8.27 Status of Nonclassified Employees Whose Positions are Declared to be in the State Classified Service or are Acquired by a State Agency.

(a) When a nongovernmental private organization or position, which is not subject to the Article, is acquired by a State agency as a result of a legislative act, constitutional amendment, judicial decree, or an executive order, or a government organization or position, which has been created by an executive order of the Governor, legislation, constitutional amendment, or a local authority, is declared to be in the State classified service by judicial decree or by order of the Commission or Director, an employee incumbering an affected position shall be appointed in the State classified service under this Rule if:

1. His position is retained by the State agency, and the appointing authority of the agency certifies in writing to the Director that the retention is necessary for the continued efficient functioning of the acquiring agency, and such position falls within the State classified service;

2. He is eligible for employment in the classified service;

3. He is either employed in the position or is an employee of the acquired organization and has at least one year of continuous service as of the effective date of the transfer of the position or of the acquired agency to the State classified service provided that such effective date shall be the same effective date of the legislation, constitutional amendment, judicial decree, or commission order that initiated the action to classify the position, and in the absence of these directives, as of the date of the Director's order;

4. He possesses the minimum requirements established for the class to which his position has been allocated, on the date of the notification to the agency of the original allocation of his position for probationary appointment;

5. He attains a passing score on the appropriate test, within three attempts and six months of the date of notification of the original allocation of his position for probationary appointment, except that after notifying the Commission the Director may waive the passing of a written examination provided:

a. Either an appropriate test is not available or a review of the hiring and personnel practices of the entity indicates testing would be impractical and/or unnecessary; and

b. A review of the person's application and personnel record reveals that he has successfully performed the duties of the same position for two years; and

c. The appointing authority certifies that his performance has been satisfactory.

d. The Director may still require certain employees to meet the testing requirements of (a) 5.

6. Subject to Rule 17.14, when an agency acquires employees under Rule 8.27 and a layoff results, it shall neither exempt the acquired employees from a layoff, nor shall the acquisition of these employees prevent the appointment of classified employees from a Department Preferred Reemployment List.

(b) An employee who enters the State classified service in accordance with this Rule and who is employed as a classified employee of a governmental jurisdiction subject to a civil service article, statute or ordinance shall be appointed to the State classified service with the same appointment status he attained in the former service and such employee shall be exempt from the requirements in (a) 3, (a) 4 and (a)(5) above. All other employees who enter the State classified service in accordance with this Rule shall be either provisionally or probationally appointed.

(c) An employee who enters the state classified service in accordance with this rule and who is employed with an organization that is being acquired in its entirety for the first time in the classified service may be exempted from the requirements in (a) 3, (a) 4 and (a) 5 above, provided he occupies the same position with the acquired organization, if so ordered by the Director after a review of the hiring and personnel practices of the organization indicates such provisions would be either impractical or unnecessary.

1. When using this provision the Director shall notify the Commission of his intention to apply it and, after using it, shall file a written report explaining the reasons therefor.

2. The Director may still require certain employees to meet the requirements of (a) 4 and (a) 5.

3. An employee acquired under this provision, except for those acquired under subsection (c) 2 above, will be considered to possess the minimum qualifications of the job in which acquired.

(d) An employee who enters the State classified service in accordance with this Rule shall have his pay established in accordance with Rule 6.17.

(e) An employee who enters the State classified service in accordance with this Rule shall have his leave credits determined as follows:

1. An employee who is employed as a classified employee of a governmental jurisdiction subject to a civil service article, statute or ordinance shall have his annual and sick leave credits assumed by his acquiring agency; provided that only the amount of leave earned minus the amount taken, during the first year of the appointment authorized by the Director or Commission, may be paid upon separation in that year, except for separations caused by a layoff, medical disability, death or retirement. Upon entering the State classified service, he shall earn and be credited with leave benefits as provided elsewhere in these Rules.

2. An employee of the state, so long as an official system of leave earning and use was maintained by the employer, shall have his leave credits determined as provided by Rule 11.19(d).

3. Any other employee who enters the State classified service in accordance with this Rule shall be credited for unused annual and sick leave, not to exceed 240 hours of each, which had been earned by and credited to the employee on the date of his appointment to the State classified service so long as an official system of leave earning and use was maintained by the former employer; provided that only the amount of leave earned minus the amount taken by the employee, during the first year of the appointment authorized by the Director or Commission, may be paid upon separation in that year, except for separations caused by a layoff, medical disability, death or retirement.

(f) Compensatory time shall not be credited above what is legally required under FLSA to the employee.

(g) When a position brought into the classified service under this rule is title corrected, the employee's pay shall not change, except where an adjustment to the minimum of the range is required. Title correction shall mean a change in the job title of a position, by Civil Service, following the original allocation of a position for purposes of probational appointment under this rule.

(h) An employee who enters the State classified service in accordance with this Rule shall have his eligibility for merit increases under Rule 6.14 and leave earning determined based on the original date of appointment with his current or former employer and, upon appointment in the State classified service, shall not be treated as a new employee under the provisions of Rule 6.14. However, the Director may approve existing annual eligibility dates for all employees of an entity, acquired under this rule, that already had a well established merit pay policy.

(i) This Rule shall not apply to any employee who is illegally hired in either the State unclassified or State classified service as determined by the Commission after investigation by public hearing, or who is hired in the State unclassified service under the provisions of Rule 4.1(d)1, or who is voluntarily seeking employment in the State classified service.

(j) Upon request of an appointing authority and when in its judgement sufficient and compelling reasons to do so have been presented, the Commission may apply the provisions of this Rule to situations not addressed herein.

(k) The Director may order an employee, who is subject to being brought into the State classified service under Rule 8.27, placed on a special provisional appointment as provided by this subsection and such appointment shall:

1. contain the same rights, privileges and status as a provisional appointment, unless otherwise provided by this rule;

2. be provided to allow the completion of the process necessary to determine if the employee may remain in the classified service and what requirements of this rule, and others if applicable, will have to be met; and

3. expire either on probational appointment of the employee, or two years from the date the appointment was made, or upon cancellation by the Director.