OPM is authorized in 5 U.S.C. 8402(c)(1) to “exclude from the operation of this chapter an employee or group of employees in or under an Executive agency, the United States Postal Service, or the Postal Rate Commission, whose employment is temporary or intermittent, except an employee whose employment is part-time career employment (as defined in section 3401(2)).” Therefore, under this authority, OPM is excluding the following:
Employees serving under appointments limited to 1 year or less, unless such appointments meet the definition of provisional appointments contained in §§ 316.401 and 316.403 of this chapter; and
Intermittent employees serving under other than career or career conditional appointments.
When an employee who is covered by FERS moves to a position listed in paragraph (a) of this section without a break in service or after a separation of 3 days or less, his or her FERS coverage will continue, except in the case of an employee hired by the Census Bureau under a temporary, intermittent appointment to perform decennial census duties.
Paragraph (a) of this section does not deny FERS coverage to an employee who receives an interim appointment under § 772.102 of this chapter and was covered by FERS at the time of the separation for which interim relief is required.