Vacation and Sick Leave in Government Service

• Author: R.Y. Stuart
• Published date: 01 May 1924
• Date: 01 May 1924
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/000271622411300147
• Subject Matter: Articles

350

THE

ANNALS

OF

THE

AMERICAN

ACADEMY

dence

of

eligibility

for

disability

retirement,

the

member

will

receive

a

retirement

allowance

equal

to

one

ninetieth

of

his

final

salary

for

each

year

of

service,

provided

that

in

no

case

shall

the

disability

allowance

be

less

than

30

per

cent

of

said

final

salary.

Withdrawal

Benefits

The

retirement

system

guarantees

the

return

of

all

contributions

with

interest

at

4

per

cent

compounded

annually

to

a

member

who

for

any

reason

separates

from

state

service

before

the

retirement

age.

Should

a

member

die

before

retirement,

his

contributions

with

4

per

cent

interest

compounded

annually

will

be

returned

to

his

estate.

Should

a

member

with

ten

or

more

years

of

service

separate

from

state

service,

not

volun-

tarily,

before

the

retirement

age

he

may

either

withdraw

his

accumulated

contributions,

or

he

may

elect

to

receive

a

retirement

allowance

com-

puted

on

his

contributions

and

his

years

of

state

service.

Cost

The

state

pays

the

entire

cost

of

the

retire-

ment

allowances

based

on

service

rendered

prior

to

January

1,

1924,

and

one

half

the

cost

for

service

rendered

after

that

date.

The

employes

pay

the

other

half

of

the

cost

for

service

ren-

dered

after

January

1,

1924.

Two

schedules

of

age

rates

of

contribution

are

provided.

If

the

member

elects

to

contribute

at

the

lower

rate,

his

combined

member’s

an-

nuity

and

state

annuity

upon

retirement

will

give

him

a

retirement

allowance

equal

to

one

eightieth

of

his

final

salary

for

each

year

of

service.

If

he

elects

to

contribute

at

the

higher

age

rate,

his

combined

annuity

upon

retirement

will

give

him

a

retirement

allowance

equal

to

one

fiftieth

of

his

final

salary

for

each

year

of

service.

The

system

is

operated

under

the

actuarial

reserve

plan.

The

state

each

year

pays

into

the

Contingent

Reserve

Fund

an

amount

which,

with

interest

accumulations,

is

computed

to

be

sufficient

to

pay

future

state

annuities

based

on

the

current

year’s

service.

The

accrued

lia-

bility

of

the

system

is

to

be

paid

in

full

at

the

end

of

twenty-five

years

by

having

the

state

pay

annually

into

State

Annuity

Reserve

Fund

No.

2

an

amount

equivalent

to

one

twenty-fifth

of

the

accrued

liability.

In

the

years

1927

and

1930,

and

in

every

fifth

year

thereafter,

the

actuary

is

required

to

make

an

actuarial

investigation

into

the

mortality

and

service

experience

of

the

contributors

and

bene-

ficiaries,

and

a

valuation

of

the

funds.

As

a

result

of

this

investigation

and

valuation,

the

actuary

will

recommend

any

changes

in

the

contributions

of

the

employes

or

the

state

which

may

be

necessary

to

assure

the

continued

actu-

arial

soundness

of

the

system.

Vacation

and

Sick

Leave

in

Government

Service

By

R.

Y.

STUART

Secretary

of

Forests

and

Waters,

Commonwealth

of

Pennsylvania

A CRITICISM

the

average

citizen

is

apt

to

make

quite

freely

of

public

employes

is

that

they

hold

&dquo;soft

jobs.&dquo;

By

this

is

usually

meant

that

the

employe’s

compensation

is

greater

than

the

service

rendered,

or

that

he

does

not

devote

the

time

to

his

work

usually

given

by

an

employe

in

similar

work

in

private

organizations.

The

conscientious

effort

of

the

public

employe

who

serves

the

state

or

nation

faithfully

and

well

is

thus

too

often

discounted

by

the

citizen

whose

ob-

servation

is

limited

to

those

who

ac-

tually

hold &dquo;soft

jobs.&dquo;

In

government,

as

in

private

prac-

tice,

the

best

interest

of

the

employer

and

the

employe

requires

that

service

at

least

commensurate

with

compensa-

tion

be

rendered.

This

cannot

be

ac-

complished,

however,

unless

each

is

fair

to

the

other.

As

an

employer,

the

Government

should

recognize,

by

ade-

quate

compensation

and

fair

employ-

ment

conditions,

the

same

qualities

of

work,

faithfulness

and

deportment

as

reputable

business

concerns.

There

is

no

reason

why

Government

should

not

call

to

its

service

and

compensate

ac-

cordingly

the

best

talent

available

for

the

accomplishment

of

the

work

to

which

it is

committed.

By

the

same