Letter Carrier James Putnam

McKenzie, TN, Letter Carrier James Putnam has never missed a day of work in his 49-year Postal Service career, accumulating almost 5,000 hours of sick leave.

“My dad instilled in me a work ethic that you only call in sick when it’s necessary,” said Putnam, 71.

Sick leave can provide far greater benefits than time off when an employee is ill. When properly used and conserved, sick leave is a long-term investment that can continue paying long after an employee’s postal career has ended.

Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) retirees this year joined Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees in having all unused sick leave credited towards their annuity computations.

“When my daughter died of breast cancer at 38, it made me more aware that you never know when you’re going to need your sick leave.