PERSONNEL ACTIONS
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(Office of Origin: PERT/OTA)
3 FAM 2341 PURPOSE OR OBJECTIVE
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
This volume outlines an orderly procedure for Human Resources (HR) Specialists in the processing of personnel actions within the Department of State. While intended primarily as a guide for the preparation of documents, it also provides a general understanding of the Department’s corporate personnel system, Global Employment Management System (GEMS), and the data elements required for its efficient operation.
3 FAM 2342 SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY
3 FAM 2342.1 Policy
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
This subchapter of the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) describes the basic policies and procedures used in administering various HR processes and transactions in the Department.
3 FAM 2342.2 Applicability
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
This subchapter is designed to serve as a primary resource to the Department’s Human Resources community in the processing of personnel transactions that may not be covered in the Office of Personnel Management‘s (OPM) operations manual, “The Guide to Processing Personnel Actions”, also referred to as the Guide.
3 FAM 2343 AUTHORITIES
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
United States Code (U.S.C.)
The Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et. seq.)
Implementing Executive Orders, regulations, and directives
3 FAM 2344 FORM SF-52, REQUEST FOR PERSONNEL ACTION
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. Form SF 52, Request for Personnel Action, is initiated by the personnel staff or the office that wants to take a personnel action on an existing or potential employee.
b. The responsible Human Resources office enters and completes the required information in the GEMS application. The personnel transaction process in GEMS is based on a workflow that allows the Form SF-52 to move from office to office, electronically. This workflow can be a one, two or three step process depending on the nature of action being requested and on the bureau’s delegated or non-delegated status.
c. Civil Service (CS) employees: Bureaus with Delegated Authority may approve, and process personnel actions within their respective bureaus, but must adhere to Department and PERT Bureau policy on guidelines for grade level restrictions.
Exception: Senior Executive Service (SES), Non-career SES, and Schedule C. For these categories, bureaus must obtain explicit approval from the Bureau of Personnel and Training’s Office of Civil Service Talent Management (PERT/CSTM) before proceeding with any personnel actions (PERT-CSTM-ERPM@state.gov).
d. CSTM has agency-wide SF-52 approval authority for all CS employees.
Exception: The Office of the Inspector General and bureaus with delegated authority as discussed above.
e. Foreign Service (FS) employees: Workflow for FS employees follows a similar path based on the initiating office, i.e., the bureau or PERT’s Office of Organization and Talent Analytics (PERT/OTA/SOD).
f. Standard questions on how to prepare personnel actions can be found in OPM’s Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, which consists of 35 chapters that provide instructions on personnel actions that range from hiring to separating an employee.
g. Other resources that can be used for guidance include 3 FAH-1 H-2340, Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Titles 5 and 22 United States Code (U.S.C.), the OPM Enterprise Human Resources Integration Data Standards and Edits, GEMS Position and Personnel Action Request training guides, etc.
3 FAM 2345 INITIATION OF PERSONNEL ACTIONS
3 FAM 2345.1 Civil Service Employees
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service Employees Only)
a. The delegated HR Office servicing the gaining bureau initiates requests for personnel action on persons who will be or are under the bureau’s jurisdiction. This includes, but is not limited to, the following actions: appointments, conversions, corrections, cancellations, reassignments, promotions, change to lower grade, leave without pay, name change, separations, quality increase, mass transfers or realignment, etc.
b. The Office of Civil Service Talent Management (PERT/CSTM) may initiate actions for reduction-in-force (RIF) and for cases specifically authorized by the Under Secretary for Management (M).
3 FAM 2345.2 Foreign Service Employees
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
PERT’s Office of Career Development and Assignments (PERT/CDA) initiates specific requests for personnel action on career, career candidates, limited noncareer foreign service (FS) members and presidential appointees. This is not all inclusive. A more detailed list of action types and initiating PERT offices are listed in 3 FAH-1 H-2342.2-2. Gaining bureaus process appointment actions for non-career and non-State Department Presidential appointees.
3 FAM 2345.3 Locally Employed Staff
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Locally Employed Staff only)
a. Post Human Resources Officers (HRO) or the Management Officer (only if no HRO is at Post) are responsible for initiating and processing personnel actions for locally employed staff (LE Staff) of State and participating United States Government agencies under the post's International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) Agreement for Human Resources Services.
b. The post HRO or Management Officer is delegated authority to sign and approve personnel actions for LE staff of participating agencies for a variety of employment mechanisms, such as direct hire forms; Form SF-52, Request of Personnel Action, Form JF-62, Personal Services Contracting Action, Form JF-62A, Personal Services Agreement Action or Form JF-62B, Documentation for Indirect Personal Services Agreement.
c. The Office of Overseas Employment (PERT/OE) may delegate signatory authority for personnel actions to a local HR officer or specialist, where appropriate. 3 FAM 7000 contains the major portion of regulations, guidelines and procedures for the administration of the LE staff personnel program, which includes nationals of the receiving state, third-country nationals, and locally resident U.S. citizen employees that are employed as Foreign Service National, Personal Service Contract, Personal Services Agreement (PSA), or Indirect PSA.
NOTE: The Indirect PSA mechanism is limited to posts where direct employment of nationals of the receiving state is not possible, and is currently authorized ONLY for Cuba and China.).
d. Personnel actions and other required information for LE staff must be processed in the Overseas Personnel System application.
3 FAM 2346 WITHIN GRADE INCREASES
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. On a bi-weekly basis, regular within-grade increases (WGI) are processed in the GEMS application using the batch method.
b. The appropriate bureau or HR Service Provider must process corrections and WGIs that are not included in the batch update. The Systems Oversight Division, Office of Organization and Talent Analytics, Bureau of Personnel and Training (PERT/OTA/SOD), manages the batch process.
3 FAM 2347 ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF STANDARD FORM SF-50
(CT:PER-1243; 11-25-2025)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. The SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is issued to all employees via an email notification. The notification directs the employee to their electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) at which time the is available for printing.
b. If web access is not available to an employee, the responsible bureau’s EX office will identify an appropriate method for getting a copy to the employee.
NOTE: Each employee must establish an HR online account to receive access to the eOPF application. First time users will be prompted to complete an HR Online registration after navigating to HR Applications.
3 FAM 2348 PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
Procedures are published in 3 FAH-1 H-2340.
3 FAM 2349 UNASSIGNED