General
Questions and answers
We
determine this period by looking back five years from the closing date of the
vacancy announcement. If an applicant
for a career Federal job held a political appointment covered by OPM’s policy
during that five-year period, OPM will review the proposed selection to ensure
it meets merit system principles. We
recognize that vacancy announcements are not always used for excepted service
positions. In such cases, the five-year
period will be determined by looking back five years from the date an agency
submits its request for pre-hiring review to OPM.