As a devoted and responsible Air Force, you have been in service of your country for over 20 years. You have been faithful and climbed the ranks as deserved. There were times you didn’t finish your sick leave or your vacation leave because of your dedication to your post. Now after 20 years of service you want to retire and you are pondering on how you are going to transition to civilian life. Let us know ‘Terminal Leave’.
What is terminal leave?
Terminal leave as defined by the law insider dictionary is the leave taken by an employee immediately prior to retirement from city employment and extending to the established retirement date. Only an employee’s accrued vacation and sick leave may be used as terminal leave. Terminal leave is the final leave granted to someone in the military just before discharge. It equates to the number of unused leave accumulated during the course of your service.
How is the terminal leave calculated?
Any person whether in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corp,s or the Navy is entitled to 2 and half days of leave every month while under Active Service. This totals to 30 days every year and at the end of the year, you can use it as any of the following types of military leave:
Ordinary Leave:
This is the standard leave that you can request during service. You need to request leave and it has to be granted for you to be away during active service. Anything less is regarded as misconduct and each branch of the military has different methods of punishing misconduct. Also, depending on the branch of the military, days such as Saturday and Sunday which are generally regarded as off-duty days count toward your annual leave.
Emergency Leave:
In case of an emergency, which will most likely be a family one, you can request leave and it will be prioritized and processed faster than a normal one. However, it will still be charged from your annual leave balance. Additionally, depending on your rank you can be entitled to extra benefits which can be financial or temporary accommodation during your emergency leave.
You can request leave anytime you want but due to the nature of the job, it might not be approved by your command. If you have been deployed to another country for any operation and you request leave the probability of your leave being approved is really low.
The usual procedure is that any deductible leave approved for you will be recorded and will count towards your 30 days at the end of the year. Any unused leave will be carried over to the next year but if after two years you still do not use your leave it will expire. This means that the maximum number of unused leave that can be accrued is 60 days.
In 2020, the whole world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and a lot of things changed. In light of that, the US Department of Defense (DOD) made changes to how terminal leave is accrued. The new directive increased the maximum number of leave balance from 60 to 120 days.
What happens during Terminal leave?
During your terminal leave, you are classified as out of the military but you will continue to receive your pay and other benefits such as the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) deserving of your position until your terminal leave is over. It is worthy to note that during your leave you are not to resume your post. Most individuals use terminal leave to smoothly transition into civilian life. During this period, they look for jobs, look for accommodation and get a feel of what their life would be like from then on.
What happens if for any reason I didn’t use my terminal leave?
If you didn’t use your leave, you have the opportunity to sell your accrued leave back to your government. However, you will not be able to sell all your leave days, the maximum allowable number of days to be sold is 60. Also, when you sell your leave, you sell at 1/30 of the base rate per day but it does not include tax.
It is advisable to take your terminal leave before your EST( Expiration Term of Service). Your EST is the date your military service ends and it is usually on your contract. You need to plan to make sure your terminal leave is approved at the right time. For example, if you have 30 days of leave left and your EST is March 31 then you need to make sure your terminal leave is approved before March 1 so you can have the whole of March off.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happens when I get sick while on terminal leave?
During your terminal leave, you can get expert care in any military hospital or clinic. Also if you are close to any Veterans Affairs Medical facility, you can also get care there.
- What happens if I get a civilian job while on terminal leave?
If you get a civilian job while on terminal leave you are still entitled to receive payment throughout the remainder of your leave.
