Conversion of Leave Balances

Upon retirement, 50% of your unused sick leave balance is converted to retirement service and added to your years of service. Generally, the maximum number of allowable sick leave days that may be converted to retirement service credit is 125 days which converts to 2 months, 26 days of additional service, or your remaining sick leave balance, whichever is less. Members, with the exception of those employed as Deputy Sheriff's do not receive cash compensation for their remaining sick leave balances.

• Deputy Sheriff classification only - shall receive compensation for 20% of their remaining sick leave balance in cash which is in addition to the above referenced sick leave credit towards service. Under the Ventura Decision, cash compensation received for remaining sick leave shall be included averaged into the final salary calculation, up to a maximum equal to 13 days for Tier I members and 39 days for Tier II.

Service credit for sick leave is only available for employees who go directly from active employment into retirement. Deferred members do not receive service credit for any prior sick leave balance they may have had at the time of their employment.

Floating Holidays and Compensatory Time

There is no retirement service credit given for unused time for floating holidays or remaining compensatory time.

Vacation Balance at Retirement

Upon termination/retirement, you will receive County compensation for your unused vacation balance (up to two times your annual vacation accrual rate or your remaining vacation accrued, whichever is less). While there is no retirement service credit conversion for unused vacation balances, members will receive salary credit for any vacation cash received at termination, subject to Ventura limits. The cap under Ventura is limited to time accrued during salary period for which employee received cash. See Final Compensation (click HERE) and Ventura Decision (click HERE) for details and limits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

• Ive been a County employee for 25 years, but during a recent retirement estimate, I only had 22 years of retirement service. Why dont the two numbers match?
• Is there any way I can add additional retirement service credit to my service time?
• What happens to my unused time left (such as vacation, floating holidays, comp time, sick leave) when I retire?

- Last Modified: 02 / 23 / 2001