35-1 Chapter 35. Glossary of Terms Used in Processing Personnel Actions (Citations in parentheses refer to laws, regulations, AGENCY [as used in this Guide]—Any or publications where more information can be department or independent establishment of the found.) Federal Government, including a Government- owned or controlled corporation, that has the ABANDONMENT OF POSITION—When an authority to hire employees in the competitive, employee fails to report for duty and does not excepted, and senior executive service. Examples: submit a resignation. Department of Transportation, Small Business Administration, Federal Trade Commission. Note: ABSENCE WITHOUT LEAVE (AWOL)—Is a The Departments of Army, Navy, and Air Force non-pay status that covers an absence from duty are considered to be individual agencies for the which has not been approved. purposes of this Guide; all organizations within the Department of Defense which have agency codes ABSENT - UNIFORMED SERVICE— that begin with “DD” (e.g., DD04) are considered Employee is absent (whether in pay or nonpay as one agency. status) to perform duty with the uniformed services and has reemployment rights under the Uniformed ANNUITANT—[As used in this Guide] a person Services Employment and Reemployment Rights who receives an annuity. Act (USERRA – 38 U.S.C. chapter 43). ANNUITY—The annual sum payable to a former ACCESSION—A personnel action that results in employee who has retired. the addition of an employee to the rolls (staff) of an agency. (See APPOINTMENT) APPLICANT—A person who has asked to be considered for a job with an agency. An applicant ACTIVE DUTY OR ACTIVE MILITARY DUTY may be a current employee of the agency, an (Creditable Service for Leave Accrual and employee of another agency, or a person who is Reduction in Force Purposes Only)—Means full- not currently employed by any agency. time duty with military pay and allowances in the Armed Forces. Active duty does include “annual” APPLICATION FORMS—Forms and resumes active duty for training, but excludes weekend that show an applicant's qualifications for Reserve meetings. employment in a Federal position. ADJUSTED BASIC PAY is the rate of basic pay APPOINTEE—A person being hired for a and any basic pay supplement, after applying any position in an agency. applicable pay cap. A basic pay supplement is defined as a regular, fixed supplemental payment APPOINTING OFFICER—A person having (paid in conjunction with base pay) for non- power by law, or by duly delegated authority, to overtime hours of work that is creditable as basic make appointments. pay for retirement purposes, excluding any type of premium payment or differential that is triggered APPOINTMENT—Any personnel action that for working certain hours of the day or week or for brings an individual onto the rolls (staff) of an being subjected to certain working conditions. A agency. (See ACCESSION.) basic pay supplement includes, for example, any applicable locality payment under 5 CFR part 531, ARMED FORCES—The Army, Navy, Air Force, subpart F, and any special rate supplement under 5 Marine Corps and Coast Guard. CFR part 530, subpart C. AUO —(Administratively Uncontrolled Overtime) ADVERSE ACTION—A personnel action is an increment of up to 25 percent of basic pay considered unfavorable to an employee, e.g., paid on an annual basis for substantial amounts of removal, suspension, furlough, or reduction in overtime work that cannot be controlled grade or pay. (5 U.S.C. chapter 75 and 5 CFR part administratively and that required on an irregular 752) basis. (5 CFR 550.151) 35-2 THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS AUTHORITY SUFFIX—See LEGAL CHANGE TO LOWER GRADE (also called AUTHORITY SUFFIX “Demotion” and “Reduction in Grade”)— Personnel action that moves an employee, while AVAILABILITY PAY—A special form of serving continuously in the same agency, to (1) a premium pay fixed at 25 percent of basic pay position at a lower grade when both the old and (including any locality payment or special rate new positions are under the General Schedule or supplement) that applies to criminal investigators under the same type graded wage schedule, or (2) who are required to work, or be available to work, to a position with a lower rate of basic pay when substantial amounts of unscheduled overtime duty both the old and the new positions are under the based on the needs of the employing agency. same type ungraded wage schedule or in a different Criminal investigators receiving availability pay pay-method category. are exempt from the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and CIVILIAN POSITION—A civilian office or may not receive administratively uncontrollable position (including a temporary or part-time or overtime pay. intermittent position), appointive or elective, in the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of the BREAK IN SERVICE—The time when an Federal Government (including each corporation employee is no longer on the payroll of an agency. owned or controlled by the Federal Government (In computing creditable service for benefits, e.g., and including nonappropriated fund leave accrual and reduction in force retention, a instrumentalities under the jurisdiction of the separation of 1, 2, or 3 calendar days is not Armed Forces) or in the Government of the considered to be a break in service; a separation of District of Columbia. 4 or more calendar days is considered to be a break in service and the days of separation are subtracted CIVILIAN RETIREE—A person who has retired from the employee's total creditable service.) from Federal Government civilian employment under any Federal Government-administered “CA”APPOINTMENTS—Canal Area retirement system. The social security system appointments that are made under the Panama (FICA) is not a retirement system for purposes of Canal Employment System. (35 CFR part 253) this definition. CAO (CHANGE OF APPOINTING OFFICE)— CIVIL SERVICE RETIREE—A person retired Movement of an employee from the jurisdiction of under the Civil Service Retirement System one appointing officer in an agency to that of (CSRS). another appointing officer in the same agency. This usually involves a move from a position for which CLASS OR CLASS OF POSITIONS—All one personnel office provides service and positions that are sufficiently similar in (1) kind or maintains records to a position for which another subject matter of work, (2) the level of difficulty personnel office in the same agency provides and responsibility, and (3) the qualification service and maintains records. Prior to 1/1/82, requirements for the work, to warrant similar such moves were sometimes identified on treatment in personnel and pay administration. (5 personnel actions with the abbreviation “CAO” U.S.C. chapter 51) following the nature of action. CLASSIFY—To evaluate the duties and CAREER APPOINTMENT—Competitive service responsibilities of a position and assign a title, permanent appointment given to an employee who occupation series and grade. has completed >at least three years of total creditable service< (5 CFR part 315) COMMISSION (Abbreviated as CSC)—The U.S. Civil Service Commission – now the U.S. Office of CERTIFICATE—A list of eligibles taken from a Personnel Management. register and submitted to an appointing officer for employment consideration. (5 CFR part 332) COMPENSATION—money paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs for CERTIFICATION—The process by which the service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. OPM, or an agency office with delegated examining authority, submits certificates to appointing officers. Chapter 35. Glossary of Terms Used in Processing Personnel Actins 35-3 COMPETITIVE AREA—For reduction in force, CONTINUED RATE OF PAY—The rate of pay that part of an agency within which employees are first established in January 1994 for an employee in competition for retention. Generally it is who previously received an interim geographic restricted by what is considered a “local adjustment on top of a worldwide or nationwide commuting area.” (5 CFR 351.402) special rate authorized under 5 U.S.C. 5305. COMPETITIVE LEVEL—A competitive level CONVERSION—The changing of an employee for reduction in force consists of all jobs in a from one appointment to another appointment competitive area which are so similar in all (under either the same or a different authority) in important respects that the agency can readily the same agency with no break in service or with a move an employee from one to another without break of 3 days or less. The change may be in one significant training and without loss of or more of the following: the type of appointment productivity. (5 CFR 351.403) under which the employee is serving, the authority for the appointment, the position on which the COMPETITIVE POSITION—A position in the employee is serving, or the not-to-exceed date of a competitive service. temporary appointment (e.g., from Excepted Appt NTE in a GS-3 position in organization A to an COMPETITIVE SERVICE—All civilian Excepted Appt NTE in a GS-4 position in positions in the Federal Government that are not organization B.) specifically excepted from the civil service laws by or pursuant to statute, by the President, or by the COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM OPM under Rule VI, and that are not in the Senior (CO-OP PROGRAM OR WORK STUDY Executive Service. PROGRAM)—Program under which a student alternates periods of education and Federal COMPETITIVE STATUS—Basic eligibility for employment under terms of an agreement between noncompetitive assignment to a competitive his or her school and a government agency. position. A person on a career or career- Agreements may provide for the student's conditional appointment acquires competitive permanent employment in the agency upon status upon satisfactory completion of a satisfactory completion of the education and work probationary period.