Dear Bureau Pat,

I have a Competitive Career Conditional Appointment, which was effective on 1/8/2006. Will I acquire Competitive status on 1/8/2009?  Also, I was also off some time for medical reasons, but still received full-time checks from donated leave. Does that matter?

Dear Conditional,

The service requirement for Career Tenure is 3 years of substantially continuous creditable service to become a career employee, i.e. obtain career tenure. The 3-year period must begin and end with nontemporary employment in the competitive service.

Generally, substantially continuous creditable service must not include any break in service of more than 30 calendar days. If an employee does not complete the 3-year period, a single break in service of more than 30 calendar days will require the employee to serve a new 3-year period. (Periods of time in a nonpay status are not breaks in service and do not require the employee to begin a new 3-year period. However, they may extend the service time needed for career tenure.)

So in your case you should be good to go in 2009, however, check with your human resources department.  It never hurts to ask and get into writing.

Obtaining Career status is crucial for federal employees, especially, during times of instability and economic downturn like we are in today.  While federal government appears to be a recession proof job, government does have reductions in force (RIFs) and the path to career status is not guaranteed.  The first year of service of an employee who is given a career-conditional appointment is considered a probationary period.

The probationary period is really the final and most important step in the examining process. It affords the supervisor an opportunity to evaluate the employee's performance and conduct on the job, and to remove the person without undue formality, if necessary. A person who is transferred, promoted, demoted, or reassigned before completing probation is required to complete the probationary period in the new position. Prior Federal civilian service counts toward completion of probation if it is in the same agency, same line of work, and without a break in service.

Care should be taken to distinguish the 1-year probationary period from the 3-year career-conditional period. The probationary period is used to determine the employee's ability and fitness required for permanent Government service. The 3-year career-conditional period is established only to measure the employee's interest in, and the Government's ability to provide, a career in the Federal service.

Note: career-conditional employees automatically become career employees upon completion of this service requirement. Additionally, employees with career tenure have a higher retention standing during layoffs.

For more information on career and career-conditional appointments, probationary period, tenure, and competitive status, consult Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 5 CFR Part 315.

The Only,
 

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