General. An employee who would otherwise be eligible for retirement based on involuntary separation from the service is not entitled to an annuity under section 8336(d)(1) of title 5, United States Code, if the employee has declined a reasonable offer of another position.

Criteria for reasonable offer. For the purposes of determining entitlement to annuity based on such involuntary separation, the offer of a position must meet all of the following conditions to be considered a reasonable offer:

The offer must be made in writing;

The employee must meet established qualification requirements; and

The offered position must be—

In the employee's agency, including an agency to which the employee with his or her function is transferred in a transfer of functions between agencies;

Within the employee's commuting area as defined in § 831.1202 of this part, unless geographic mobility is a condition of the employee's employment;

Of the same tenure and work schedule; and

Not lower than the equivalent of two grades or pay levels below the employee's current grade or pay level, without consideration of the employee's eligibility to retain his or her current grade or pay under part 536 of this chapter or other authority. In movements between pay schedules or pay systems, the comparison rate of the grade or pay level that is two grades below that of the current position will be compared with the comparison rate of the grade or pay level of the offered position. For this purpose, “comparison rate” has the meaning given that term in § 536.103 of this chapter, except paragraph (2) of that definition should be used for the purpose of comparing grade or levels of work in making reasonable offer determinations in all situations not covered by paragraph (1) of that definition.