Vet Preference, RIF Rules Also Published

On the same day, OPM also finalized rules that had been in effect on an interim basis that broadened eligibility for veterans preference, under terms of a law passed last year. The main changes are that eligibility is based on discharge or release from active duty rather than the prior standard of separation under honorable conditions, and preference is available to individuals who served on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred since September 11, 2001, or who served on active duty between August 2, 1990, and January 2, 1992. OPM meanwhile proposed rules to clarify, for RIF situations: how an agency determines employees’ retention rights when the agency has positions in one or more pay bands; the order in which an agency releases employees from a competitive level; and how an agency determines employees’ retention rights when a competitive area includes more than one local commuting area.