PROPOSED

HARDSHIP REASSIGNMENTS

PURPOSE: This is to establish consistency in the processing of employee requests for hardship reassignments.

AUTHORITY: In accordance with 5 CFR Part 335, Promotion and Internal Placement, an agency has the authority to promote, demote, or reassign a career or career-conditional employee or an employee serving under career executive assignment. Inasmuch as a hardship reassignment request is basically a request for a reassignment to another position, usually at a different location, HUD cites the above regulation as the appropriate authority for consideration of requests for hardship reassignments.

DEFINITION: Hardship Reassignment - An employee-initiated request for a reassignment to another location usually involving a different commuting area, (i.e., different city and/or state) because of a serious personal circumstance. Each request for a hardship reassignment will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis depending on particular facts and circumstances.

Hardships are situations outside of the employee’s reasonable ability to control, which affect the health and welfare of his/her family. Some examples of significant hardships are: a specific long-term medical situation where services or care is more accessible in a specific location; special education needs for children related to physical or mental disability; specific situations related to marital status, such as, sibling care issues, spousal placement (dual career), etc.

THE REQUEST: An employee should submit his/her hardship request to the servicing Administrative Officer. The request must be in writing and state, in detail, the circumstances of the hardship.

If an employee’s request is denied by his or her program office, the employee may consult with the Office of Human Resources (OHR) to determine the feasibility of a reassignment to another program office in the same location. OHR will notify Administrative Officers in other organizations of the employee’s interest in a reassignment to the requested location. If a reassignment is feasible, the receiving office will notify the employee.

Additional information and assistance may be obtained by contacting OHR, Human Resources Policy Research and Development Division, on (202) 708-9112.