§ 9901.603 - Definitions.

In this subpart:

Competing employee means a career employee (including an employee serving an initial probationary period), an employee serving on a term appointment, and other employees as identified in implementing issuances.

Competitive area means the boundaries within which employees compete for retention under this subpart, based on factors described in § 9901.605(a).

Competitive group means employees within a competitive area who are on a common retention list for the purpose of exercising displacement rights.

Displacement right means the right of an employee who is displaced from his or her present position because of position abolishment, or because of displacement resulting from the abolishment of a higher-standing employee on the retention list, to displace a lower-standing employee on the list on the basis of the retention factors.

Modal rating means, for the purpose of reduction in force, the rating of record that occurs most frequently in a particular competitive group.

Notice means a written communication to an individual employee stating that the employee will be displaced from his or her position as a result of a reduction in force action under this subpart.

Rating of record has the meaning given that term in § 9901.103.

Retention factors means tenure, veterans' preference, performance, length of service, and such other factors as the Secretary considers necessary and appropriate to rank employees within a particular retention list.

Retention list means a list of all competing employees occupying positions in the competitive area, who are grouped in the same competitive group on the basis of retention factors. While all positions in the competitive group are listed, only competing employees have retention standing.

Tenure group means a group of employees with a given appointment type. In a reduction in force, employees are first placed in a tenure group and then ranked within that group according to other retention factors.

Undue interruption means a degree of interruption that would prevent the completion of required work by an employee within 90 days after the employee has been placed in a different position.