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Placement Eligibility
To be eligible for placement as a Fellow with a
participating Federal Agency, you must have been selected as a
Finalist and you must complete all graduate degree requirements
(including any required thesis/dissertation) by August 31 of the
year following the application period. If you do not complete your
degree requirements on or before August 31, you will be
ineligible for placement in an agency as a PMF and will lose your
status as a Finalist. Hiring agencies have the responsibility to
confirm placement eligibility and may request a transcript.
Eligibility for a PMF appointment for your class will end one year
from the date that Finalists are officially
announced.
Throughout the appointment eligibility period,
we will send broadcast emails to all current Finalists to check
their status. We rely on Agency PMF Coordinators to formally
submit appointments in our database system, but sometimes this can
take a few weeks. The Finalists' Status Email will ask
Finalist if they are: (1) still seeking appointments, (2)
accepted a PMF appointment from an agency, (3) have already
accepted a PMF appointment and physically onboard with the
appointing agency, or (4) requesting withdrawal from further
consideration. This email is sent several times throughout
the appointment eligibility period.
Waivers
Requests for waivers in the PMF Program are granted on a
very limited basis. A waiver may be granted to a Finalist for
three reasons: (1) called into active duty with the United States
military; (2) severe illness prevents you from further
participation; or (3) severe illness of an immediate family member
or emergency preventing you from further participation. To
request a waiver, send an email to the PMF Program Office at
pmf@opm.gov or fax a letter to (202)
606-3040. Waivers based on clerkships, fellowships, grants,
scholarships, or other educational or employment opportunities will
not be granted. Though a waiver is referenced in the PMF
regulations, this is commonly referred to as a
deferment/deferral.
Appointment Extensions
Hiring agencies may formally request an appointment
extension for a specific Finalist they are interested in hiring and
cannot bring onboard by the one year deadline. This is typically a
result of a lengthy background investigation. The hiring agency
must submit a request no later than 30 days prior to the end of the
12 month appointment eligibility period. If the PMF Program
Office approves such a request, the appointment extension is only
valid for that agency. If, for whatever reason, the requesting
agency rescinds the offer and the one year deadline has been
reached, the extended Finalist will lose further
consideration.
UPDATED: 09-14-2011, 5:45 PM (ET)