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Ethics Office

Awards and Honorary Degrees

Updated 12/21/2005

To determine whether an employee may accept an award or honorary degree from a prohibited source, an advisor can consider two different authorities under which an employee may be permitted to accept certain outside awards. Each has specific criteria.

Certain awards given for meritorious public service [5 CFR Part 2635.204(d)]
  • The award must have been given for meritorious public service. See this and other criteria at 5 CFR Part 2635.204(d).
  • Use of the form for Review/Approval of Outside Awards is to be used to determine whether an award given for meritorious public service may be accepted and to document required approval. This form is especially helpful in that it sets forth an easy to follow series of questions including specific guidance with respect to each possible answer to lead to a determination whether the rules found at 5 C.F.R. 2635.204(d) allow acceptance of the award. Remember that these rules only allow acceptance of an award given given for meritorious public service.
  • Use the Form for Approval of Honorary Degrees when that is the nature of the award.

These forms require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentForm for Review/Approval of Outside Awards
Adobe Acrobat DocumentForm for Approval of Honorary Degrees

Get the Regulation — After using the link to the regulation, scroll down to find section 204(d)

Certain Awards of Training from a Non-Profit Entity with 501(c) (3) Status [5 USC 4111]
  • 5 USC 4111 which provides regulations for conditions under which an Agency may approve an employee to accept an outside award of training from a non-profit entity with 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
    • [Advisers Alert: Not all non-profit entities have this specific [501(c)(3)] required IRS status — only a training award from a non-profit with this specific 501(c)(3) status can be considered for acceptance under 5 USC 4111 authority. You must establish of the record that the non-profit entity actually has 501(c)(3) status versus some other type of non-profit status with the IRS.
  • This is the authority under which advisors should work to obtain approval for an employee to accept an award of training in connection with an award as part of a state Agricultural Leadership Program.   This includes approval to accept travel assistance in connection with such training when it is part of the established curriculum.
  • 5 CFR 410.502, Subpart E  [Accepting Contributions, Awards, and Payments from Non-Governmental Organizations (the companion regulation for 5 CFR 4111)]

Note:  NRCS Delegations of Authority provide that only the Deputy Chief for Management and the Division Director, NRCS Ethics Office can approve use of 4111 authority for accepting awards and contributions for training outside the US as covered by GM 110, Part 400.11(a), Subpart B Delegations of Authority.

Additional guidance on accepting things of value includes a list of where to find rules on accepting other 'free' stuff.

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