99-14825. Amending the Civil Service Rules Relating To Federal Employees With Psychiatric Disabilities

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31103-31104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14825]



[[Page 31101]]

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Part VIII





The President





_______________________________________________________________________



Executive Order 13124--Amending the Civil Service Rules Relating to 
Federal Employees With Psychiatric Disabiliites


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 9, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 31103]]

                Executive Order 13124 of June 4, 1999

                
Amending the Civil Service Rules Relating To 
                Federal Employees With Psychiatric Disabilities

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, including sections 3301 and 3302 of title 5, 
                United States Code, and in order to give individuals 
                with psychiatric disabilities the same hiring 
                opportunities as persons with severe physical 
                disabilities or mental retardation under the Civil 
                Service Rules, and to permit individuals with 
                psychiatric disabilities to obtain Civil Service 
                competitive status, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy.

                    (a) It is the policy of the United States to assure 
                equality of opportunity, full participation, 
                independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for 
                persons with disabilities. The Federal Government as an 
                employer should serve as a model for the employment of 
                persons with disabilities and utilize the full 
                potential of these talented citizens.
                    (b) The Civil Service Rules governing appointment 
                of persons with psychiatric disabilities were adopted 
                years ago when attitudes about mental illness were 
                different than they are today, which led to stricter 
                standards for hiring persons with psychiatric 
                disabilities than for persons with mental retardation 
                or severe physical disabilities. The Civil Service 
                Rules provide that persons with mental retardation, 
                severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric 
                disabilities may be hired under excepted appointing 
                authorities. While persons with mental retardation or 
                severe physical disabilities may be appointed for more 
                than 2 years and may convert to competitive status 
                after completion of 2 years of satisfactory service in 
                their excepted position, people with psychiatric 
                disabilities may not.
                    (c) The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and 
                the President's Task Force on Employment of Adults with 
                Disabilities believe that the Federal Government could 
                better benefit from the contributions of persons with 
                psychiatric disabilities if they were given the same 
                opportunities available to people with mental 
                retardation or severe physical disabilities.

                Sec. 2. Implementation.

                    (a) The Director of the Office of Personnel 
                Management shall, consistent with OPM authority, 
                provide that persons with psychiatric disabilities are 
                subject to the same hiring rules as persons with mental 
                retardation or severe physical disabilities.
                    (b) Civil Service Rule III (5 CFR Part 3) is 
                amended by adding the following new paragraph to 
                subsection (b) of section 3.1:
                       ``(3) An employee with psychiatric disabilities 
                who completes at least 2 years of satisfactory service 
                in a position excepted from the competitive service.''

[[Page 31104]]

                Sec. 3. The Director of the Office of Personnel 
                Management shall prescribe such regulations as may be 
                necessary to implement this order.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    June 4, 1999.

[FR Doc. 99-14825
Filed 6-8-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P