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"RARE BIRD" POSITION — One where the OPM has determined that the pay or duties of the position are such, or that the qualified persons are so few, it would not be in the interest of good civil service administration to fill the position through open-competitive examination.

RATE OF BASIC PAY — The rate of pay fixed by law or administrative action for the position held by an employee before any deductions (such as taxes) and exclusive of additional pay of any kind (such as overtime pay).

REALIGNMENT — The movement of an employee and his or her position when (1) a transfer of function or an organization change occurs, and (2) the employee REEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS — The entitlement of a stay in the same agency, and (3) there is no change in the employee's position, grade or pay. (Note: For purposes of this definition, a change in the amount of any locality payment to which the employee is entitled is not a change in pay.)

REASSIGNMENT — The change of an employee from one position to another without promotion or change to lower grade. Reassignment includes: (1) movement to a position in a new occupational series, or to another position in the same series; (2) assignment to a position that has been re-described due to the introduction of a new or revised classification or job grading standard; (3) assignment to a position that has been re-described as a result of position review; and (4) movement to a different position at the same grade but with a change in salary that is the result of different local prevailing wage rates or a different locality payment.

RECRUITMENT BONUS — A one-time payment of up to 25 percent of basic pay to an employee who is newly appointed to a hard-to-fill position.

REDUCTION IN FORCE (RIF) — Separation of an employee from his or her competitive level, required by the agency because of lack of work or funds, abolition of position or agency, or cuts in personnel authorizations.

REDUCTION IN GRADE — See CHANGE TO LOWER GRADE

REEMPLOYED ANNUITANT — A person retired under the Civil Service or Federal Employees Retirement System whose annuity continues after the Federal Government reemploys him or her.

REEMPLOYMENT PRIORITY LIST — A list of career and career-conditional employees an agency has separated because of (1) reduction in force or (2) compensable injury or disability where recovery takes more than one year from the time the employee began receiving compensation. employee to return to non-temporary employment after assignment to other civilian employment. This other employment may be with the Foreign Service, public international organizations, or other agencies in the executive branch or overseas.

REINSTATEMENT — Noncompetitive reemployment in the competitive service as a career or career-conditional employee of a person formerly employed in the competitive service who had a competitive status or was serving probation when separated.

RELOCATION BONUS — A one-time payment of up to 25 percent of basic pay to a current employee who relocates to take a hard-to-fill position.

REMOVAL — A separation from Federal service initiated by the agency, Office of Personnel Management, or Merit Systems Protection Board, under 5 CFR parts 359, 432, 731, or 752; section 1201 of title 5, U.S. Code; or comparable agency statutes or regulations.

RESERVIST — A member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard reserves.

RESIGNATION-ILIA — A nature of action used to document the resignation initiated by employee under circumstances that meet the definition of "involuntary separation" in Chapter 44 of The CSRS and FERS Handbook.

RESTORATION RIGHTS — The entitlement of employees who leave their civilian positions for military duty to return to those positions after termination of that duty and the entitlement of an employee to return to his or her position after recovery from compensable injury.

RETAINED RATE — A rate of pay above the maximum rate of the employee's grade, which an employee is allowed to keep in special situations rather than having his or her rate of basic pay reduced.

RETENTION ALLOWANCE — is the annual total dollar amount (up to 25 percent of basic pay) paid to an essential employee with unusually high qualifications or special skills in those cases where the agency determines that the employee would be likely to leave Federal employment if no allowance were paid.

RETENTION PREFERENCE — The relative right of an employee to be retained in a position when similar positions are being abolished and employees in them are being separated or furloughed.

RETENTION REGISTER — A written or printed record of all employees occupying positions in a competitive level arranged by tenure groups and subgroups, and by service dates within the subgroup. It is used in a reduction in force to determine which employees are retained and which are separated or moved to other positions.

RETIREMENT, DEFERRED — Retirement of a person age 62 or older with at least 5 years of civilian service who was formerly employed under the Civil Service Retirement System and then left Federal service or moved to a position not under the retirement system. An employee covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System who separates after completing 10 years of service can also receive a deferred retirement upon reaching the Federal Employees Retirement System "Minimum Retirement Age" (55 to 57, depending on birth date). (The CSRS and FERS Handbook)

RETIREMENT, DISCONTINUED SERVICE — Retirement based on involuntary separation against the will and without the consent of the employee, other than on charges of misconduct or delinquency. An employee who does not meet the age and service requirements for optional retirement at the time of separation may retire on discontinued service if he or she is age 50 with 20 years of creditable service or at any age with 25 years of creditable service including 5 years of civilian service. (The CSRS and FERS Handbook)

RETIREMENT, OPTIONAL — means voluntary retirement, without reduction in annuity, of an employee who meets minimum age and service requirements. Under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), an employee qualifies at age 55 with 30 years of creditable service; under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), an employee qualifies at the minimum retirement age (55-57, depending on birth date) with 30 years of creditable service. Under both CSRS and FERS, an employee also qualifies at age 60 with 20 years of creditable service and at age 62 with 5 years of creditable service. (The CSRS and FERS Handbook)

RETURN TO DUTY — Placement of an employee back in pay and duty status after absence for Furlough, Suspension, or Leave Without Pay.