Executive Order 10157—Enabling Certain Employees of the Federal Government to Acquire a Competitive Status

By virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 2 of the Civil Service Act (22 Stat. 404) and by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

1. Except as provided by paragraph 2 hereof, any employee of the Federal Government without competitive status who on the date of this order is serving in an active-duty status in an office or position in the competitive service of the Government shall be entitled to and shall acquire a competitive status upon compliance with the following conditions:

(1) The employee shall have served continuously in a full-time, active-duty status in the competitive service, without a break in service of more than sixty calendar days, during the two years immediately prior to the date of this order: Provided, that military service shall not be regarded as a break in service.

(b) If his employment is evaluated under an efficiency rating system, the most recent rating of the employee must be "Good" or better, and if his employment is not so evaluated, the head of the agency in which he is employed must certify to the Civil Service Commission that the employee has served with merit for six months or longer immediately prior to the date of such certification.

(c) The acquisition of competitive status by the employee must be recommended by the head of the agency in which he is employed within six months of the date of this order.

(d) The employee must successfully qualify in such suitable noncompetitive examination as the Civil Service Commission may prescribe: Provided, that only one such noncompetitive examination shall be given him.

2. This order shall not be applicable to (a) postmasters; (b) rural carriers in those cases with respect to which there is an existing register of eligibles for filling the positioning question or with respect to which an examination has been announced by the Civil Service Commission for filling such position; and (c) persons not entitled to veteran preference who are serving in positions which are by law or by Executive order restricted to preference eligibles.

3. For the purposes of this order, employees who are on active military duty on the date hereof shall be considered as being in an active-duty status.

4. The Civil Service Commission shall promulgate regulations to effectuate the purposes of this order.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

THE WHITE HOUSE,

August 28, 1950