**EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AND AWARDS**

**1. REASON FOR ISSUE:** To revise procedures concerning special
advancements of optometrists in VA.

**2. SUMMARY OF CONTENTS/MAJOR CHANGES:** This revision covers two
changes to procedures covering the special advancement of optometrists
in VA. The pages in this change replace corresponding page numbers in
part V, appendix B, and part V, appendix D, of VA Handbook 5017, dated
April 15, 2002. These changes will be incorporated into the electronic
version of VA Handbook 5017, Employee Recognition and Awards, that is
maintained on the [Office of Human Resources Management
website](http://vaww.va.gov/ohrm/). Significant changes include:

a\. To revise procedures covering special advancements for achievement
and add information requirements concerning submissions to the VA
Central Office Optometry Professional Standards Board; and

b\. To revise procedures covering special advancements for performance
and add information requirements concerning submissions to the VA
Central Office Optometry Professional Standards Board.

**3. RESPONSIBLE OFFICE:** The Employee Relations and Performance
Management Service (051), Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Human Resources Management.

**4. RELATED DIRECTIVES:** VA Directive 5017, Employee Recognition and
Awards.

**5. RESCISSIONS:** None.

**CERTIFIED BY: BY DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY**

**OF VETERANS AFFAIRS:**

/s/Robert N. McFarland /s/William H. Campbell

Assistant Secretary for Assistant Secretary for Management

Information and Technology Office of Human Resources and Administration

ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION ONLY

**APPENDIX B. PROCESSING SPECIAL ADVANCEMENTS FOR ACHIEVEMENT**

+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
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+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| * |                      | **B**                                    |
| * |                      |                                          |
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+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| S | If an employee meets | then take the following steps            |
|   | criteria specified   |                                          |
| T | in part V, paragraph |                                          |
|   | 4 and is             |                                          |
| E |                      |                                          |
|   |                      |                                          |
| P |                      |                                          |
|   |                      |                                          |
| S |                      |                                          |
+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| 1 | a physician,         | At the time of achievement, the employee |
|   | dentist, podiatrist, | may be recommended for advancement.      |
|   | optometrist\[\*\],   | Recommendations will be made to the      |
|   | chiropractor,        | Standards Board by the chief of service  |
|   | registered nurse,    | or Chief of Staff as appropriate.        |
|   | nurse anesthetist,   |                                          |
|   | physician assistant, |                                          |
|   | expanded-function    |                                          |
|   | dental auxiliary,    |                                          |
|   | physical therapist,  |                                          |
|   | registered           |                                          |
|   | respiratory          |                                          |
|   | therapist, certified |                                          |
|   | respiratory          |                                          |
|   | therapist, licensed  |                                          |
|   | practical or         |                                          |
|   | vocational nurse,    |                                          |
|   | occupational         |                                          |
|   | therapist, or        |                                          |
|   | pharmacist           |                                          |
+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| 2 |                      | The Standards Board will make specific   |
|   |                      | recommendation as to the appropriate     |
|   |                      | number of steps to be granted. The board |
|   |                      | action with supporting justification     |
|   |                      | will be forwarded to the HRM office.     |
+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| 3 |                      | The HRM office will forward the file     |
|   |                      | through channels to the appropriate      |
|   |                      | approving official.                      |
+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+
| 4 |                      | Special advancements for achievement     |
|   |                      | will be made effective on the first day  |
|   |                      | of the pay period following              |
|   |                      | administrative approval of the           |
|   |                      | advancement.                             |
+---+----------------------+------------------------------------------+

\[**\*NOTE:** *If an optometrist meets criteria specified in part V,
paragraph 4, the employee may be recommended for advancement at the time
of achievement. Recommendations will be made to the VA Central Office
Optometry Professional Standards Board through the facility HRM office
by the chief of service or Chief of Staff as appropriate.* *The Director
of Optometry Service and the VA Central Office Optometry Professional
Standards Board may be contacted at and communications should be
directed to:*

*Director, VA Optometry Service (111E1)*

*Veterans Health Administration*

*103 South Gay Street*

*Room 714*

*Baltimore, MD 21202-4061*

*Telephone: 1-410-779-1576*

*Fax: 1-410-779-1581*

*Submissions to the VA Central Office Optometry Professional Standards
Board for special advancements shall include a cover letter with grade
or step(s) increase request information; Standard Form 50-B (SF 50-B)
showing the employee's anniversary date of grade; updated curriculum
vitae; latest SF 50-B; last 3 proficiency reports (or what is
available); last 3 board action reports (or what is available) approved
by facility Director; recommendation from the rating official; and Human
Resources point of contact. A VA Central Office Optometry Professional
Standards Board checklist to assist with this process can be accessed at
the following Office of Human Resources Management website link:
<http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/Staffing/Title38Appts.htm>.*

*The Human Resources Management Officer, VA Maryland Healthcare System,
or designee, shall serve as the technical representative to the VA
Central Office Optometry Professional Standards Board*. *Additional
program information covering optometrists can be obtained through the
Director of Optometry Service or the VHA Optometry Service website via
the following link: <http://vaww1.va.gov/optometry/>.*\]

**APPENDIX D. PROCESSING SPECIAL ADVANCEMENTS FOR PERFORMANCE**

+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| # |                   |                                              |
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+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| * |                   | **B**                                        |
| * |                   |                                              |
| A |                   |                                              |
| * |                   |                                              |
| * |                   |                                              |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| S | If employee meets | then take the following steps                |
|   | the criteria      |                                              |
| T | specified in part |                                              |
|   | V, paragraph 6    |                                              |
| E | and is a          |                                              |
|   |                   |                                              |
| P |                   |                                              |
|   |                   |                                              |
| S |                   |                                              |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| 1 | a physician,      | Upon receipt of VA Form 5-97, Notice of      |
|   | dentist,          | Pending Personnel Action, the HRM office     |
|   | podiatrist,       | will forward the original VA Form 5-97 to    |
|   |                   | the employee's service chief through the     |
|   | \[ \]             | Chief of Staff, or to the Chief of Staff, as |
|   | o                 | appropriate. The duplicate copy of the       |
|   | ptometrist\[\*\], | notice will be placed in the pending file in |
|   | or chiropractor   | the HRM office.                              |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| 2 |                   | Upon receipt of the advance SF 50-B, for the |
|   |                   | periodic step increase or rate adjustment,   |
|   |                   | the HRM office will remove the duplicate VA  |
|   |                   | Form 5-97 from the pending file. This will   |
|   |                   | be sent with SF 50-B to the service chief    |
|   |                   | through the Chief of Staff, or to the Chief  |
|   |                   | of Staff as appropriate.                     |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| 3 |                   | If the employee is recommended for           |
|   |                   | advancement, recommendation will be          |
|   |                   | submitted to the Standards Board.            |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| 4 |                   | The Standards Board will submit its          |
|   |                   | recommendation on VA Form 10-2543, Board     |
|   |                   | Action, to the HRM Office through the Chief  |
|   |                   | of Staff.                                    |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| 5 |                   | The HRM office will forward the board action |
|   |                   | through channels to the appropriate          |
|   |                   | approving authority listed in appendix A of  |
|   |                   | this part.                                   |
+---+-------------------+----------------------------------------------+

  --------------- -------------------- ----------------------------------------------
  **HOW TO                             
  PROCESS A                            
  SPECIAL                              
  ADVANCEMENT FOR                      
  PERFORMANCE                          
  (CONTINUED)**                        

  **A**                                **B**

  6                                    In the absence of recommendation for
                                       advancement, or if the recommendation for
                                       special advancement for performance is
                                       disapproved, the normal procedures for
                                       periodic step increases or rate adjustments
                                       will be followed. (See VA Handbook 5007, part
                                       III, chapter 5, paragraph 1.)

  7               a registered nurse,  If the recommendation is approved, Standard
                  nurse anesthetist,   Form 52, Request for Personnel Action, will be
                  physician assistant, initiated by the operating official. The
                  expanded-function    effective date will be the same as the due
                  dental auxiliary,    date for the periodic step increase or rate
                  physical therapist,  adjustment.
                  registered           
                  respiratory          
                  therapist, certified 
                  respiratory          
                  therapist, licensed  
                  practical or         
                  vocational nurse,    
                  occupational         
                  therapist, or        
                  pharmacist.          

  8                                    If the employee is recommended for
                                       advancement, the recommendation will be
                                       submitted to the appropriate Standards Board
                                       by the chief of service or Chief of Staff, as
                                       appropriate.

  9                                    See steps 4 and 5 above.

  10                                   If the recommendation is approved, Standard
                                       Form 52, Request for Personnel Action, will be
                                       initiated by the operating official. The
                                       effective date will be the first day of the
                                       pay period following administrative approval.
  --------------- -------------------- ----------------------------------------------

\[\***NOTE:** *To process special advancements for performance for
optometrists, follow steps 1 & 2 shown above. In step 3,*
r*ecommendations will be made to the VA Central Office Optometry
Professional Standards Board by the chief of service*

*or Chief of Staff as appropriate trough the facility HRM office. The
Director of Optometry Service and the VA Central Office Optometry
Professional Standards Board may be contacted at and communications
should be directed to:*

*Director, VA Optometry Service (111E1)*

*Veterans Health Administration*

*103 South Gay Street*

*Room 714*

*Baltimore, MD 21202-4061*

*Telephone: 1-410-779-1576*

*Fax: 1-410-779-1581*

Submissions to the VA Central Office Optometry Professional Standards
Board for special advancements for performance shall include a cover
letter with grade or step(s) increase request information; Standard Form
50-B (SF 50-B) showing the employee's anniversary date of grade; updated
curriculum vitae; latest SF 50-B; last 3 proficiency reports (or what is
available); last 3 board action reports (or what is available) approved
by facility Director; recommendation from the rating official; and
facility HRM office point of contact. A VA Central Office Optometry
Professional Standards Board checklist to assist with this process can
be accessed at the following Office of Human Resources Management Web
site link: <http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/Staffing/Title38Appts.htm>.

*The VA Central Office Optometry Professional Standards Board will make
specific recommendation as to the appropriate number of steps to be
granted. The board action with supporting justification will be returned
to the facility HRM office. Thereafter, special advancements for
performance of optometrists will be processed in accordance with steps 5
through 10, as appropriate.*

*The Human Resources Management Officer, VA Maryland Healthcare System,
or designee, shall serve as the technical representative to the VA
Central Office Optometry Professional Standards Board. Additional
program information covering optometrists can be obtained through the
Director of Optometry Service or the VHA Optometry Service Web site via
the following link: <http://vaww1.va.gov/optometry/>.\]*