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or agency to another for permanent duty.

(2) Civilian officers and employees of the United States Postal Service transferred under 39 U.S.C. 1006 from the Postal Service to an agency as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5721 for permanent duty.

(3) Civilian officers and employees assigned to posts of duty outside the continental United States in connection with overseas tour renewal agreement travel and upon return to places of residence for the purpose of separation.

(4) New appointees to any position. (5) Student trainees assigned upon completion of college work to any position.

(6) Department of Defense overseas dependents school system teachers.

(7) Career appointees to the Senior Executive Service (SES), and prior SES appointees who have elected to retain SES retirement benefits, upon their retirement and return to the place the individual has elected to reside.

(b) Persons excluded. This chapter shall not apply to:

(1) Officers and employees transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended.

(2) Officers and employees transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949, as amended.

(3) Persons whose pay and allowances are prescribed under title 37, United States Code, "Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services."

(4) Personnel of the Veterans Administration to whom the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 235 apply.

[54 FR 20306, May 10, 1989, as amended by FTR Amdt. 17, 56 FR 23656, May 23, 1991; FTR Amdt. 26, 57 FR 28635, June 26, 1992; FTR Amdt. 37, 59 FR 27488, May 27, 1994]

§ 302-1.3 General provisions.

(a) Travel covered—(1) Mandatory coverage. When change of official station or other action described in this paragraph is authorized or approved by such official or officials as the head of the agency may designate, travel and transportation expenses and applicable allowances as provided in this chapter (see applicability and exclusions in pertinent parts) shall be paid in the case of:

(i) An employee transferring from one official duty station to another for permanent duty, provided the transfer is in the interest of the Government and is not primarily for the convenience or benefit of the employee or at his/her request; the transfer is to a new official station which is at least 10 miles distant from the old official station; and, in the case of a relatively short distance relocation, a determination of eligibility is made under §3021.7(a) of this part;

(ii) Eligible employees outside the continental United States traveling in connection with overseas tour renewal agreement travel;

(iii) Eligible employees returning from posts of duty outside the continental United States to places of actual residence for separation as provided in § 302–1.12 of this part; and

(iv) Eligible individuals, as defined in §302-1.101 of this chapter, qualifying for "last move home" benefits upon separation from Government service as provided in subpart B of this part.

(2) Discretionary coverage. The head of an agency, or his/her designated official, may authorize the payment of travel and transportation expenses and applicable allowances in the case of new appointees, as defined in §3021.4(d) of this part, relocating from their place of actual residence at the time of appointment (or at the time following the most recent Presidential election, but before selection or appointment, in the case of individuals who have performed transition activities under section 3 of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note) and who are appointed in the same fiscal year as the Presidential inauguration that immediately follows their transition activities) for permanent duty to official stations.

(b) Reasonable advance notice of reassignment or transfer. As provided in 5 U.S.C. 5724(j), "the reassignment or transfer of any employee, for permanent duty, from one official station or agency to another which is outside the employee's commuting area shall take effect only after the employee has been given advance notice for a reasonable period. Emergency circumstances shall be taken into account in determining whether the period of advance notice is

reasonable." Agencies shall give as much advance notice as possible to enable the employee to begin the arrangements necessary when relocating family and residence. However, see §302-1.7 governing payment of travel and transportation expenses and applicable allowances when short distances are involved. A reasonable period of advance notice should not be less than 30 days except when:

(1) The employee and both the losing and gaining agencies agree on a lesser period;

(2) Other statutory authority and implementing regulations stipulate a lesser period (see Office of Personnel Management regulations for specified timeframes); or

(3) Emergency circumstances prevail. (c) Travel authorization. When it is determined that a relocation will be authorized at Government expense, a written travel authorization shall be issued to the new appointee or employee before he/she reports to the first or new official station. The agency should advise the employee, or individual selected for appointment, not to incur relocation expenses in anticipation of a relocation until he/she has received written notification. The travel authorization shall indicate the specific allowances which are authorized as provided in this chapter and provide instructions on the Federal procedures for procurement of travel and transportation services. The guidelines in §3011.102 of this title on issuance of travel authorizations shall be followed. See also §302-1.10(c) for procedural requirements applicable to new appointees.

(d) Applicable provisions for reimbursement purposes. Because of successive changes to the statutes and the regulatory provisions governing relocation allowances and the extended period of time that employees retain eligibility for certain allowances (see §§ 302-1.6 and 302-6.1(e)), the reimbursement maximums or limitations applicable to certain allowances will not be the same for all employees even though claims may be filed within the same timeframe. The regulatory provisions in effect on the employee's or new appointee's effective date of transfer or appointment (see §302-1.4(1)) shall be