§8151 Civil service retention rights

Summary

When a federal worker who was getting payments because of a work injury goes back to government work, the whole time they were paid counts toward pay step increases, job-retention rules, and other benefits that depend on how long they have worked. Under rules from the Office of Personnel Management, the agency that last employed the worker must immediately let them return to their old job or a similar job, and give them the same job rights they would have had (for example, job security, chances for promotion, and protection if jobs are cut), if the worker recovers within one year after payments began. If the worker recovers after more than one year, that agency must make reasonable efforts and give priority to placing the worker back in their old job or an equivalent job, either in that agency or in another federal agency.