[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR315.601]

[Page 154-155]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
                CHAPTER I--OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
 
PART 315--CAREER AND CAREER-CONDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT--Table of Contents
 
   Subpart F--Career or Career-Conditional Appointment Under Special 
                               Authorities
 
Sec. 315.601  Appointment of former employees of the Canal Zone Merit System or Panama Canal Employment System.


    (a) Agency authority. This section may be used by an agency to 
appoint noncompetitively, for other than temporary or term employment, a 
United States citizen separated from a career or career-conditional 
appointment under the Canal Zone Merit System, which was in effect 
before March 31, 1982, or under the Panama Canal Employment System, 
which became effective on March 31, 1982. (Appointments of such persons 
for temporary or term employment are to be made under applicable 
provisions of part 316 of this chapter.)
    (b) Service requirement. An agency may appoint such a former 
employee under this section only when, immediately prior to separation 
from a qualifying appointment, the employee served continuously for at 
least one year under a nontemporary appointment in the Canal Zone Merit 
System, the Panama Canal Employment System, or a combination of the two 
systems.
    (c) Time limits. (1) There is no time limit on the appointment under 
this section of an employee who:
    (i) Is a preference eligible; or
    (ii) Has completed at least 3 years of service, which did not 
include any break in service longer than 30 days, under one or more 
career-conditional or career appointments in the Canal Zone Merit System 
and/or the Panama Canal Employment System.
    (2) An agency may appoint under this section an employee who does 
not meet the conditions in (c)(1) of this section provided no more than 
3 years have elapsed since:
    (i) separation from a qualifying Canal Zone Merit System or Panama 
Canal Employment System appointment; or
    (ii) separation from service in Panama in a position excluded from 
the Canal Zone Merit System or Panama Canal Employment System, when such 
service immediately followed service under a qualifying appointment in 
one of those systems.
    (d) Tenure on appointment. On appointment under paragraph (a) of 
this section: (1) A former career employee of the Canal Zone Merit 
System or Panama Canal Employment System becomes a career employee.
    (2) A former Canal Zone Merit System and/or Panama Canal Employment 
System employee whose service from the date of career-conditional 
appointment in the Canal Zone Merit System or Panama Canal Employment 
System

[[Page 155]]

through the date of noncompetitive appointment under this section, 
inclusive, does not include any break in service of more than 30 days 
and totals at least 3 years becomes a career employee.
    (3) All other former Canal Zone Merit System and Panama Canal 
Employment System employees become career-conditional employees.
    (e) Acquisition of competitive status. A person appointed under 
paragraph (a) of this section automatically acquires a competitive 
status:
    (1) On appointment, if he or she has satisfactorily completed a 1-
year probationary period under the Canal Zone Merit System and/or the 
Panama Canal Employment System.
    (2) On satisfactory completion of probation in accordance with 
Sec. 315.80 (a)(3) if he or she had not completed a 1-year probationary 
period under the Canal Zone Merit System or Panama Canal Employment 
System.

[48 FR 13951, Apr. 1, 1983]