Reinstatement is the reemployment of a former career or career conditional employee into the Federal government.
- There is no time limit on the reinstatement of a veterans’ preference eligible or a former career employee (employee who has acquired career tenure by completing 3 years of substantially continuous creditable service). A nonpreference eligible who has not attained career tenure normally can only be reinstated within 3 years of the date of his/her earlier separation. Reinstatement eligibility may be extended by certain activities that occur during the 3-year period after separation from the employee’s last career or career-conditional appointment. Examples of these activities are:
- Federal employment under a temporary, term, or similar appointment.
- Federal employment in an excepted, non-appropriated fund, or Senior Executive Service position.
- Federal employment in the legislative and judicial branches.
- Active military duty terminated under honorable conditions.
- Service with the District of Columbia Government prior to January 1, 1980 (and other service for certain employees converted to the District's independent merit system).
- A substantially full-time training course in any educational institution of recognized standing when the agency finds that the proposed appointee acquired valuable training or experience for the position to be filled.
- A period of overseas residence of a dependent who followed a Federal military or civilian employee to an overseas post of duty.
- An individual with reinstatement rights can be noncompetitively placed in a position at a grade equal to or lower than the grade they previously held. A reinstatement eligible can also apply and compete along with merit promotion candidates for a position at a higher grade than they previously held. If selected, the applicant would be reinstated to the Federal Service.