(a) Upon an attack on the United States, agencies are authorized to carry out whatever personnel activities may be necessary to the effective functioning of their organizations during a period of disaster without regard to any regulation or instruction of OPM, except those which become effective upon or following an attack on the United States. This authority applies only to actions under OPM jurisdiction.

(b) Actions taken under this section shall be consistent with affected regulations and instructions as far as possible under the circumstances and shall be discontinued as soon as conditions permit the reapplication of the affected regulations and instructions.

(c) An employee may not acquire a competitive civil service status by virtue of any action taken under this section.

(d) Actions taken, and authority to take actions, under this section may be adjusted or terminated in whole or in part by OPM.

(e) Agencies shall maintain records of the actions taken under this section.

(a) When a national emergency exists—(1) Definition. A national emergency must meet all of the following conditions:

(i) It was declared by the President or Congress.

(ii) It involves a danger to the United States' safety, security, or stability that results from specified circumstances or conditions and that is national in scope.

(iii) It requires a national program specifically intended to combat the threat to national safety, security, or stability.

(2) Termination of a national emergency. A national emergency no longer exists if it is officially terminated by the President or Congress, or if the specific circumstances, conditions, or program cited in the original declaration are terminated or corrected.

(b) Basic authority. Agencies may make emergency-indefinite appointments without OPM approval during any national emergency as defined in paragraph (a) of this section. The head of an agency with a defense-related mission may request OPM's approval to make emergency-indefinite appointments without a declared national emergency when the President has authorized the call-up of some portion of the military reserves for some military purpose. The request must demonstrate that normal hiring procedures cannot meet surge employment requirements and that use of emergency-indefinite appointments is necessary for economy and efficiency. Except as provided by paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, agencies must make emergency-indefinite appointments from appropriate registers of eligibles as long as there are available eligibles.

(c) Appointment under direct-hire authority. An agency may make emergency-indefinite appointments under this section using the direct-hire procedures in part 337 of this chapter.

(d) Appointment noncompetitively. An agency may give emergency-indefinite appointments under this section to the following classes of persons without regard to registers of eligibles and the provisions in § 332.102 of this chapter:

(1) Persons who were recruited on a standby basis prior to the national emergency;

(2) Members of the National Defense Executive Reserve, designated in accordance with section 710(e) of the Defense Production Act of 1950, Executive Order 11179 of September 22, 1964, and applications issued by the agency authorized to implement the law and Executive Order; and

(3) Former Federal employees eligible for reinstatement.

(e) Tenure of emergency-indefinite employees. (1) Emergency-indefinite employees do not acquire a competitive status on the basis of their emergency-indefinite appointments.

(2) An emergency-indefinite appointment may be continued for the duration of the emergency for which it is made.

(f) Trial period. (1) The first year of service of an emergency-indefinite employee is a trial period.

(2) The agency may terminate the appointment of an emergency-indefinite employee at any time during the trial period. The employee is entitled to the procedures set forth in § 315.804 or § 315.805 of this chapter as appropriate.

(g) Eligibility for within-grade increases. An emergency-indefinite employee serving in a position subject to the General Schedule is eligible for within-grade increases in accordance with subpart D of part 531 of this chapter.

(h) Applications of other regulations. (1) The term indefinite employee includes an emergency-indefinite employee or an employee under an emergency appointment as used in the following: parts 351, 353 of this chapter, subpart G of part 550 of this chapter, and part 752 of this chapter.

(2) The selection procedures of part 337 of this chapter apply to emergency-indefinite appointments that use the direct-hire authority under paragraph (c) of this section.

(3) Despite the provisions in § 831.201(a)(11) of this chapter, an employee serving under an emergency-indefinite appointment under authority of this section is excluded from retirement coverage, except as provided in paragraph (b) of § 831.201 of this chapter.

(i) Promotion, demotion, or reassignment. An agency may promote, demote, or reassign an emergency-indefinite employee to any position for which it is making emergency-indefinite appointments.