Pennsylvania Administrative Code

§ 608.1. Short title. This subpart shall be known and cited as the ‘‘Office of Administration’s Civil Service Reform Regulations.’’

§ 608.2. Purpose. This subpart implements Chapters 21—29 of the act and is to be read together with the applicable provisions of the act.

§ 608.3. Definitions. (a) The following words and terms, when used in this subpart, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: Act—Part III of 71 Pa.C.S. (relating to civil service reform), commonly referred to as the Civil Service Reform Act. Al…

§ 608.4. Veterans’ preference. (a) Application of veterans’ preference. (1) In determining standing on each certified eligible list, the Office of Administration will credit an additional 10 points to the final examination score obtained by a veteran, in accordance with 51 Pa.C.S…

§ 608.5. Age preference. (a) In accordance with the act, this subpart and section 2203-A(b) of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § 581-3(b)), the Department of Aging shall give preference to eligibles who are 60 years of age or older and within the rule of three or applica…

§ 608.6. Reasonable accommodations. (a) Equal employment opportunity. The Commonwealth is an equal opportunity employer. Accordingly, the Office of Administration will ensure that vacancy postings, applications and examinations are accessible to individuals with disabilities, the…

§ 608.7. Service to departments, boards and commissions, agencies and political subdivisions; reimbursement for services. (a) Acquisition of services. The merit system employment services and facilities of the Office of Administration, and its staff, will be made available to dep…

§ 608.8. Electronic records and signatures. The Office of Administration or an appointing authority may, in its discretion, utilize and accept, in the form and manner prescribed by the Office of Administration or appointing authority, electronic records and electronic signatures,…

§ 609.1. General. In accordance with 71 Pa.C.S. § 2504 (relating to classification and compensation), the Office of Administration will utilize the Commonwealth’s classification system, as established by the board, for those positions within the classified service unless otherwis…

§ 609.2. Trainee job classifications. Subject to the approval of the board, the Office of Administration, in cooperation with the appointing authorities, may designate specific job classifications for training purposes, provided the trainee classification corresponds to a working…

§ 609.3. Intern job classifications. Subject to the approval of the board, the Office of Administration, in cooperation with the appointing authorities, may designate specific job classifications for internship purposes, provided the intern classification corresponds to one or mo…

§ 609.4. Minimum qualifications. (a) Applicants. To ensure that all employees in the classified service are qualified for their respective positions, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for employment in the job classification for which the applicant applied. (b) Empl…

§ 609.5. Unclassified service. (a) Requests for inclusion in the unclassified service. If an appointing authority believes that a position or group of positions should be included in the unclassified service, as defined by 71 Pa.C.S. § 2103 (relating to definitions), the appointi…

§ 610.1. Residency requirement. (a) Requirement. An applicant seeking appointment or promotion to a position in the classified service shall be a resident or former resident of this Commonwealth. This subsection does not apply to an individual who was previously a regular employe…

§ 610.10. Administration of examinations. (a) Frequency of examinations. The Office of Administration will administer examinations to establish employment and promotion lists when necessary to meet or anticipate the employment needs of appointing authorities. (b) Notice of examin…

§ 610.11. Promotion examinations. (a) Except as indicated in this section, a promotion examination will be open to probationary and regular employees who occupy a position with a lower maximum salary than the position relevant to the examination, possess the minimum qualification…

§ 610.12. Prohibited conduct in examinations. (a) Cheating or seeking undue advantage. An individual may not impersonate an applicant or have another individual impersonate an applicant in connection with an examination; or use or attempt to use unauthorized aids or assistance, i…

§ 610.13. Scoring of examinations. (a) Qualifying raw scores. The Office of Administration shall set qualifying raw scores for each examination. When there is a multipart examination, the Office of Administration may require applicants to attain a qualifying raw score on each par…

§ 610.14. Examination analysis and alternatives. (a) Analysis. The Office of Administration will initiate analysis of examinations as necessary to ensure that examinations do not discriminate on the basis of nonmerit factors. (b) Invalidation and substitution. The Office of Admin…

§ 610.15. Creation of eligible lists. Upon the scoring of an examination, the Office of Administration will create an eligible list, which shall contain the names of the applicants who qualified for and successfully passed the examination. Eligible lists shall be arranged in orde…

§ 610.16. Duration of eligible lists. The duration of an eligible list will be fixed by the Office of Administration based on the needs and interest of the Commonwealth.

§ 610.17. Amendment of eligible lists. (a) Amendments permitted. The Office of Administration may amend an eligible list to correct a clerical error. Clerical errors include, but are not limited to, corrections to an eligible’s score, a change to an applicant’s veteran status or …

§ 610.18. Replacement and integration of eligible lists. (a) Replacement and integration permitted. A newly established eligible list may replace an earlier eligible list appropriate for the same job classification. The Office of Administration may integrate an eligible list with…

§ 610.19. Cancellation of eligible lists. (a) Cancellation permitted. The Office of Administration may cancel an eligible list where it determines that illegality or fraud occurred in connection with the eligible list. (b) Public hearing. Prior to cancelling an eligible list, the…

§ 610.2. Recruitment methods. (a) Generally. Except as otherwise authorized by this section, recruitment for a vacant position in the classified service will be through examination. Examinations may be for a single position or for employment in a job classification generally. (b)…

§ 610.20. Request for certification. (a) Generally. Upon the request of an appointing authority, the Office of Administration will issue to the appointing authority as many certifications as necessary to satisfy the employment needs of the appointing authority. (b) Types of certi…

§ 610.21. Content of certification. (a) Generally. A certified eligible list will contain the names of those eligibles who received a passing final examination score and will indicate each eligible’s final examination score. (b) Veterans’ preference. In accordance with § 608.4(d)…

§ 610.22. Duration of certification. A certified eligible list shall be valid for 90 business days after the date of certification.

§ 610.23. Refusal to certify; removal from certification. Generally. The Office of Administration is not required to certify, and may otherwise remove from a certified eligible list, an eligible who: (1) Lacks the minimum qualifications for employment in the relevant job classifi…

§ 610.24. Rule of three and alternate rule. (a) Rule of three. Unless an appointing authority elects to use an alternate rule, the rule of three shall apply when selecting an eligible for appointment or promotion from a certified eligible list. The rule of three may include more …

§ 610.25. Assessment of eligibles. An appointing authority may conduct an interview or otherwise assess relative suitability for appointment or promotion of a certified eligible, but the assessment must be based on merit-related criteria and be conducted in accordance with the ac…

§ 610.26. Removal of eligible from eligible list. (a) Request for removal of eligible from eligible list. A request for removal of an eligible’s name from an established or certified eligible list is subject to the following: (1) A request for removal of an eligible’s name from a…

§ 610.27. Prohibition against securing withdrawal from competition. An eligible may not influence another eligible to withdraw from competition for a position in the classified service, nor may a waiver of another eligible’s rights or availability be solicited for the purpose of …

§ 610.28. Referral of applicants. (a) Generally. Upon the closing of a vacancy posting limited to only internal recruitment methods, the Office of Administration will refer to the appointing authority the names of those applicants available for appointment or promotion by the app…

§ 610.29. Reassignment. (a) Generally. An employee in the classified service may seek appointment to a vacant position through reassignment, provided the position is in the same or similar job classification to which the employee currently holds. (b) Similar job classification. T…

§ 610.3. Selective criteria. (a) Generally. Upon the request of an appointing authority, the Office of Administration may restrict certification or referral for a position based on selective criteria. (b) Basis for selective criteria. Selective criteria shall be based on merit-re…

§ 610.30. Transfer. (a) Generally. An employee in the classified service may seek appointment to a vacant position through a transfer, provided the position is in the same job classification that the employee currently holds. (b) Additional criteria. Subject to the prior approval…

§ 610.31. Voluntary demotion. An employee in the classified service may seek appointment to a vacant position through demotion, provided the position is in a job classification that the employee previously held regular status or which the employee is otherwise qualified to hold. …

§ 610.32. Reinstatement. An applicant who previously held regular status employment in the classified service and who resigned or otherwise voluntarily separated from that employment may seek appointment to a vacant position through reinstatement, provided the position is in the …

§ 610.33. Promotion. (a) Method of promotion. A vacancy may be filled by promotion in the following ways: (1) By promotion of a probationary or regular employee from an appropriate employment list. (2) By promotion of a probationary or regular employee from a promotion list. (3) …

§ 610.34. Assessment of referred applicants. An appointing authority may conduct an interview or otherwise assess relative suitability for appointment or promotion of a referred applicant, but the assessment must be based on merit-related criteria and be conducted in accordance w…

§ 610.35. Prohibition against securing withdrawal from competition. An applicant may not influence another applicant to withdraw from competition for a position in the classified service, nor may a waiver of another applicant’s rights or availability be solicited for the purpose …

§ 610.36. Emergency appointments. (a) Generally. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter related to examinations and the certification and appointment of eligibles, to prevent serious impairment of the public business during an emergency, and when time does not permit secu…

§ 610.4. Vacancy postings. (a) Content of vacancy postings. A vacancy posting shall be published using the form prescribed by the Office of Administration and, at a minimum, must include all of the following information: (1) The appointing authority. (2) The relevant bureau, divi…

§ 610.5. Application requirements. (a) Submission of applications. An application shall be submitted using the form prescribed by the Office of Administration, which will be available through the Office of Administration’s website and shall contain a statement made subject to the…

§ 610.6. Evaluation of applications. (a) Evaluations. Consistent with § § 609.4 and 610.3 (relating to minimum qualifications; and selective criteria), the Office of Administration shall evaluate an applicant’s application to determine whether the applicant possesses the minimum …

§ 610.7. Audit of applications. (a) Information included on an applicant’s application may be subject to audit by the Office of Administration, including audit after the applicant’s appointment or promotion. Audits performed under this section are separate and distinct from any v…