Evening star., 1950-10-02
50 u. 5. Leave
Must BeUs
By July, 1851
Controller General
Makes Ruling for
CSC on a Questions

Controller General Lindsay C.
Warren today ruled that under
provisions of the current appro-
priation law all annual leave
earned by Federal workers dur
ing the calendar year 1850 must
be used by July /, 1851, or be
forfeited.
Mr.. Warren made known this
decision In a letter to the Civil
Service Commission. It followed
four questions by Chairman
Mitchell of the csc who said in
quiries had been raised by Gov
ernment workers as to specific
application of the new law.
The law contained references
to the accumulation Of leave on
the basis of both annual and
fiscal year periods. This led to
confusion on the part of Govern
ment workers who wrote to the
Civil Service Commission. Ger
tain other details were clarified in
Mr.. Warren's letter.
Applies to Most Workers.
The controller generals inter-
probation of the leave rider Is ap-
plicable to most Federal workers.
Exempted, however. are some
groups, such as officers and en-
ployes outside the continental
United States, employees who join
the armed services, teachers and
librarians in the District public
schools, some employees of the Post
Office Department and others.
Civil service officials estimated
today the rulings will be applica-
BILE to about 100000 workers in
the Washington area.
The major question which the
controller general answered with
yes" was:
will employees in general have
to use at least 26 days Of annual
leave during the period from
January l, 1850, through June 80.
1851. or lose the right to payment
for that part of the 26 days which
is not so used?"
Called Welcome Ruling.
The Controller General said
the prohibition against use of
funds for annual leave would be
applicable both ''to lump-sum
payments and to salary payments
while employees are absent on
leave"
The leave prohibition in the
law would not apply to accumu-
lated leave which employees al
ready had to their credit on jan
uary l, 1850, the Controller Gen.
eral said in answering another
question.
This is considered by Civil Serv-
ice Officials as an important and
welcome ruling for many wartime
employees who on January /, 1850,
had piled up as many as 80 days
or less of unused leave than per-
mitted under wartime law. The
present maximum amount per-
mitted to be accumulated is 26
days each year, or a total of not
more than so.
Another question was whether
the leave rider would permit an
employe who had accumulated an
nual leave available on January /,
1850, to increase that by leave
earned but not used in the cal
endar year 1850.
Would Forfeit Leave.
In reply to this question Mr..
Warren said "any annual leave
accumulated by an employe on
December 81. 1850, in excess Of
the maximum limitation per-
mitted under existing law would
be forfeited on January /, 1851"
AS interpreted by Civil Service
officials this reply means that no
one could build up during the
calendar year 1850 any accumu-
lated leave he had before that
year. But this would not restrict
whatever had been accumulated
before January /, 1850.
The Controller General. re-
spending to question about ap-
plication of the leave rider to
employees who enter the armed
services, said that If the employe
Joined the armed forces before
july L. 1851, he would be entitled
to "elect to have remain on his
credit unused annual leave earned
in 1850, and upon return to have
such leave restored to his credit
with no restriction on it's use or
payment" The employe in such
a case would be entitled to a
lump-sum payment if he desired.
However, the new leave would
have no effect on employees join
ing the armed forces after July 1.
1851, the controller general ruled.
since the restriction applied only
to leave for the calendar year
1850.