5 C.F.R. § 894.302
What is an excluded position?
Cite as 5 C.F.R. § 894.302 (2026)
Excluded positions are described in 5 U.S.C. 8901(1)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) and § 890.102(c) of this chapter, except that employees of the United States Postal Service, District of Columbia courts, and employees identified in § 890.102(c)(9)(i) and (ii) of this chapter are not excluded positions. You are in an excluded position if you are:
(a) An
employee
of a corporation supervised by the Farm Credit Administration, if private interests elect or appoint a member of the board of directors.
(b) An
employee
who is not a citizen or national of the United States and your permanent duty station is outside the United States.
Exception:
You are eligible if you met the definition of
employee
on September 30, 1979, by service in an Executive agency, the United States Postal Service, or the Smithsonian Institution in the area that was then known as the Canal Zone.
(c) An
employee
of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
(d) An individual first employed by the Government of the District of Columbia on or after October 1, 1987, except
employees
of the District of Columbia Courts and those
employees
defined at § 890.102 (c)(8) of this chapter.
(e) Serving under an appointment limited to 1 year or less.
Exceptions:
You are eligible if:
(1) You are an acting postmaster;
(2) You are a Presidential appointee appointed to fill an unexpired term;
(3) You are an
employee
with a provisional appointment, as defined in §§ 316.401 and 316.403 of this chapter;
(4) You have completed 1 year of current continuous employment, excluding any break in service of 5
days
or less;
(5) You are an
employee
working on a temporary appointment, and if you meet the conditions in § 890.102(j) of this chapter, you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office; or
(6) You are an employee of the United States Postal Service working on a temporary appointment, and if you meet the conditions of § 890.102(j) of this chapter except the requirement of being a non-Postal employee, you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office.
(f) Expected to work fewer than six months in each year.
Exceptions:
You are eligible if:
(1) You receive an appointment of at least one year's duration as an Intern under § 213.3402(a) of this chapter. To qualify, you must be expected to be in a pay status for at least one-third of the total period of time from the date of the first appointment to the completion of the work-study program.
(2) You are an
employee
working on a seasonal schedule of less than 6 months in a year, and if you meet the conditions in § 890.102(j) of this chapter, you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office.
(3) You are an employee of the United States Postal Service working on a seasonal schedule of less than 6 months in a year, and if you meet the conditions in § 890.102(j) of this chapter except the requirement of being a non-Postal employee, you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office.
(g)(1) An intermittent
employee
(a non-full-time
employee
without a prearranged regular tour of duty).
Exception:
If you are an
employe
e working on an intermittent schedule and if you meet the conditions in § 890.102(j) of this chapter you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office.
(2) An intermittent employee of the United States Postal Service (a non-full-time employee without a prearranged regular tour of duty).
Exception:
If you are an employee of the United States Postal Service working on an intermittent schedule, and if you meet the conditions of § 890.102(j) of this chapter except the requirement of being a non-Postal employee, you are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP plan upon notification by your employing office.
(h) A beneficiary or patient
employee
in a Government hospital or home.
(i) Paid on a contract or fee basis.
Exception:
You are eligible if you are a United States citizen, and you are appointed by a contract between you and the Federal employing authority. To qualify, your contract must require your personal service, and you must be paid on the basis of units of time.
(j) Paid on a piecework basis.
Exception:
You are eligible if your work schedule provides for full-time or part-time service, and you have a regularly scheduled tour of duty.
(k) The following positions are not excluded positions:
(1) An
employee
appointed to perform “part-time career employment,” as defined in section 3401 (2) of title 5, U.S.C., and 5 CFR part 430, subpart B; or
(2) An
employee
serving under an interim appointment established under § 772.102 of this chapter.
(l) For purposes of this subpart and as defined in § 890.102(j)(4) of this chapter,
qualifying leave without pay hours
means hours of leave without pay for purposes of taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for performance of duty in the Uniformed Services under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, 38 U.S.C. 4301
et seq.,
for receiving medical treatment under Executive Order 5396 (July 7, 1930), and for periods during which workers compensation is received under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, 5 U.S.C. chapter 81.
(m) Once an
employee
or an employee of the United States Postal Service is properly enrolled under paragraphs (e) through (g) of this section and meets the applicable conditions in § 890.102(j) of this chapter, enrollment will not be terminated, regardless of his or her actual work schedule or employer expectations in subsequent years, unless the
employee
or employee of the United States Postal Service separates from service, receives a new appointment (in which case eligibility will be determined by the rules in this part applicable to the new appointment), or otherwise meets one of the circumstances for termination or cancellation of coverage in §§ 894.601 and 894.602.
[73 FR 50184, Aug. 26, 2008, as amended at 75 FR 20514, Apr. 20, 2010; 79 FR 532, Jan. 6, 2014; 81 FR 58382, Aug. 25, 2016; 88 FR 47746, 47749, July 25, 2023]
- Cross-references to the US Code
- 38:43015:8901
- Cross-references to the CFR
- 213.3402316.401772.102890.102894.601