be subtracted iron
each months compensation. But /
NAV be that the employe does not de
sire to take his furlough at that par
ticI1lar time, and is accumulating theS
furlough days, as McCarl allows. n
will have paid for" several days OF
duty, when he was really working. I'M
is one kind of excess which McCar
holds can be refunded.
The other excess is where furlougl
deductions have been made at a rat
faster than one and one-quarter days
pay for each pay day. Thls @ woql'
be caused by enforced furlough
being taken during Summer month
at a rate faster than two DAY
IF each month. But it was ex
nIained that the empIoye could no
he reimbursed for furlough days whel
he was actually absent and did no
work ,,. ,L
It appears from the questions SUP
r,itted bv Gen. Hines on the matte
that the Veterans Administration IN
tends to furlcugh most OF its people pe
fore Congress convenes in December
"In the Veterans Administrator,
said Cen Hines, lit will be admins
trativelv inpere tive to require employe
L
to take their payless leave under mucl
the same circumstances as the annua
leave heretofore taken and to SO arrang
it that too great a number viii not .
awav at one time. This means that
will be administratively desirable, II nc
necessary. to have many aVah them
selves of leave before Congress conVene'
1t would unquestionably be narashl
on any employees taking payleSs leayt
under these circumstances, II IN aool
ton he must face further deductlon
for leave he would not be pernltIeo I
take perhaps for several months. Nc
| Carl gave Gen. Hines similar answe
TO that rendered the Secretary OF Agrl
culture. that deductions must contlnu
of at least one and one-fourth Gays pa
for each nav day until a full calenda
months pay shall have been deducted.