A U.S. Postal Service clerk who struggled to secure her paid leave benefits after donating her kidney in 2024 has won 240 hours of sick leave after Public Investigator wrote about her challenges.
The determination came seven days after Public Investigator contacted USPS about Melissa Pauke’s case.
Pauke, 54, of Marshfield, was inspired to become an organ donor and received permission from her supervisor to do so in spring 2024.
Under the federal Organ Donor Leave Act, Pauke was guaranteed paid leave for her transplant recovery period, equaling over $8,000 in pay. The law, signed in 1999 by President Bill Clinton, allows federal employees up to 30 days of paid leave, in addition to their existing annual and sick leave, to serve as organ donors.
However, in the months following the transplant, Pauke never saw the leave benefits appear on her pay stub, and higher level USPS officials were unresponsive.
