The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Newly awarded retention student here. I understand that i will retain my current salary, tsp, and health benefits. Will i also continue to accrue leave? If so, do i use my must leave during school breaks? Thanks!

Will you keep your existing benefits? Thought you'd get on SMART benefits for the higher degree. May want to verify. That would interest me if we kept the salary from our SF

Dglush wrote:Newly awarded retention student here. I understand that i will retain my current salary, tsp, and health benefits. Will i also continue to accrue leave? If so, do i use my must leave during school breaks? Thanks!

As it was explained to me, you are supposed to consider school as your new job/posting, so in addition to retaining your salary, you do accrue leave. During long breaks you return to your SF, but during short breaks you are not required to return or use leave.

malarious wrote:Will you keep your existing benefits? Thought you'd get on SMART benefits for the higher degree. May want to verify. That would interest me if we kept the salary from our SF

I am going to school for a BA, but was under the impression that all retention students retain all benefits. I will call my SMART POC and verify when I get back from leave.

Leave wrote:

Dglush wrote:Newly awarded retention student here. I understand that i will retain my current salary, tsp, and health benefits. Will i also continue to accrue leave? If so, do i use my must leave during school breaks? Thanks!

As it was explained to me, you are supposed to consider school as your new job/posting, so in addition to retaining your salary, you do accrue leave. During long breaks you return to your SF, but during short breaks you are not required to return or use leave.

That's what I like to hear!

for last summer i had to submit a "retention summer schedule", this year LMI had me fill out a "service agreement amendment request" (saar) so that i could remain on campus to continue my research rather than work at my sf. along with the saar my advisor sent along a letter stating my position at school during the summer.

during breaks if i was actually taking a break (christmas for example) i have used my annual leave. if you have "use or lose" that doesn't really make sense for you to "use", you can donate it to a leave bank which other employees can use in case of family or medical emergencies and also for expectant moms who do not have enough accrued leave for maternity leave.

link below:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversig ... k-program/