(a)
An employee in a missing status is entitled to receive or have credited to his account, for the period he is in that status, the same pay and allowances to which he was entitled at the beginning of that period or may become entitled thereafter. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an employee in a missing status on or after January 1, 1965, is entitled—
(1)
to payment for annual leave which accrued to his account on or after January 1, 1965, but which was forfeited under section
6304 of this title because he was unable to use that leave by virtue of his missing status; or
(2)
to have all of that leave restored to him and credited to a separate leave account in accordance with the provisions of section
6304
(d)(2) of this title.
An employee shall elect in writing, within 90 days immediately following December 14, 1973, or within 90 days immediately following the termination of his missing status, whichever is later, whether he desires payment for the leave under clause (1) of this subsection or credit of the leave under clause (2) of this subsection. Payment under clause (1) of this subsection shall be at the employee’s rate of basic pay in effect at the time the leave was forfeited.