The Department's Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), dated 9/8/97, is a program that provides assistance to individuals who have been or are likely to be separated by reduction-in-force (RIF), in finding other employment.

The CTAP has four components:

1. Career Transition Training and Support Services,
2. Special Selection Priority (SSP),
3. Reemployment Priority List (RPL), and
4. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP).

CTAP will have varying effects on staffing activities and there is an order of selection when filling competitive service vacancies that exceed 120 days, as noted in the Department CTAP. All vacancies must be advertised unless the personnel action being taken is an exception (such as temporary appointments less than 121 days, details, reassignments, career ladder promotions, accretion of duties, et. al.), or a determination has been made by the servicing personnel office (through contact with other bureaus in the local commuting area of the vacancy) that there are no Special Selection Priority (SSP) candidates available. CTAP and ICTAP requirements must be stated in all vacancy announcements. Sample vacancy announcement language was supplied by the Office of Personnel Management and is contained in Exhibit 3. The selecting official must select a well-qualified eligible applicant under the SSP component of CTAP before selecting any other candidate from within or outside the Department, unless doing so would cause another employee to be separated by RIF. In addition, the reemployment priority list (RPL) must be cleared before filling any competitive service position from outside the Department, regardless of whether the organization plans to make a temporary, term, or permanent appointment. Please refer to the Department CTAP Plan for complete guidance.