Opinion ID: 698292
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Guidelines for Crediting Prior Service

Text: 51 Section 7511(a)(1)(A) itself does not address the standards for determining the completion of a probationary period. These standards were left to the Office of Personnel Management. Since before the enactment of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, standards for crediting prior service were found only in the Federal Personnel Manual. 9 At the time Gonji was terminated, the Federal Personnel Manual guidelines provided: FPM Chapter 315 (1992) 52 Subchapter 8-4. Crediting Service Toward Completion of Probation 53 a. Crediting prior service. When an individual with prior Federal civilian service is subject to a probationary period, the agency must credit such prior service (including nonappropriated fund) toward completion of probation when all three of the following apply: 54 (1) The prior service immediately precedes the probationary appointment and contains no more than one break in service of 30 calendar days or less or there is a break between the prior service and the new appointment of 30 days or less; and 55 (2) The prior service is in the same Federal agency, e.g., Department of the Army (service in a previous agency may be credited only when an employee has been transferred with his or her function); 10 and 56 (3) The prior service is in the same line of work as the position in which the employee is subject to probation. (This requirement does not apply to a disabled veteran converted under section 7-8 of this Chapter.) 57 (emphasis added.) The Government claims that Gonji's prior service was not in the same agency and not in the same line of work, but first argues that these standards apply only to career and career-conditional appointments and therefore do not allow Gonji to credit prior service as an overseas limited appointee. 58 These standards for crediting prior service appear in FPM Chapter 315 and were enacted pursuant to the Civil Service Regulations that cover career and career-conditional appointments. See 5 C.F.R. Sec. 315.802(b) (1995) (OPM shall publish in the Federal Personnel Manual a statement of the conditions under which prior service is counted toward completion of a probationary period.). FPM Chapter 315 is entitled: Career and Career-Conditional Employment. It is not clear on the face of these guidelines whether they may also be applied to overseas limited employment. 59 The Civil Service Regulations covering overseas limited appointments, 5 C.F.R. pt. 301, do not include any similar provisions requiring OPM to publish guidelines for crediting prior service. Term appointees under 5 C.F.R. pt. 316(C) are in the same boat. Although term appointees are required to serve a trial period, the regulations do not direct OPM to publish guidelines to allow term appointees to credit prior service toward completion of the trial period. See 5 C.F.R. Secs. 316.301-05 (1995). 60 Although the regulations and guidelines in effect today do not address the issue of tacking (crediting prior service) for term or overseas limited appointments, the Federal Personnel Manual in effect at the time the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was enacted did include provisions allowing tacking for these types of appointments. See FPM Supplement 752-1, S2-1(c) (1976). This Supplement specifically referred overseas limited appointees to FPM Chapter 315 to determine the completion of their probationary period: 61 An employee with a term appointment, overseas limited term appointment, overseas limited appointment of indefinite duration, or indefinite appointment is covered by subparts B and C of part 752 [expanded appeal rights] if he is not serving a trial period 11 .... (FPM chapter 315 contains information for determining completion of a trial period.) 62 (emphasis added.) We interpret this passage to mean that prior service was counted toward the completion of a probationary period for overseas limited appointees under FPM Chapter 315 at the time Congress enacted the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Although this Supplement has since been revoked (effective Jan. 11, 1979) and replaced by Chapter 752, see FPM Chapter 752 1-1a(1) (1980), it nevertheless reflects OPM practice at the time Congress enacted section 7511(a)(1)(A). OPM practice at the time is significant because in enacting the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, Congress made clear that it was merely providing a statutory basis for current OPM procedures: 63 Subsection (a) [of section 7511] provides a statutory basis for the procedural protections and appeal rights now granted employees in the competitive service who are serving under career, career, career-conditional, or certain other non-temporary appointments, and who have completed a probationary or trial period. Protections against arbitrary or capricious actions have become established by practice and Executive Order--but not by statute--as a basic right of competitive service employees. 64 S.Rep. No. 969, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 48 (1978), reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 2723, 2770. The certain other non-temporary appointments that Congress referred to included term, indefinite, overseas limited term, and overseas limited appointments of indefinite duration. See supra Part B. We have no doubt that Congress intended OPM to follow its published guidelines and continue to allow FPM Chapter 315 tacking for these types of appointments in addition to career and career-conditional appointments. Therefore, we find that individuals such as Gonji serving under non-temporary overseas limited appointments may use FPM Chapter 315 guidelines to count prior service toward completion of a probationary period. 65 We now turn to the FPM Chapter 315 guidelines listed above to determine whether Gonji's prior federal service is creditable. Gonji's personnel records show that there was no break in service between his last day with the DoD Postal Service and his first day with the DoD Dependents Schools. The Government takes issue only with the remaining two requirements, arguing that Gonji's prior service was not in the same agency and not in the same line of work. 66