HRDG 4335 - Section A

Employees will:

• Consult with the SPO and/or Reasonable Accommodations (RA) staff with any applicable questions, e.g., benefits, salary implications.
• Consult with the supervisor.
• Consult with the RA staff for any questions concerning a change in ODS as a part of an RA request.
• Complete forms, as applicable, found in the “Forms” section.
• Prepare/obtain supporting documentation. Requests concerning a serious illness of the employee and/or family member will require use of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms. (FMLA forms are located in the “Appendix” of HRDG Subchapter 4630 at the bottom of the Table of Contents.)
• Forward request to the first level supervisor.
• Submit all medical documentation concerning their own medical situation to the RA staff. A relative’s medical documentation must be destroyed once the condition is verified. (Refer questions to the RA staff on medical documentation.)

Note: Employees may appeal denials within 14 calendar days of receipt of a denial to the Agency Administrator. Appeals must be in writing, clearly identifying why the request should be granted and must include a copy of the complete package.

First-line supervisors will:

• Consult with the SPO when requests are received.
• Review for completeness.
• Request additional information / documentation from the employee, if necessary.
• Prepare written analysis using the Managerial Assessment Worksheet for a Change in Official Duty Station, MRP Form 370 (150.78 KB).
• Approve / disapprove, in writing, requests that are < 6 months using the Decision Documentation for Change in Official Duty Station, MRP Form 373 (177.71 KB).
• If the request is for a temporary change of > 6 months or a permanent change in ODS, prepare a written analysis with recommendations (using MRP Form 373 (177.71 KB)) and forward through the chain of command to the Deputy Administrator’s (DA) office for decision.
• Notify the employee when a decision has been reached including advising of appeal rights if the request is denied.
• Obtain a completed Change in Official Duty Station Agreement, MRP Form 371 (146.83 KB), for approved requests. This agreement will be maintained and monitored by the first-line supervisor.
• Properly handle any medical documentation received as noted below.

• Forward the remaining paperwork to the SPO.
• Provide a copy of the package (excluding medical documentation) to the Human Resources Policy Branch, Human Resources Division.

Deputy Administrators will:

• Consult the table below that outlines the amount of time that a first level supervisor has to analyze and make recommendations on all requests that are temporary in excess of six (6) months and those that are permanent change in ODS requests.

*Note: 10 business days is equivalent to 14 calendar days.

15 business days is equivalent to 21 calendar days.

• Review requests.
• Request additional information / documentation, if necessary.
• Issue a written decision after consulting with their program management team. The written decision must include a statement indicating that a denial is appealable to the Administrator within 14 calendar days of receipt of the denial.

Note: The authority to approve these requests may not be re-delegated to lower supervisory levels.

Note: Decisions by the Deputy Administrator must be issued within 30 calendar days of receipt of the request by the first level supervisor. This timeframe is only extended when additional information is needed as described in this HRDG.

Administrators will:

• Review denials.
• Request additional information / documentation, if necessary.
• Issue a decision on appeals of denials within 14 calendar days of receipt of the appeal.

Your Servicing Personnel Office (SPO) will:

• Provide advice and guidance on the appropriate use of this Subchapter.
• Ensure appropriate forms have been completed and signed by all necessary persons.
• Verify that all salary computations are correct and appropriate.
• Process any Requests for Personnel Action, SF-52
• Maintain necessary documentation in the employee’s Official Personnel Folder. If medical documentation is inadvertently received, it must be securely forwarded to the RA staff, HRD, who will securely maintain and destroy the documentation based on Federal record retention requirements.

The HRPB will:

• Review and update the policy, as necessary.
• Provide interpretations on policy-determining issues.
• Evaluate the use of this authority and annually provide a report to the Agencies.
• When requested, provide information to USDA, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), and/or other Federal agencies.