(a) After FRA approves a railroad's signal employee certification program, that railroad shall not certify or recertify a person as a signal employee if the railroad is making:

(1) A determination concerning eligibility under §§ 246.111, 246.113, 246.115, and 246.303 and the eligibility data being relied on was furnished more than one year before the date of the railroad's certification decision;

(2) A determination concerning vision or hearing acuity and the medical examination being relied on was conducted more than 450 days before the date of the railroad's certification decision; or

(3) A determination concerning demonstrated knowledge and the knowledge examination being relied on was conducted more than one year before the date of the railroad's certification decision, or more than two years before the date of the railroad's certification decision if the railroad administers knowledge testing pursuant to § 246.121 at intervals that do not exceed two years.

(b) The time limitations of paragraph (a) of this section do not apply to a railroad that is making a certification decision in reliance on determinations made by another railroad in accordance with § 246.125.

(c) Except if a person is designated as a certified signal employee under § 246.105(c) or (d), no railroad shall certify a person as a signal employee for an interval of more than three years.

(d) Each railroad shall issue each certified signal employee a certificate that complies with § 246.207 no later than 30 days from the date of its decision to certify or recertify that person.