Retroactive Substitution of Sick Leave for Annual Leave

A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee suffered a heart attack in May 1977, at which time his duty station at Anchorage, Alaska placed him on extended sick leave status, where he remained until he returned to work in September. The employee's annual vacation had been previously scheduled for August, a period falling within his convalescence. When he returned to active duty, the employee made a timely request that 64 hours of annual leave be substituted for an equivalent portion of sick leave during the period he was absent from work. Although the payroll office denied this request, the employee was entitled to make the substitution of annual leave for sick leave for the sole purpose of avoiding year-end forfeiture.