[GPO Employees' Use of Accumulated Leave to Liquidate Debt Under Leave Repurchase Program]

The Government Printing Office (GPO) and a labor union requested a decision regarding a proposal to permit employees in a leave repurchase situation under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to convert accumulated annual or sick leave into a cash equivalent in order to liquidate indebtedness to the government. GAO held that the: (1) applicable statute allowed employees to convert accrued leave into its monetary equivalent only upon separation, retirement, or entry into a position excepted from the application of annual leave provisions; and (2) GPO employees request did not come within these exceptions. Accordingly, the employees may not convert their accumulated annual or sick leave in order to liquidate their indebtedness.