5 CFR § 451.302 - Ranks for senior career employees.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t5/s451.302"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "5 CFR § 451.302 - Ranks for senior career employees."
title_number: 5
title_name: "Administrative Personnel"
section_number: "451.302"
section_name: "Ranks for senior career employees."
chapter_name: "OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT"
subchapter_number: "B"
subchapter_name: "CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS"
part_number: "451"
part_name: "AWARDS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
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."
cfr_part: "451"
---


# 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.

(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 of this chapter and paid under 5 U.S.C. 5376 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.

[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]