ORA-WIDE PROCEDURE

Food and Drug Administration

Office of Regulatory Affairs

Operations Management

Document #:

FMD-137 Page 1 of 4

Title: 

Badge Retirement Policy

Revision

3.0

Original 

Effective Date: 

05/18/2005

Revised:

04/01/2017

Sections in This Document

1. Purpose ................................................................................................................................. 1

2. Scope .................................................................................................................................... 1

3. Responsibility ........................................................................................................................ 2

4. Background ........................................................................................................................... 2

5. References ............................................................................................................................ 2

6. Procedure.............................................................................................................................. 2

7. Glossary/Definitions............................................................................................................... 4

8. Records ................................................................................................................................. 4

9. Supporting Documents .......................................................................................................... 4

10. Document History .................................................................................................................. 4

11. Change History...................................................................................................................... 4

12. Attachments........................................................................................................................... 4

1. Purpose

To provide guidance for the eligibility requirements to present retiring 

employees with their de-characterized badge. Over the years it has become a 

practice to present retiring employees with their de-characterized badge. The 

policy and guidance on when this was appropriate was previously left to the 

discretion of local management. This policy outlines the eligibility 

requirements.

2. Scope

Those who are eligible for such presentation must have been employed in any 

of the following job functions within ORA for a minimum of 15 year to fulfill the 

requirement: ORA HQ or Field Investigators (CSO), ORA HQ or Field first line 

Supervisory CSO with staff under the first listed function, ORA Field 

Compliance Officer (CO), Director of Investigations Branch (DIB), Director of 

Compliance Branch (DCB), District Director, RFDD/Senior Executive 

equivalent, Emergency Response Coordinators (ERCs). 
ORA-WIDE PROCEDURE

Food and Drug Administration

Office of Regulatory Affairs

Operations Management

Document #:

FMD-137 Page 2 of 4

Title: 

Badge Retirement Policy

Revision

3.0

Original 

Effective Date: 

05/18/2005

Revised:

04/01/2017

This procedure also covers presentation of a de-characterized badge to the 

family of a deceased ORA employee.

3. Responsibility

A. Authority for recommendation of approval is delegated to district 

management.

B. Authority for final approval is delegated to the Office of Medical 

Products and Tobacco Operations for final approval.

4. Background

In 1982, discussion of the policy of de-characterization and presentation of 

badges to Field employees resulted in an informal delegation of authority to 

the RFDDs for approval of badge retirement for persons leaving the agency 

with more than 20 years of ORA service. 

This policy was formalized in 2005, and included a potential exception based 

on significant contribution to the Agency, requiring ORA HQ approval. 

Beginning FY15, multiple requests for exception to the 20 year policy led to 

further analysis and a series of changes to this policy.

5. References

None

6. Procedure

A. The minimum years of field service required to be presented a badge upon 

retirement is reduced to 15 years.

B. Receiving the de-characterized badge upon retirement is not guaranteed for 

any employee, and bestowing the honor for retiring employees is at the 

discretion of the employee’s senior management. There are to be no 

exceptions to the 15 year rule.
ORA-WIDE PROCEDURE

Food and Drug Administration

Office of Regulatory Affairs

Operations Management

Document #:

FMD-137 Page 3 of 4

Title: 

Badge Retirement Policy

Revision

3.0

Original 

Effective Date: 

05/18/2005

Revised:

04/01/2017

C. ORA badges are not retired mid-career for any employee. Retirement is 

defined as the complete and formal departure from federal employment, upon 

eligibility, as defined by federal regulations. Retiring ORA employees who elect 

to return to ORA employment via contract or other re-employment means shall 

not be eligible for badge de-characterization until all ORA employment 

activities have ceased. United States Public Health Service (USPHS) officers 

employed by ORA are equally eligible for badge de-characterization using the 

same definition of retirement.

D. Policy

1. The policy for determining whether it is appropriate to de-characterize and 

present a badge to an employee upon retirement, is as follows:

a. For badge holding ORA employees retiring with 15 or more years of 

ORA service in any of the qualifying job functions listed in Section 2, 

authority for recommendation of approval is delegated to district 

management. When accomplished, the request for de-characterization 

must be sent to the Office of Medical Products and Tobacco Operations 

for final approval via ORABadgesandCredentials@fda.hhs.gov. 

b. The agency will not de-characterize and present badges for field 

employees leaving by any other means than retirement. In the case of 

an employee retiring and subsequently re-entering federal service, decharacterization of a badge must be postponed. The request to decharacterize a badge must come in the form of a hardcopy memo from 

a Center Director or a level 15-equivalent manager of the employee to 

be presented with a retired badge, per the Decommission Memo 

Template: OO-Form.004.

2. De-characterizing must render the badge unusable by permanent mounting 

or embedding in plastic. The cost of de-characterizing the badge cannot be 

paid out of government funds. If the employee no longer has a badge, 

indicate “NA” for the badge number.
ORA-WIDE PROCEDURE

Food and Drug Administration

Office of Regulatory Affairs

Operations Management

Document #:

FMD-137 Page 4 of 4

Title: 

Badge Retirement Policy

Revision

3.0

Original 

Effective Date: 

05/18/2005

Revised:

04/01/2017

7. Glossary/Definitions

None

8. Records

None

9. Supporting Documents

A. OO-Form.004: Decommissioning Memo Template

10. Document History

Version 

#

Status*

(D,I, R, C)

Date Author Name and Title Approving Official Name and 

Title

1.0 I 05/18/2005 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT FMD List

2.0 R 02/26/2016 OPERATIONS

MANAGEMENT ELLEN MORRISON, ACO

3.0 R 03/27/2017 OPERATIONS

MANAGEMENT ELLEN MORRISON, ACO

* - D: Draft, I: Initial, R: Revision, C: Cancel

11. Change History

Version Change

1.0 INITIAL POLICY

2.0 UPDATE TO POLICY

3.0 PROVIDE DECOMMISSION MEMO

12. Attachments

None