An employee who moves from classified to unclassified service must resign from the classified service. This means that all rights in the classified service are terminated at that point. Sick leave, vacation balances and accruals, retirement benefits, and health benefits are not affected by the resignation from the classified service. These benefits continue to accrue as though there has been no change in employment status.

There is also a provision in the County Ordinance Code stating that employees may be granted a leave of absence for a maximum period of four years to accept a position in the unclassified service. Upon termination of employment in the unclassified service, employees who are granted such a leave of absence have the right to return to a position in the same or comparable classification as the one occupied at the time the leave of absence was granted. Granting of such a leave of absence is discretionary.