In this subpart:

Agency means an executive agency or a legislative branch agency included in 5 U.S.C. 5102(a)(1).

Authorized agency official means the head of an agency or an official who is authorized to act for the head of the agency in the matter concerned.

Competencies means the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics an individual needs to perform the duties of a position.

Employee has the meaning given that term in 5 U.S.C. 2105, except that the term also includes an employee described in 5 U.S.C. 2105(c). For the purpose of determining whether an individual was an employee of the Federal Government during the 90-day period referred to in the definition of newly appointed, employee also includes an employee described in 5 U.S.C. 2105(e). For the purpose of § 575.109(d), an employee means an individual not yet employed who has received a written offer to be newly appointed or reappointed and has signed the written service agreement required by § 575.110 before payment of the recruitment incentive.

Executive agency has the meaning given that term in 5 U.S.C. 105.

Federal Government means all entities of the Government of the United States, including the United States Postal Service and the Postal Regulatory Commission.

Newly appointed refers to—

The first appointment, regardless of tenure, as an employee of the Federal Government;

An appointment of a former employee of the Federal Government following a break in Federal Government service of at least 90 days; or

An appointment of an individual in the Federal Government when his or her service in the Federal Government during the 90-day period immediately preceding the appointment was not in a position excluded by § 575.104 and was limited to one or more of the following:

A time-limited appointment in the competitive or excepted service;

A non-permanent appointment in the competitive or excepted service;

Employment with the government of the District of Columbia (DC) when the candidate was first appointed by the DC government on or after October 1, 1987;

An appointment as an expert or consultant under 5 U.S.C. 3109 and 5 CFR part 304;

Employment under a provisional appointment designated under 5 CFR 316.403;

Employment under an Internship Program appointment under § 213.3402(a) of this chapter; or

Employment as a Senior Executive Service limited term appointee or limited emergency appointee (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(5) and (a)(6), respectively).

OPM means the Office of Personnel Management.

Rate of basic pay means the rate of pay fixed by law or administrative action for the position to which an employee is or will be appointed before deductions and including any special rate under 5 CFR part 530, subpart C, or similar payment under other legal authority, and any locality-based comparability payment under 5 CFR part 531, subpart F, or similar payment under other legal authority, but excluding additional pay of any other kind. For example, a rate of basic pay does not include additional pay such as night shift differentials under 5 U.S.C. 5343(f) or environmental differentials under 5 U.S.C. 5343(c)(4).

Service agreement means a written agreement between an agency and an employee under which the employee agrees to a specified period of employment of not less than 6 months or more than 4 years with the agency in return for payment of a recruitment incentive.