Effective December 11, 2014, the Postal Service™ is revising Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement, section 234.7, as follows:
n The heading for section 234.7 is changed from Temporary Relief Carrier and Postmaster Relief/Leave Replacement to Postmaster Relief (Remotely Managed Post Office).
n Previous section 234.71 addressing Temporary Relief Carriers has been deleted. Section 234.72 has been renumbered 234.71 and addresses staffing of Postmaster Reliefs in 2-hour Remotely Managed Post Offices.
n Previous section 234.73 has been renumbered 234.72 and updates special conditions for the reemployment of Postal Service annuitants without offset as PMRs in Remotely Managed Post Offices, and Part Time Post Offices.
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Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement
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2 Recruitment
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23 Sources of Recruitment
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234 Noncareer Recruitment
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[Revise the title of 234.7 to read as follows:]
234.7 Postmaster Relief (Remotely Managed Post Office) or Postmaster Relief (Part Time Post Office)
[Delete 234.71 in its entirety. Renumber current 234.72 as new 234.71 and revise the text to read as follows:]
234.71 Postmaster Relief Staffing
A Postmaster Relief (Remotely Managed Post Office (RMPO)), hereinafter “PMR”, staffs RMPOs that have part-time retail hours of 2 hours per day. A Postmaster Relief (Part Time Post Office (PTPO)), herinafter “PMR”, relieves a Part Time Postmaster in PTPOs that have part-time retail hours of 6 hours per day. More than one PMR can be assigned to a 2-hour RMPO or 6-hour PTPO, and PMRs are eligible for reassignment to other PMR positions. See 234.72 for special authority to hire annuitants for the position of PMR.
[Renumber current 234.73 as new 234.72 and revise the text to read as follows:]
234.72 Reemployment of Postal Service Annuitants as PMR
When normal internal and external recruitment efforts for PMR positions fail to attract qualified individuals, appointing officials may request authorization from the district Human Resources manager to recruit Postal Service retirees to serve in PMR positions. A retired Postal Service applicant can work in this position for a period limited to 180 days in a calendar year without an offset to his or her annuity under a dual compensation waiver granted by the Office of Personnel Management. The waiver applies to this position only, and it may be used only when normal recruitment sources fail to identify qualified applicants. This authority does not allow an assignment to any career position or to any other temporary position.
Key points of this recruitment alternative are:
a. This hiring authority can be used only:
(1) With the approval of the district Human Resources manager; and
(2) When normal recruitment does not yield qualified applicants for a PMR position.
b. Appointing officials must continue recruiting efforts for PMR positions occupied by annuitants with a dual compensation waiver.
c. This authority limits employment to appointments of no more than 359 calendar days, and:
(1) Within this period, an annuitant may work no more than 180 days in a calendar year. Any days worked beyond 180 in a calendar year are subject to an offset of salary.
(2) Postmasters and annuitants must carefully monitor work schedules to ensure appointments are terminated at:
(a) The end of 180 days of actual work; or
(b) The end of 365 calendar days, whichever comes first.
(3) If it is necessary to employ the services of an annuitant for more than one 359-calendar-day appointment, then a 6-calendar-day break in service is required between appointments.
d. Hiring officials must comply with special administrative and reporting requirements when employing annuitants to fill PMR positions (see Appendix D, Tracking Procedures and Sample Letters for Use With Dual Compensation Issues).
e. When calculating the 180 days worked in a calendar year, calculate the number in actual days. Do not calculate the number of hours that would equal 180 days.
f. Any amount of work on a given day qualifies as one day of work.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement, which is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n Click HBKs.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Human Resources (HQ),
Employee Resource Management, 12-11-14
