§ 4056. Creditable service

(a) Applicability of civil service provisions

(1) ^[1] Except as otherwise specified by law, all periods of civilian and military and naval service, and all other periods through the date of final separation of a participant from the Service that the Secretary of State determines would be creditable toward retirement under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability System (as determined in accordance with section 8332 of title 5), shall be creditable for purposes of this part. Conversely, any such service performed after December 31, 1976, that would not be creditable under specified conditions under section 8332 of title 5, shall be excluded under this part under the same conditions.

(2) The service of an individual who first becomes a participant on or after October 17, 1983, without any credit under this section for civilian service performed prior to October 1, 1982, shall include credit for:

(A) each period of military or naval service performed before January 1, 1957, and

(B) each period of military or naval service performed after December 31, 1956, and before the separation on which the entitlement to annuity under this part is based, only if a deposit (with interest if any is required) is made with respect to that period, as provided in section 4045 (e) of this title.

(3) The service of an individual who first became a participant on or after October 17, 1983, with credit under this section for civilian service performed prior to October 1982, shall include credit for each period of military or naval service performed before the date of the separation on which the entitlement to an annuity under this part is based, subject, in the case of military or naval service performed after December 1956, to subsection (j) of this section.

(4) The service of an individual who first became a participant before October 17, 1983, shall include credit for each period of military or naval service performed before the date of the separation on which the entitlement to an annuity under this part is based, subject, in the case of military or naval service performed after December 1976, to subsection (j) of this section.

(b) Unused sick leave credit

In computing any annuity under this part, the total service of a participant who retires on an immediate annuity or who dies leaving a survivor or survivors entitled to annuity includes (without regard to the 35-year limitation imposed by section 4046 (a) of this title) the days of unused sick leave to the credit of the participant, except that these days shall not be counted in determining average basic salary or annuity eligibility under this part. A contribution to the Fund shall not be required from a participant for this service credit.

(c) Service with other Government agency when on approved leave without pay; arrangement for payment of retirement deductions and agency contributions; special contribution

(1) A participant who enters on approved leave without pay to serve as a full-time officer or employee of an organization composed primarily of Government employees may, within 60 days after entering on that leave without pay, file with the employing agency an election to receive full retirement credit for such periods of leave without pay and arrange to pay concurrently into the Fund through the employing agency, amounts equal to the retirement deductions and agency contributions on the Foreign Service salary rate that would be applicable if the participant were in a pay status. If the election and all payments provided by this subsection are not made for the periods of such leave without pay occurring after November 7, 1976, the participant may not receive any credit for such periods of leave without pay occurring after such date.

(2) A participant may make a special contribution for any period or periods of approved leave without pay while serving before November 7, 1976, as a full-time officer or employee of an organization composed primarily of Government employees. Any such contribution shall be based upon the suspended Foreign Service salary rate and shall be computed in accordance with section 4045 of this title. A participant who makes such contributions shall be allowed full retirement credit for the period or periods of leave without pay. If this contribution is not made, up to 6 months’ retirement credit shall be allowed for such periods of leave without pay each calendar year.

(d) Special contribution in repayment of refund of retirement contributions

^[2] A participant who has received a refund of retirement contributions (which has not been repaid) under this or any other retirement system for Government employees covering service which may be creditable may make a special contribution for such service under section 4045 of this title. Credit may not be allowed for service covered by the refund unless the special contribution is made.

(e) Civilian service under other Government retirement system

No credit in annuity computation shall be allowed for any period of civilian service for which a participant made retirement contributions to another retirement system for Government employees unless—

(1) the right to any annuity under the other system which is based on such service is waived, and

(2) a special contribution is made under section 4045 of this title covering such service.

(f) Service in military during period of war or national emergency

A participant who during a period of war, or national emergency proclaimed by the President or declared by the Congress, leaves the Service to enter the military service is deemed, for the purpose of this part, as not separated from the Service unless the participant applies for and receives a lump-sum payment under section 4055 of this title. However, the participant is deemed to be separated from the Service after the expiration of 5 years of such military service.

(g) Recomputation of annuity for participants of Japanese ancestry interned during World War II

(1) An annuity or survivor annuity based on the service of a participant of Japanese ancestry who would be eligible under section 8332 (l) of title 5, for credit for civilian service for periods of internment during World War II shall, upon application to the Secretary of State, be recomputed to give credit for that service. Any such recomputation of an annuity shall apply with respect to months beginning more than 30 days after the date on which application for such recomputation is received by the Secretary of State.

(2) The Secretary of State shall take such action as may be necessary and appropriate to inform individuals entitled to have any service credited or annuity recomputed under this subsection of their entitlement to such credit or recomputation.

(3) The Secretary of State shall, on request, assist any individual referred to in paragraph (1) in obtaining from any agency or other Government establishment information necessary to verify the entitlement of the individual to have any service credited or any annuity recomputed under this subsection.

(4) Any agency or other Government establishment shall, upon request, furnish to the Secretary of State any information it possesses with respect to the internment or other detention, as described in section 8332 (l) of title 5, of any participant.

(h) Service as employees of Member or office of Congress while on approved leave without pay

A participant who, while on approved leave without pay, serves as a full-time paid employee of a Member or office of the Congress shall continue to make contributions to the Fund based upon the Foreign Service salary rate that would be in effect if the participant were in a pay status. The participant’s employing office in the Congress shall make a matching contribution (from the appropriation or fund which is used for payment of the salary of the participant) to the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Fund. All periods of service for which full contributions to the Fund are made under this subsection shall be counted as creditable service for purposes of this part and shall not, unless all retirement credit is transferred, be counted as creditable service under any other Government retirement system.

(i) Former spouses

(1) Service of a participant shall be considered creditable service for purposes of applying provisions of this part relating to former spouses if such service would be creditable—

(A) under subsection (c)(1) or (2) of this section but for the fact an election was not made under subsection (c)(1) of this section or a special contribution was not made under subsection (c)(2) of this section, and

(B) under subsection (d) of this section but for the fact that a refund of contributions has not been repaid unless the former spouse received under this part a portion of the lump sum (or a spousal agreement or court order provided otherwise).

(2) A former spouse shall not be considered as married to a participant for periods assumed to be creditable service under section 4048 (a) of this title or section 4049 (e) of this title.

(j) Redetermination of credit for military and naval service

(1) Except as otherwise provided by statute or Executive Order, section 8332 (j) of title 5, relating to redetermination of credit for military and naval service, shall be applied to annuities payable under this part. The Secretary of State shall redetermine service, and may request and obtain information from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as the Office of Personnel Management is directed or authorized to do in section 8332 (j).

(2) Section 8332 (j) of title 5 shall not apply with respect to:

(A) the service of any individual who first became a participant on or after October 17, 1983, without any credit under this section for civilian service performed prior to October 1982; or

(B) any military or naval service performed prior to 1957 by an individual who first became a participant on or after October 17, 1983, with credit under this section for civilian service performed prior to October 1982, or any period of military or naval service performed after 1956 with respect to which the participant has made a contribution (with interest if any is required) under section 4045 (e) of this title; or

(C) any military or naval service performed prior to 1977 by any individual who first became a participant before October 17, 1983, or any period of military or naval service performed after 1976 with respect to which the participant has made a contribution (with interest if any is required) under section 4045 (e) of this title.

[1] See Amendment of Section note below.

[2] See Amendment of Section note below.

U.S. Code

§ 4056. Creditable service