Ethics Corner

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of articles provided by the Staff Judge Advocate.

Public service is a public trust, and all DoD employees are expected to act ethically at all times. This series on ethics presents cautionary examples drawn from the DoD Standards of Conduct Office Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures. If you have questions about ethics or are unsure about a certain course of conduct, contact the NASCC Staff Judge Advocate’s office by calling (361) 961-3535. Most of the cases outlined in this series could have been avoided if the offender had simply asked for guidance!

Today’s story is about the dangers of double dipping:

A Reservist’s use of sick leave to account for absences on active-duty military tours resulted in the end of a 20-year federal career. Over a period of several years, the reservist accounted for absences from his civilian position at CENTCOM as “sick leave,” when in fact he was on active-duty military tours. This allowed the employee to bank annual leave, as well as collect dual salaries from both the civil service and the military. Given the Reservist’s two decades of federal employment, the judge found the Reservist’s pleas of ignorance as to the proper leave procedures unconvincing. The judge also took into consideration the testimony of the Reservist’s commanding officer at CENTCOM, who testified that his trust in the Reservist had been wholly eroded.

As a consequence of the Reservist’s abuse of the leave system, his career in the civil service was terminated.