(a) Coverage. This section covers employees serving in occupations that were covered by the Professional and Administrative Career Examination on August 30, 1982, and that were listed in the consent decree entered on November 19, 1981, by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in the civil action known as Luevano v. Devine and numbered as No. 79-271. Those occupations are designated in these regulations as professional and administrative career (PAC) occupations or positions. OPM will publish a listing of PAC occupations.

(b) Eligibility. An agency may, but is not required to, convert appointments of employees occupying PAC positions under nontemporary appointments effected under § 213.3202(1) of this chapter to career or career-conditional appointments at the GS-9 level in any position in a PAC occupation when such employees—

(1) Complete at least 1 year of Schedule B service at the GS-7 level that meets the quality of experience requirement for the GS-9 position in which converted (less than full-time service is credited according to the relation it bears to the full-time workweek);

(2) Demonstrate performance that warrants conversion at GS-9 (a current performance rating of fully successful or better for the year immediately preceding conversion is necessary for this purpose);

(3) Meet all requirements and conditions governing career and career-conditional appointment except those requirements concerning competitive selection from a register;

(4) Are converted without a break in service of one workday or more; and

(5) Are converted as a result of a deliberate decision by management.

(c) Tenure on conversion. An employee converted under paragraph (a) of this section becomes—

(1) A career-conditional employee, except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section;

(2) A career employee if he or she has completed 3 years of substantially continuous service in nontemporary appointments under § 213.3202(l) of this chapter, or has otherwise completed the service requirement for career tenure, or is excepted from it by § 315.201(c).

(d) Acquisition of competitive status. A person whose employment is converted to career or career-conditional employment under this section acquires a competitive status automatically on conversion.