OPM has set December 7 as the date for suspending the processing of SES qualifications review board cases, imposing a general freeze on promotions into the executive cadre that is a standard step during presidential transitions.
“This is done to ensure the incoming head of the agency will have the full opportunity to exercise his or her prerogative to make or approve executive resources decisions that will impact the agency’s performance during his or her tenure. To that end, OPM has imposed a moratorium on the processing of a particular agency’s SES QRB cases when the head of that agency departs for any reason, effective immediately upon the effective date of his or her departure. A QRB moratorium will also be imposed when the head of an agency announces his or her intention to leave that office, effective immediately upon that announcement,” a memo to agencies says.
All presidential appointees not serving a specific term must leave no later than January 20, Inauguration Day; they can leave at any time before.
“While a QRB moratorium is intended to preserve the prerogatives of an incoming agency head, this must be balanced against the need to ensure the continuity of agency operations during such transitions. Accordingly, OPM will consider requests for exceptions to the governmentwide QRB moratorium on a case-by-case basis,” the memo added.
Requests for exceptions must be signed by the agency head or the official designated to act in the agency head’s absence and must specifically address the potential for adverse impact on national security, homeland security, or a critical agency mission, program, or function if a particular SES candidate is not immediately certified, it said.
