Updated August 31, 2004

What is the status of staffing for the Division of Extramural Activities Support (DEAS)?
Nearly all DEAS management positions are staffed. DEAS Director Mary Frances Deutsch has been on board since March 22 and has been working on transition activities. Two of the three hub manager positions are filled, and the nine employee supervisor positions that were advertised are filled. Interviews are under way for the remaining GS-9/11/12 workload and quality control positions in DEAS.

Nearly all of the 56 DEAS task leaders have been selected; DEAS managers are working to select candidates for the few remaining vacancies.

NIH in-scope employees in grades 2–7 will be reassigned to DEAS at their current grade. DEAS managers expect to notify employees of their hub and location assignments in early September.

NIH is hiring approximately 250 employees recruited from all sources (federal agencies as well as outside government) for GS-4/5/6 positions in DEAS. The reason is because DEAS will need more employees at those grades than are available among the NIH staff. The external hires will complement, not replace, NIH employees eligible for DEAS positions. Many of the new employees recruited from all sources started working at NIH over the summer, on details from the NIH OD to the Institutes and Centers (ICs) until they join DEAS on October 3.

How will employees apply for positions in DEAS?
Most vacancies in DEAS are announced on QuickHire (an electronic staffing system, also called HHS Careers. The exception is NIH in-scope employees in grades 2–7, who will be directly reassigned to DEAS positions. Those employees did not apply through QuickHire, but instead completed a brief e-mail questionnaire from the NIH Office of Human Resources.

What happens if an employee in grades 2–7 does not complete the questionnaire from the Office of Human Resources; will they be reassigned to DEAS anyway?
In-scope employees in grades 2–7 who did not complete and return the e-mail questionnaire will be directly reassigned to DEAS positions, but will miss out on the opportunity to express their preferences. It was in an employee's best interest to complete the questionnaire because that was the only way to express individual preferences for geographic location and hub, which will be accommodated if at all possible.

What is the selection process?
DEAS was staffed from the top down. The NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research selected the director of DEAS, who in turn helped select the next level of managers. The DEAS management team, with help from extramural staff in the ICs, selected the task leaders and the new employees recruited from all sources. They are now developing the DEAS staffing plan, matching the skill sets and grades of applicants-including in-scope NIH staff in grades 2–7 who are being reassigned to DEAS—with those needed in the Division, and taking into consideration preferences expressed by the in-scope NIH employees.

Will my preferences be taken into account?
NIH in-scope employees were given the opportunity to express preferences for the hub and geographic location in which they would like to work, and they will be accommodated as much as possible. However, DEAS managers will have to balance individuals' preferences with the business needs of DEAS and its customers.

What if I am not accepted into DEAS?
In-scope employees in grades 8 and higher who do not move into DEAS or accept a buyout will have to find new permanent positions after October 3, 2004, either independently or with the help of NIH Transition Center services. They will remain in their current IC while in transition status. While in transition status, employees will be given non-MEO duties to perform while they seek new positions.

What if I choose not to join DEAS?
Employees who are offered positions in DEAS at their current grade level must accept if they choose to remain in federal service. All in-scope employees grades 7 and below will transfer to DEAS with no negative impact on their grade. An employee who is offered a position in DEAS at a lower grade than their current grade level has the right to decline the offer. The employee would then be considered in transition status and would have to find a new permanent position.

What happens to my grade and pay if I accept a downgrade to join DEAS?
A fact sheet about save grade/save pay is available at http://www1.od.nih.gov/ohrm/pay/gradepayretentionFAQs.htm. It is important to remember that it is unlikely an employee's salary would ever actually decrease.

Do I keep the same benefits if I join DEAS? Will I be eligible for awards?
Employees in DEAS will remain federal employees, with the same benefits and opportunities for awards as other federal workers.

Is Early Out or Buyout an option?
NIH did offer voluntary early retirement and buyouts to employees impacted by the extramural support competitive sourcing initiative. The deadlines for applying for an early retirement or buyout have passed. Information about Early Out and Buyout options is available at http://extramuralmeo.nih.gov.

If Secretary Thompson leaves office, does NIH have any assurance from HHS that his promise that everyone will have a federal job is honored?
If Secretary Thompson leaves office, it is not known what his successor would decide.