§ 3318. Competitive service; selection from certificates

(a) The nominating or appointing authority shall select for appointment to each vacancy from the highest three eligibles available for appointment on the certificate furnished under section 3317(a) of this title, unless objection to one or more of the individuals certified is made to, and sustained by, the Office of Personnel Management for proper and adequate reason under regulations prescribed by the Office.

(b)

(1) If an appointing authority proposes to pass over a preference eligible on a certificate in order to select an individual who is not a preference eligible, such authority shall file written reasons with the Office for passing over the preference eligible. The Office shall make the reasons presented by the appointing authority part of the record of the preference eligible and may require the submission of more detailed information from the appointing authority in support of the passing over of the preference eligible. The Office shall determine the sufficiency or insufficiency of the reasons submitted by the appointing authority, taking into account any response received from the preference eligible under paragraph (2) of this subsection. When the Office has completed its review of the proposed passover, it shall send its findings to the appointing authority and to the preference eligible. The appointing authority shall comply with the findings of the Office.

(2) In the case of a preference eligible described in section 2108(3)(C) of this title who has a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more, the appointing authority shall at the same time it notifies the Office under paragraph (1) of this subsection, notify the preference eligible of the proposed passover, of the reasons therefor, and of his right to respond to such reasons to the Office within 15 days of the date of such notification. The Office shall, before completing its review under paragraph (1) of this subsection, require a demonstration by the appointing authority that the passover notification was timely sent to the preference eligible’s last known address.

(3) A preference eligible not described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, or his representative, shall be entitled, on request, to a copy of—

(A) the reasons submitted by the appointing authority in support of the proposed passover, and

(B) the findings of the Office.

(4) In the case of a preference eligible described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the functions of the Office under this subsection may not be delegated.

(c) When three or more names of preference eligibles are on a reemployment list appropriate for the position to be filled, a nominating or appointing authority may appoint from a register of eligibles established after examination only an individual who qualifies as a preference eligible under section 2108(3)(C)–(G) of this title.

(Pub. L. 89–554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 421; Pub. L. 90–83, § 1(8), Sept. 11, 1967, 81 Stat. 197; Pub. L. 95–454, title III, § 307(d), title IX, § 906(a)(2), (3), Oct. 13, 1978, 92 Stat. 1148, 1224.)

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes
Derivation	U.S. Code	Revised Statutes and Statutes at Large
(a), (b)	5 U.S.C. 633(2)2.	Jan. 16, 1883, ch. 27, § 2(2)2, 22 Stat. 404.
	5 U.S.C. 857 (less 1st sentence, 2d proviso, and last sentence).	June 27, 1944, ch. 287, § 8 (less 1st sentence, 2d proviso, and last sentence), 58 Stat. 389. Aug. 14, 1953, ch. 485, § 2, 67 Stat. 582.
(c)	5 U.S.C. 864 (less 1st sentence).	June 27, 1944, ch. 287, § 15 (less 1st sentence), 58 Stat. 391.

The word “authority” is substituted for “officer” in recognition of the several appointing authorities named in section 2105(a)(1).

In subsection (a), the provisions of former section 633(2)2 are merged in the requirement of former section 857, since the certificate must be of the three highest on the register and the nominating or appointing employee may select one of the three.

In subsection (c), the prohibition in former section 864 is restated in positive form. The words “an individual who qualifies as a preference eligible under section 2108(3)(B)–(F)” are substituted for “ten-point preference eligibles”.

Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.

Amendments

Amendments

1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–454, § 906(a)(2), (3), substituted “Office of Personnel Management” and “Office” for “Civil Service Commission” and “Commission”, respectively.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–454, § 307(d), designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted provisions respecting authority of the Office with respect to the selection procedures applicable, for provisions respecting authority of the Commission with respect to the selection procedures applicable, and added pars. (2) to (4).

1967—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 90–83 substituted “section 2108(3)(C)–(G)” for “section 2108(3)(B)–(F).” See Historical and Revision Notes under section 3305 of this title.

Effective Date Of Amendment

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 95–454 effective 90 days after Oct. 13, 1978, see section 907 of Pub. L. 95–454, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.