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CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL SELECTION PRIORITY
Competitive service employees in Groups I and II who have received a specific notice of separation by a RIF are eligible for placement assistance in finding other positions.

On September 12, 1995, President Clinton directed all Executive Departments and Agencies to provide career transition assistance for their surplus displaced Federal employees, including policies that require the selection of well- qualified displaced employees for other positions in the Federal Government. As a result of that memorandum, OPM, in conjunction with the Interagency Advisory Group of Personnel Directors, and in partnership with labor unions, developed and issued career transition regulations to implement the President's directive.

Two types of career transition programs now exist. One is for employees before they separate, called the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). The other is for interagency assistance before and afterseparation, called the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). These two procedures are currently in effect through September of 2001.

Under CTAP, if an employee receives a reduction in force notice, a certificate of expected separation, or notice of proposed removal for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the commuting area, and the employee is still on the agency's rolls, the employee is considered a surplus or displaced employee, which entitles the individual to selection priority for vacancies within his/her agency. Selection priority extends only to positions which are at or below the grade level from which the employee is being separated. As a surplus or displaced employee, if the employee is found well- qualified for a job they apply for in the local commuting area, the agency is required to select the employee for the vacant position. CTAP eligibility ends on the earliest of either the RIF separation date, the cancellation of the RIF notice, or subsequent Federal employment (in another career, career conditional or excepted appointment without a time limit, in any agency).

The ICTAP covers displaced Federal employees who are seeking employment in other Federal agencies. Individuals are eligible for selection priority under ICTAP if they were separated from a career or career conditional position by reduction in force or because the employee declined a transfer or directed reassignment to another commuting area. Eligibility for special selection priority ends one year after separation, or when the employee receives a career-conditional, career or excepted appointment with no time limit. Displaced employees may exercise selection priority only in the local commuting area from which they were separated.

Under both programs, when an employee identifies a vacancy announcement advertised by the agency, which is in the local commuting area, the employee must apply by the closing date of the announcement, providing proof that he/she is a surplus or displaced employee. Proof of eligibility must be attached to each application. For CTAP, proof is a RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the local commuting area, certification of expected separation; or other official notice from the agency indicating that the employee is surplus or eligible for discontinued service retirement. For ICTAP, proof is a RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the local commuting area, or documentation showing separation occurred as a result of reduction in force. The Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, would also be acceptable proof/documentation which shows any of the above actions. In addition, both programs require proof of the most recent performance rating at fully successful or better. It is incumbent upon the applicant to supply this information with his or her application.

Reemployment Priority List (RPL). The RPL is primarily a post-RIF program administered by individual agencies that gives separated employees priority consideration over outside applicants for positions filled by their agency. Provided that the separated employee submits a timely RPL application and did not refuse a RIF offer of assignment to a position at the same grade, a separated career employee is placed on the RPL for 2 years, while a separated career-conditional or probationary employee is placed on the RPL for 1 year.

Excepted service employees who are eligible for veterans' preference and who are separated by a RIF are eligible to have their names placed on a reemployment list that gives them future consideration for excepted positions filled by their former agency. Further information on the reemployment list for excepted employees is found in Part 302 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.

Department of Defense (DoD), Priority Placement Program (PPP). DoD administers an internal agency Priority Placement Program for its displaced employees. As this is an internal DoD program, information regarding the PPP may be obtained through an employee's local civilian personnel office, the appropriate DoD PPP Zone Coordinator, or the DOD Civilian Assistance in Re-Employment (CARE) Office. OPM does not have information on this program.

Repromotion Priority
Agencies are authorized to provide in their internal placement plans that those employees who are downgraded because of a RIF may receive priority consideration for promotion to positions up to their former grade level. The specific policies and procedures for such consideration are established by each agency.

Grade and Pay Retention
An employee in a permanent position who is placed in a lower-graded position in his or her agency as the result of RIF procedures is entitled to retain the same grade for 2 years. The employee's retained grade is considered for most purposes (including pay and pay administration, retirement, life insurance, eligibility for training, promotions, and within-grade increases, but not for future RIF competition) as the grade of the position the employee holds after downgrading because of a RIF. (For example, an employee who holds a GS-12 position and is downgraded because of a RIF to a GS-9 position is still considered to be a GS-12 for most pay-related purposes.)

An employee who is downgraded during a RIF is eligible for grade retention only after first completing at least 52 consecutive weeks at a higher grade than the position into which he or she is placed. An employee has a right to grade retention if he or she has received a specific RIF notice, and receives a written offer of a position that is offered at management's initiative.

After grade retention expires, the employee is eligible for indefinite pay retention. An employee who is downgraded because of a RIF, but who does not meet the 52-week eligibility requirement for grade retention, is also eligible for indefinite pay retention. If an employee's former rate of basic pay fits in the pay range for the lower-graded position, the employee is placed in the pay range without a reduction in pay and pay retention ceases. If an employee's former rate of basic pay is greater than the maximum rate of the pay range, the former rate is continued as a "retained rate" (not to exceed 150% of the maximum rate for the grade in which the employee is placed). The employee then receives 50% of any adjustments (e.g., an annual increase) in the maximum rate for the grade to which he or she was reduced until the maximum rate equals or exceeds the employee's retained rate and pay retention ceases.

Part 536 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, contains more information on grade and pay retention.

Severance Pay
An employee is eligible to receive severance pay after separation by a RIF, or by adverse action procedures after declining to transfer with his or her function, provided that the employee has not declined to accept a reasonable offer of a position within two actual grades of the employee's current grade level in the same commuting area and agency. Also, the separated employee must have served at least 12 continuous months in an appointment without a time limitation (or in a time-limited appointment that follows an appointment without time limitation by not more than 3 days), and must not be eligible for an immediate annuity as a Federal employee or as a retired member of the armed forces.

Severance pay is computed at the rate of one week's basic pay for each of the first 10 years of civilian service (no credit is allowed for service in the armed forces unless it interrupts otherwise creditable civilian service) plus two week's basic pay for each year of creditable service over 10 years. An age adjustment allowance of 10% is added for each year the employee is over 40 years of age.

The total amount of severance pay which can be paid to an employee is limited to 1 year's salary (e.g., if an employee receives severance pay for a time, then returns to Federal employment and is separated again, the employee is entitled to further severance pay, but not to exceed a combined period of 1 year).

Part 550 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, contains more information about severance pay.

Unemployment Insurance
The U.S. Department of Labor, through agreements with State governments, administers the unemployment insurance program for Federal employees. The States (including the District of Columbia) determine eligibility for benefits as well as the amounts paid to separated employees. The unemployment insurance program provides a weekly income for a limited period of time to separated Federal civilian workers who are eligible for benefits.

An employee who wishes to file a claim for benefits should go to the appropriate State employment service office or unemployment insurance claims office to register for work and file a claim. The employee should take his or her social security card, official notice of separation or non-pay status (SF50), and notice about unemployment insurance (SF8).

Information concerning unemployment insurance is available from the local office of the State employment service.

Unused Leave
Except for certain statutory limitations, all civilian employees covered by the annual leave laws or other authorized leave systems are, upon separation from the Federal service, entitled to receive a lump-sum payment for accumulated and current accrued annual leave.

An employee may not receive payment for unused sick leave. However, an employee who is separated from the Federal government is entitled to have his or her sick leave recredited if the individual is reemployed in the Federal service. Also, unused sick leave is added to the total service of an employee who is eligible for annuity benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System.

Retirement
Federal employees first hired before January 1, 1984, who were eligible for retirement coverage, were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Employees first hired on or after January 1, 1984, were automatically covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Some employees transferred from CSRS to FERS during a one-time open season period.

Refunds
Employees who are separated from Federal employment before completing a minimum of 5 years of creditable civilian service have no title to annuity benefits under CSRS or FERS. An employee who has received a refund of retirement deductions under CSRS may, after reemployment, make a redeposit (consisting of the amount refunded to the employee plus interest) so that the period of service covered by the refund may be included in the computation of annuity benefits. However, while an employee who is covered by FERS may also receive a refund of retirement contributions, a FERS employee will not be eligible to receive annuity benefits based on service covered by the refund if the employee is reemployed in the Federal government. There is no provision in law which permits individuals to make a redeposit of FERS contributions that have been refunded.

Deferred Annuity
An employee who is separated from the Federal government after completing at least 5 years of creditable civilian service, but not before becoming eligible for an immediate annuity, is entitled to a deferred annuity at age 62 under both CSRS and FERS. (Under certain conditions, a FERS employee may be eligible for a deferred annuity before age 62). An employee who is eligible for a deferred annuity may elect to forego the deferred annuity and to receive a refund of his or her retirement contributions provided that the employee is not eligible to receive an annuity within 31 days after filing a refund application.

Immediate Annuity
An employee may retire under the following conditions and receive an immediate annuity. An employee serving under CSRS must have served in a position covered by the appropriate retirement system for at least 1 of the 2 last years preceding the separation on which the retirement is based.

Eligibility under the Civil Service Retirement System:

Type of Retirement     Minimum Age   Minimum Service
                                        (Years)
Optional . . .               62          5
                             60          20
                             55          30

Major RIF and Discontinued
Service Involuntary . . .   Any Age*     25
                             50*         20

Disability . . .            Any age*     5
* he annuity is reduced 1/6 of 1% for each full month (e.g., 2% for each year) the individual is under age 55.

Eligibility under the Federal Employees Retirement
System:

Type of Retirement     Minimum Age   Minimum Service
                                        (Years)

Optional . . .               62           5
                             60          20
                             55*         10**

Major RIF and Discontinued
Service Involuntary . . .  Any Age       25
                             50          20

Disability . . .               Any age     1 «

* Increasing to age 57 for employees born between 1948 and 1970.

** The annuity is reduced by 5/12 of 1% for each month (e.g., 5% for each year) the individual is under age 62, unless the employee had 30 or more years of service.

For assistance in determining retirement plan coverage and for specific information concerning benefits under CSRS and FERS, employees should contact their agency's retirement officer.

Health Benefits
Employees who retire on an immediate annuity may continue their enrollment in the Federal Employee's Health Benefits Program if the employee has been continuously enrolled or covered as a family member for the 5 years of service immediately preceding the commencing date of annuity payments, or for all service since the first opportunity to enroll. After retirement, the government continues to pay the same contribution that is paid for active employees. Employees who are separated or leave the Federal government and are not eligible for an immediate annuity may convert their health insurance to an individual coverage, for which the former employee pays the full cost. Specific answers to health benefits questions are available from the employee benefits specialist in the employing agency.

Life Insurance
Employees who retire on an immediate annuity are eligible to continue their basic life insurance under the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program if the employee has been insured for the basic coverage during the entire period the coverage was available, or for the last 5 years of service immediately preceding the commencing date of annuity payments. At retirement, employees can also elect a percentage of basic coverage they wish to retain after age 65. Any one or all three types of optional insurance can also be continued into retirement.

Employees who are separated or leave the Federal Government and are not eligible for an immediate annuity may convert all or part of their life insurance to an individual policy without having to take a medical examination. The individual policy may be purchased from any eligible insurance company selected by the employee as a private transaction between the employee and the company. The employee pays the entire amount of the conversion policy. Specific questions on life insurance matters should be referred to the employee benefits specialist in the employing agency.

FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
As part of the President's initiative on providing transition assistance, the OPM developed USAJOBS, the governmentwide automated employment Information System, to assist employees in their job search efforts. USAJOBS is accessible from a number of user friendly mediums.

WORLD WIDE WEB: The worldwide web site at www.usajobs.opm.gov provides access to the Federal Jobs Data base; full text job announcements; answers to frequently asked Federal employment questions via deliver of Employment Info Line fact sheets; and access to electronic and hard copy application forms.

AUTOMATED TELEPHONE SYSTEM: 703-724-1850 or TDD 978-461-8404. This automated phone system provides information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on current employment opportunities (nationwide and worldwide), special programs for students, veterans, and people with disabilities, the President Management Intern Program, salaries and benefits, and application requests services. Complete vacancy announcements may be ordered by fax delivery during your phone call. For a listing of local USAJOBS phone numbers use any of our other methods to request fact sheet "Federal Employment Information Sources," EI-42.

Additional information concerning entitlement to benefits can be obtained by contacting your servicing personnel office.

Federal Employment Info Line, EI-31, "Reduction In Force," provides information on available outplacement assistance.

AS OF: 10-30-00



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