interchange of personnel with states

interchange of personnel with states Sec. 507. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “State” means a State or any agency of a State engaged in activities in the field of education, but it does not include a local educational agency; and the term “Office” means the Office of Education. (b) The Commissioner is authorized, through agreements or otherwise, to arrange for assignment of officers and employees of States to the Office and assignment of officers and employees in the Office to States, for work which the Commissioner determines will aid the Office in more effective discharge of its responsibilities as authorized by law, including cooperation with States and the provision of technical or other assistance. The period of assignment of any officer or employee under an arrangement, shall not exceed two years. (c) (1) Officers and employees in the Office assigned to any State pursuant to this section shall lie considered, during such assignment, to be (A) on detail to a regular work assignment in the Office, or (B) on leave without pay from their positions in the Office. (2) Persons considered to be so detailed shall rem a hi as officers or employees, as the case may be, in the Office for all purposes, except that the supervision of their duties during the period of detail may be governed by agreement between the Office and the State involved. (3) In the case of persons so assigned and on leave without pay— (A) if the rate of compensation (including allowances) for their employment by the State is less than the rate of compensation (including allowances) they would be receiving had they continued in their regular assignment in the Office, they may receive supplemental salary payments from the Office in the amount considered by the Commissioner to be justified, but not at a rate in excess of the difference between the State rate and the Office rate; and (B) they may be granted annual leave and sick leave to the extent authorized by law, but. only in circumstances considered by the Commissioner to justify approval of such leave. Such officers and employees on leave without pay shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, be entitled— (C) to continuation of their insurance under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, and coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959, so long79 Stat. 52 as the Office continues to collect the employee’s contribution from the officer or employee involved and to transmit for timely deposit into the funds created under such Acts the amount of the employees contributions and the Government’s contribution from appropriations of the Office; and (D) to credit the period of their assignment under the arrangement under this section toward periodic or longevity step increases and, upon payment into the civil service retirement and disability fund of the percentage of their State salary, and of their supplemental salary payments, if any, which would have been deducted from a like Federal salary for the period of such assignment and payment by the Commissioner into such fund of the amount which would have been payable by him during the period of such assignment with respect to a like Federal salary, to treat (notwithstanding the provisions of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1959, under the head “Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund”) their service during such period as service within the meaning of the Civil Service Retirement Act; except that no officer or employee or his beneficiary may receive any benefits under the Civil Service Retirement Act, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959, or the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, based on service during an assignment hereunder for which the officer or employee or (if he dies without making such election) his beneficiary elects to receive benefits, under any State retirement or insurance law or program, which the Civil Service Commission determines to be similar. The Office shall deposit currently in the funds created under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959. and the civil service retirement and disability fund, respectively, the amount of the Government’s contribution under these Acts on account, of service with respect to which employee contributions are collected as provided in subparagraph (C) and the amount of the Government’s contribution under the Civil Service Retirement Act on account of service with respect to which payments (of the amount which would have been deducted under that Act) referred to in subparagraph (D) are made to such civil service retirement and disability fund. (4) Any such officer or employee on leave without pay who suffers disability or death as a result of personal injury sustained while in the. performance of his duty during an assignment hereunder, shall be treated, for die purposes of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, as though he were an employee, as defined in such Act, who had sustained such injury in the performance of duty. When such person (or his dependents, in case of death) entitled by reason of injury or death to benefits under that Act is also entitled to benefits from a State for the same injury or death, he (or his dependents in case of death) shall elect which benefits he will receive. Such election shall lie made within one year after the injury or death, or such further time as the Secretary of Labor may for good cause allow, and when made shall be irrevocable unless otherwise provided by law. (d) Assignment of any officer or employee in the Office to u State under this section may be made with or without reimbursement by the State for the compensation (or supplementary compensation), travel and transportation expenses (to or from the place of assignment), and allowances, or any part thereof, of such officer or employee79 Stat. 53 during the period of assignment, and any such reimbursement shall be credited to the appropriation utilized for paying such compensation, travel or transportation expenses, or allowances. (e) Appropriations to the Office shall be available, in accordance with the standardized Government travel regulations, for the expenses of travel of officer’s and employees assigned to States under an arrangement under this section on either a detail or leave-without-pay basis and, in accordance with applicable law, orders, and regulations, for expenses of transportation of their immediate families and expenses of transportation of their household goods and personal effects, in connection with the travel of such officers and employees to the location of their posts of assignment and their return to their official stations. (f) Officers and employees of States who are assigned to the Office under an arrangement under this section may (1) be given appointments in the Office covering the periods of such assignments, or (2) be considered to be on detail to the Office. Appointments of persons so assigned may be made without regard to the civil service laws. Persons so appointed in the Office shall be paid at rates of compensation determined in accordance with the Classification Act of 1949, and shall not be considered to be officers or employees of the Office for the purposes of (1) the Civil Service Retirement Act, (2) the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, or (3) unless their appointments result in the loss of coverage in a group health benefits plan whose premium has been paid in whole or in part by a State contribution, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959. State officers and employees who are assigned to the Office without appointment shall not be considered to be officers or employees of the Office, except as provided in subsection (g), nor shall they be paid a salary or wage by the Office during the period of their assignment. The supervision of the duties of such persons during the assignment may be governed by agreement between the Commissioner and the State involved. (g) (1) Any State officer or employee who is assigned to the Office without appointment shall nevertheless be subject to the provisions of sections 203, 205, 207, 208, and 209 of title 18 of the United States Code. (2) Any State officer or employee who is given an appointment while assigned to the Office, or who is assigned to the Office, without appointment, under an arrangement under this section, and who suffers disability or death as a result of personal injury sustained while in the performance of his duty during such assignment shall be treated, for the purpose of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, as though he were an employee, as defined in such Act, who had sustained such injury in the performance of duty. When such person (or his dependents, in case of death) entitled by reason of injury or death to benefits under that Act is also entitled to benefits from a State for the same injury or death, he (or Ids dependents, in ease of death) shall elect which benefits he will receive. Such election shall be made within one year after the injury or death, or such further time as the Secretary of Labor may for good cause allow, and when made shall be irrevocable unless otherwise provided by law. (h) The appropriations to the Office shall be available, in accordance with the standardized Government travel regulations, during the period of assignment and in the case of travel to and from their places79 Stat. 54 of assignment or appointment, for the payment of expenses of travel of persons assigned to, or given appointments by, the Office under an arrangement under this section. (i) All arrangements under this section for assignment of officers or employees in the Office to States or for assignments of officer’s or employees of States to the Office shall be made in accordance with regulations of the Commissioner.