---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 C.F.R. § 451.302"
title: "5"
number: "451.302"
heading: "Ranks for senior career employees."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/5/451.302"
---

# §451.302. Ranks for senior career employees.

- (a) The circumstances under which the President may award the rank of Distinguished Senior Professional and Meritorious Senior Professional to a senior career employee are set forth in [5 U.S.C. 4507a](/usc/5/4507a.md).
- (b) **To be eligible for a rank award, a senior career employee must—**
  - (1) Hold a career appointment in a Senior-Level (SL) or Scientific-Professional (ST) position that is subject to OPM position allocations under [part 319](/cfr/5/part319.md) of this chapter and paid under [5 U.S.C. 5376](/usc/5/5376.md) on the nomination deadline set by OPM;
  - (2) Be an employee of the agency on the nomination deadline set by OPM; and
  - (3) **Have at least 3 years of career or career-type Federal civilian service above GS-15.** Service need not be continuous. Qualifying service includes appointments that are not—
    - (i) Time-limited; or
    - (ii) To positions that are excepted from the competitive service because of their confidential or policy-making character.
- (c) Each agency may nominate up to 9 percent of its senior career employees for rank awards.

## Notes

### Amendments

[67 FR 52596, Aug. 13, 2002, as amended at 72 FR 44367, Aug. 8, 2007; 89 FR 25047, Apr. 9, 2024; 91 FR 5655, Feb. 6, 2026]

### 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.

### Amendments

[67 FR 52596, Aug. 13, 2002, as amended at 72 FR 44367, Aug. 8, 2007; 89 FR 25047, Apr. 9, 2024; 91 FR 5655, Feb. 6, 2026]