---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 C.F.R. § 451.301"
title: "5"
number: "451.301"
heading: "Ranks for the Senior Executive Service."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/5/451.301"
---

# §451.301. Ranks for the Senior Executive Service.

- (a) The circumstances under which the President may award the rank of Distinguished Executive and Meritorious Executive to a Senior Executive Service (SES) career appointee are set forth in [5 U.S.C. 4507](/usc/5/4507.md).
- (b) **To be eligible for a rank award, a senior executive must—**
  - (1) Hold a career appointment in the SES, as defined at [5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(4)](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-4), on the nomination deadline set by OPM;
  - (2) Be an employee of the agency, as defined at [5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(1)](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1), on the nomination deadline set by OPM; and
  - (3) **Have at least 3 years of career or career-type Federal civilian service at the SES level.** Service need not be continuous.
    - (i) Qualifying service includes appointments in the SES, the Senior Foreign Service, the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, and similar senior executive systems.
    - (ii) Qualifying service does not include noncareer, limited term, or limited emergency appointments in the SES or their equivalent, Scientific and Professional (ST) appointments, and Senior-Level (SL) appointments.
- (c) Each agency may nominate up to 9 percent of its SES career appointees for rank awards.

## Notes

### Source

Source: 67 FR 52596, Aug. 13, 2002, unless otherwise noted.

### Authority

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 4302, 4501-4509; E.O. 11438, 33 FR 18085, 3 CFR, 1966-1970 Comp., p. 755; E.O. 12828, 58 FR 2965, 3 CFR, 1993 Comp., p. 569.