The Reemployment Priority List (RPL) is a statutory placement program administered under the provisions of 5 CFR Part 330, Subpart B. Under this program, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) mission areas/agencies must give reemployment consideration to its competitive service employees separated by reduction in force (RIF) or those who are fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than 1 year. Each Federal department/agency must maintain an RPL for each commuting area.
Who is eligible for the RPL?
There are two categories of employees eligible for RPL. Employees separated by RIF and employees who are fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year.
(1) Employees affected by RIF
To be eligible for the RPL, the employee must be affected in a RIF as competitive service employee in tenure group I or II and must have received a rating above unacceptable as the last annual performance rating or record. The employee is ineligible if he or she declined an offer under RIF with the same type of work schedule and pay as the position from which the employee has been, or will be, separated.
(2) Employees recovered from compensable injuries
A competitive service employee in tenure group I or II who was separated (or accepted a lower graded position in lieu of separation) due to a compensable injury or disability is entitled to be placed on the RPL if he or she has fully recovered more than 1 year after compensation began.
How are eligible employees entered on the RPL?
To be entered on the RPL, eligible employees must complete an application and submit it to their mission area/agency servicing personnel office. The application must specify the grade, occupation, and work schedule acceptable to the individual. The mission area/agency servicing personnel office must submit the eligible employee's application no later than 10 calendar days to be registered on the Department's RPL.
When can eligible employees submit applications for the RPL?
An employee affected by RIF may apply to be placed on the RPL as soon as specific notice of RIF separation is issued or a Certification of Expected Separation is issued. The employee must submit the application within 30 calendar days after the RIF separation date or lose entitlement to be placed on RPL. (Only employees who are actually separated by RIF are eligible for the RPL, although registration may occur as soon as the specific RIF notice or certification is issued.)
An employee recovering from a compensable injury must apply within 30 calendar days after the date compensation ceases. When an appeal for continuation of compensation is filed, the 30-day period begins the day after resolution is reached.
Are there limitations on the positions for which RPL eligibles are permitted to register?
RPL registrants who have been, or will be, separated by RIF are entitled to consideration for positions in the commuting area for which basically qualified and available that (1) are at no higher grade (or equivalent), (2) have no greater promotion potential than the position from which the employee was or will be separated, and (3) have the same type of work schedule. Employees also are entitled to consideration for any higher grade previously held on a nontemporary basis in the competitive service from which demoted under reduction in force.
An RPL registrant who is eligible due to recovery from a compensable injury is placed on the RPL for reemployment consideration for his or her former positions or an equivalent one. If the registrant cannot be placed in such a position in the former commuting area, he or she is entitled to priority consideration for an equivalent position elsewhere within the agency in accordance with the agency's determination of placement opportunities.
What qualification requirements must RPL registrants meet?
RPL registrants must be basically qualified for the position. This means they must meet the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) established qualification standards and requirements for the position, including any minimum educational requirements and any established selective placement factors. In addition, they must be physically qualified, with reasonable accommodation where appropriate, to perform the duties of the position.
How are eligible employees listed for retention standing on RPL?
Tenure group I are career employees who are eligible for the RPL for 2 years from the date entered on RPL; tenure group II are career-conditional employees who are eligible for 1 year.
Each tenure group has sub-groups based on veteran's preference. One subgroup is AD, a veteran who has a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more. The second subgroup is A, veteran preference eligible not in subgroup AD, and the last is subgroup B, employees not entitled to veteran preference.
When does an employee's RPL eligibility terminate?
An employee who declines a RIF offer of assignment at the same grade is not eligible for the RPL (5 CFR 330.203 (a)(4). However, there is no authority in Subpart 5CFR 330-B regulations to otherwise exclude an employee from the RPL on the basis that an employee declines: (1) a lower-graded RIF offer of assignment, or (2) any offer (regardless of grade) under the agency's CTAP or other selection priority program.
A GS-12 employee, for example, separated by RIF after declining the offer of the GS-9 position either as a RIF offer of assignment or a CTAP offer remains registered on the RPL for all positions from GS-12 through GS-1 (if the employee wants RPL rights for all possible positions). This means, the GS-12 employee could have RPL rights to the same GS-9 position that the employee declined as a RIF offer of assignment, or as a CTAP offer. (Freeman v. Agriculture, 2 M.S.P.R., 224.) For reference refer to OPM's Reduction in Force Appeals Case Finder website located at www.opm.gov.
Eligibility terminates when:
(1) An employee resigns, retires or separates from USDA;
(2) An employee requests in writing removal from RPL;
(3) An employee accepts a career or career-conditional position; or
(4) An employee separation date on RPL has expired.
Notifying employees of the RPL
Mission area/agency servicing personnel office must give eligible employees information about the RPL at the time the employees receive their specific RIF notices. The notice must also advise each employee of the right to file an RPL appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Where can the Mission Area/Agency servicing personnel offices obtain the form?
The Department's RPL Registration Sheet may be obtained from USDA's website at: RPL registration form (PDF, 439 KB)
The mission area/agency servicing personnel office must submit the Registration Sheet within 10 calendar days after an eligible employee completes the application form for the RPL.
Where do the Mission Area/Agency servicing personnel offices send the completed form?
The completed registration sheet must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources Management, Policy Division, Attn: Deborah Rodriguez. Her email address is Deborah.Rodriguez@usda.gov and fax number (202)720-9148.
Who is responsible for updating the RPL List?
OHRM, is responsible for adding/deleting information on the RPL List. Eligible employee names will not be listed.