Senior Executive Service Position Benefits

Senior Executives are covered by the Federal leave system and earn annual and sick leave. Senior Executives are also covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), life insurance, and government health benefits programs.

2010 Pay Tables

2010 Pay Tables for Executive and Senior Level Employees »
Rates of Basic Pay for Senior Executive Service Managers »

Annual Leave

SES appointees earn 26 days of annual leave a year. Annual leave accrues incrementally at the rate of 8 hours every 2 weeks. SES appointees may carry over up to 90 days of annual leave to the next leave year.

Sick Leave

SES appointees also earn 13 days of sick leave each year (which accumulates without limit in succeeding years). Sick leave also accrues incrementally, i.e., 4 hours every 2 weeks. In certain situations, employees may use sick leave for family care purposes. They may use a total of up to 12 weeks of sick leave each year to care for a family member with a serious health condition. They may also use sick leave for adoption or bereavement.

Family and Medical Leave

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), an employee is entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for: the birth of a child and care of the newborn; the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care; the care of an employee’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; and an employee’s own serious health condition that makes him/her unable to perform the duties of his/her position. An employee may substitute annual leave or sick leave, as appropriate, for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Health Insurance

Federal employees can enroll in health insurance coverage for themselves and their families at reasonable rates. They enjoy one of the widest selections of plans in the country. Over 350 plans participate in the health insurance program. Employees can choose among managed fee-for-service plans, health maintenance organizations, and point-of-service plans. There is an annual open season during which employees can change their enrollment. Unlike a growing number of private sector health benefits programs, Federal employees can continue their health insurance coverage into retirement with a full Government contribution. Most enrollees pay only one-fourth of the health benefits premium.

Holidays

Federal employees are entitled to 10 paid holidays each year.

Pensions

Employees newly hired since 1987 are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which is an outstanding 3-tiered plan to provide secure retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for employees and their dependents. In addition to Social Security benefits as a base, FERS offers both an annuity that grows with length of service and a tax deferred savings plan. Employees pay less than 1 percent of salary to qualify for the annuity and are fully vested after 5 years of service and, for disability benefits, after just 18 months.

Thrift Savings Plan

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) allows employees to save for retirement. For employees under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), the Government contributes 1 percent of salary to employees who do not contribute and will match up to another 4 percent of savings for employees who do contribute. Because the savings plan is tax deferred, no income tax is due on either the employee’s contributions or the Government matching funds, or the earnings on those amounts, until retirement. Employees can choose to invest in any of five funds, or to spread investments across the funds. For additional information visit the TSP website at www.tsp.gov.

Life Insurance

Most full-time and part-time employees are automatically enrolled in basic life insurance equal to their salary, rounded to the next $1,000, plus $2,000. The Government pays one-third of the cost of this group term insurance. Employees do not have to prove insurability; no physical is required. Basic coverage includes double benefits for accidental death and benefits for loss of limb(s) or eyesight. Employees can also purchase optional insurance at their own expense. Optional coverage includes additional insurance on the employee’s life as well as coverage for the employee’s spouse and eligible children, if any.

Those younger than 45 receive an additional amount of coverage at no greater cost. The enhancement declines from double the basic amount for those 35 and younger to zero at age 45, when coverage becomes the basic amount.

Accelerated death benefits are available to terminally ill enrollees so that they can receive life insurance proceeds while they are living.

Many large organizations are cutting life insurance benefits to retirees. This is untrue in the Federal Government, which allows life insurance to be continued into retirement. It can also be converted to private coverage upon termination, without proof of insurability.

In addition to offering the life insurance program, agencies can pay up to $10,000 to the personal representatives of employees who die from injuries sustained in the line of duty.

Liability Insurance

A recently enacted law (P.L. 106.58) requires Federal agencies to reimburse certain employees for up to one half of the cost of professional liability insurance, subject to the availability of appropriations.