This is to notify you of major changes in the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook (DEOH) dated April 2003.The revised DEOH reflects the increase in your delegated examining authority and flexibility by removing controls or prohibitions not specifically required by law or regulation. In this memorandum, the major changes to the DEOH are listed first, followed by other significant revisions that are a result of various updated policies and practices. The final portion of this memorandum highlights the name changes of certain program offices within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which were brought about OPM's recent reorganization. For ease of reference, the memorandum also reflects the ensuing changes in approval authorities within the new OPM structure.
Major Changes
Section 1312 of the Homeland Security of Act of 2002 (codified at 5 U.S.C. § 3304) provides you with the authority to appoint candidates directly to jobs for which OPM determines there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. OPM's regulations implementing this authority can be found at 5 CFR Part 332. This Chapter explains the procedures for requesting permission from OPM to use direct-hire authority and, if such authority is granted.
We removed the 5-day minimum public notice requirement from the Handbook because there is no statutory or regulatory basis.Agencies are authorized to determine adequate open periods for their vacancies.
Each agency may now establish its own policy and procedures for accepting and processing applications from all applicants, including status applicants. In developing these policies and procedures, you must comply with all applicable laws and regulations including the following:
We removed the requirement to accept late applications from recently discharged veterans from the DEOH. There is no statutory or regulatory basis. However, you must still accept late applications from other categories of persons who are entitled to apply after the closing date, such as 10-point preference eligibles. You can find a complete description of these categories in Chapter 4.
In partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), we revised the requirement that a 10-point preference eligible must submit a letter from the DVA as proof of disability dated within 1-year of filing an application. You can now accept DVA letters certifying permanent disability dated 1991 or later. DVA letters certifying temporary disability should be dated within 12 months of the date of application.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (codified at 5 U.S.C. § 3319) authorizes you to develop a category rating method as an alternative process to assess applicants for jobs filled through competitive examining. These rating and selection procedures are regulated at 5 CFR Part 337 and are further described in Chapter 5.
We removed all time limits in examining (except for the 30 percent compensable service-connected disabled veteran's right to respond within 15 days from the date of notification that you are submitting a pass over request to OPM).These time limits were not based on law or regulation. The following time limits were removed:
We changed the Records Retention and Disposition Schedule to reflect the amount of time you are required to maintain examining materials before destroying the records. You are required to maintain your records for at least three years.
The following Appendices were changed:
Following are the revisions due to the changes in OPM's organizational structure:
The following name changes were made throughout the DEOH.
OPM's Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability Division (HCLMSA) and Strategic Human Resources Policy Division have the authority to grant or deny the following requests:
OPM retains exclusive authority to:
We are pleased to provide you with this update that includes additional flexibilities.If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Suzy Barker, Manager for Recruiting, Examining and Assessment Group, at (202) 606-2226 or smbarker@opm.gov.