572 Purpose

The purpose of the medical suitability process is to ensure that selected applicants are able to perform the duties of their positions without posing a direct threat of harm to themselves or others. This requirement contributes to the protection and preservation of human resources and the overall safety of the workforce, which are urgent and ongoing goals of the Postal Service. An integral component of the process is the medical assessment, which provides the hiring official with information needed for an informed hiring decision. The assessment identifies the individual’s medical restrictions or limitations, and it may suggest job modifications or accommodations to allow safe performance of essential job functions.

Note: Medical personnel are responsible for the medical assessment, but the hiring official is responsible for the final medical–suitability determination and the hiring decision.

Other events that require a medical assessment include:

1. Conversion/promotion/reassignment/transfer. A new medical assessment is required when an employee changes to a position with more demanding physical requirements than those associated with the employee’s present job. A new assessment is not required if an employee is going to a new job with similar duties.
2. Reappointment. An applicant who has had a break in postal service of more than one year must have a new medical assessment. If the break in service is less than one year, a new assessment is not required, provided all the following conditions are met:
1. A medical assessment and determination of medical suitability were obtained for the individual’s previous employment.
2. The duties of the new position for which the applicant was selected are not more physically demanding than those required in the last position.
3. The new application and other suitability screening material does not indicate the need for a new medical assessment.