AFGE Local 2883

 

You have probably been hearing a lot of unfamiliar terms and concepts as we move through this RIF. Here's an explanation for many confusing terms that appear on the RIF notification itself.

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Retention Status Categories

 

Competitive Area

A competitive area is the organization and location within which employees are compared and ranked during a RIF. It typically includes:

• A major subdivision of an agency (like a specific center or office),

• Within a specific local commuting area, and

• Under one appointing authority.

 

This geographic boundary is where retention registers are created, bump and retreat rights are exercised, and RIF competition is restricted. It also affects your reassignment.

 

Outside your competitive area:

• You do not have the right to be reassigned

• You do not have bump-and-retreat

• Your agency is not required to reassign you

Competitive Level

More specific than a competitive area, a competitive level is a group of jobs within a competitive area that are similar enough to be considered interchangeable during a RIF.

 

Each interchangeable group is assigned an identifier, called a Competitive Level Code.

• This code would designate the group of people that you were competing against if there were bump and retreat rights.

• The ending digit of the code indicate the position type. 

• '1': Full-time, permanent positions.

• '8': Part-time, seasonal, or intermittent positions.

• ‘HSC1’: This code is unclear, and should have been explained prior to the RIF, during the development of the Reemployment Priority List (RPL).

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Tenure Group & Subgroup

A tenure group classifies employees based on the nature of their appointment. Groups are listed below in order of highest retention rights (Group I) to lowest (Group III).

 

• Group I: Career employees (permanent appointment) have completed their probationary period

• Group II: Career-conditional employees (permanent appointment but have not yet completed their probationary period).

• Group III: Employees on term, temporary, or other non-status appointments (e.g., some Pathways programs).

 

Tenure Subgroup reflects veterans' preference, within each tenure group

• A: Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more

• B: Other preference-eligible veterans (5- or 10-point preference)

• C: Non-veterans or those without preference

 

For example: Within a competitive level, a veteran in Subgroup A or B may generally be retained over a non-veteran in Subgroup C who has less seniority.

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Veterans’ Preference:

Provides veterans an advantage in hiring and retention. Veterans’ preference affects RIF retention order through your subgroup assignment (see above).

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Most Recent Performance Ratings:

The official performance evaluations you've received from your agency.  These are important because it affects your ranking on the retention register for your competitive level.

 

A performance rating of ‘3,3,3,’ may mean several different things:

• You may have received a 3.0 out of a 5.0 on your last three PMAP annual reviews.

• You may not have enough end-of-year PMAP reviews, and missing reviews defaulted to a rating of ‘3’ 

• An (unranked) midyear review was erroneously included, counting as a zero.

 

Higher ratings = more RIF retention credit. 

• Employees with Level 5 (“Outstanding”) ratings typically receive more years of credit than those rated Level 3 (“Fully Successful”)

• Retention credit is generally calculated by combining:

  • Years of federal service

  • Additional credit for higher performance ratings

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Additional Years of Credit Based on Performance Ratings

During a RIF, each employee within a competitive level is assigned a retention score based on:

• Actual years of federal service

• Additional credit based on their three most recent annual performance ratings.

 

These additional years of credit are usually determined by averaging up to three recent performance ratings, rewarding strong performers.  Additional years of credit are generally:

• Level 5 (Outstanding) = +20 credit years

• Level 4 (Exceeds Fully Successful) = +16 credit years

• Level 3 (Fully Successful ) = +12 credit years

• Below Level 3  =  0 credit years

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Reduction In Force Service Computation Date (SCD)

The RIF Service Computation Date reflects your total federal service. More years of service equates to greater RIF retention credit.

 

This service computation date may be earlier than your current appointment date because it aggregates all your qualifying federal service, including:

• Civilian federal service (permanent, temporary, and certain non-appropriated fund service)

• Military service that qualifies for RIF credit (usually honorably discharged and not used for military retirement)

• Any other service credited by law or regulation.

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Adjusted RIF Service Computation Date (SCD)

This is a more refined version of your RIF SCD (described above), combining:

• Actual federal service time (standard RIF SCD)

• Additional years of credit awarded

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This adjustment is used solely for the purpose of determining your retention standing during a RIF.  It does not affect any calculation of benefits, time-in-service, or retirement.

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Note that some common RIF terms were not used on the most recent RIF notification.  These include:

• Bump And Retreat Rights: placement rights that allow you to displace (or replace) another employee within your competitive area if you're higher on the retention register.

• Retention Register: the formal list your agency creates that ranks employees within a specific competitive level based on several retention factors.

• Vacant Position Consideration: Before initiating final separation, agencies are required to consider reassigning current employees to vacant positions.

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