To uphold the integrity of District government operations and ensure that all personnel meet the highest standards of conduct and performance, the District is implementing a formal process for tracking former employees as ineligible for rehire. This issuance establishes the Rehire Status: Ineligible (RSI) designation in PeopleSoft, which applies to individuals who separate from District government under specific circumstances. District agencies are prohibited from hiring or including any individual with an active RSI designation in a selection register for any District government position.

The RSI designation serves as a safeguard to prevent the reappointment of individuals whose prior employment raised serious concerns for the District. It also ensures that agencies apply consistent standards when evaluating former employees for reemployment. This issuance outlines the criteria for assigning the RSI designation and the documentation required to support such a designation.

By reinforcing these standards, the District aims to protect public resources, promote fairness in hiring, and maintain public trust in government operations.

Before conducting a general suitability check, agencies must review an applicant’s application to determine whether the applicant is a former or current District government employee. If so, agencies should contact their DCHR Human Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Liaison to check if the employee has an RSI tag. If so, the employee cannot be hired at that time. Agency HRAs must check for an RSI status prior to a general suitability screening. Individuals in an RSI status shall not be included in a selection register.

RSI designations are assigned to employees who are terminated, resign in lieu of termination, or resign while under investigation for specific, well-defined circumstances that warrant disqualification from rehire. These designations fall into two categories: permanent and time-limited. All RSI designations, whether permanent or time-limited, are final and not subject to petition or appeal; HRAs should refer individuals to the District government grievance process for grievances related to hiring or movements.

Permanent RSI Designations

Permanent RSI designations apply to employees who separate from District government due to serious misconduct that fundamentally undermines the integrity of public service, including separation in lieu-of termination or during a pending investigation for such conduct. These include, but are not limited to, criminal convictions related to District employment, intentional destruction of government records, misuse of public office for personal gain, and other egregious violations outlined in the table below. When an employee separates for any of the reasons listed in Table A, the agency must assign the RSI tag in PeopleSoft at the time of separation. These designations are permanent and are not subject to removal or appeal.

Table A: Qualifying Separation Reasons for Permanent RSI Designation

Time-limited RSI Designations

Time-limited RSI designations apply to employees who are terminated for well-documented performance deficiencies or lesser conduct violations. These include behaviors that, while not rising to the level of serious misconduct, still reflect a failure to meet the standards of District government employment. Examples may include repeated tardiness, insubordination, failure to follow instructions, or consistent underperformance. RSI designations for these cases are time-limited and will remain in effect for 4 years from the effective date of separation, unless extended or converted to a permanent designation based on post-separation findings. 

Time-limited RSI designations also apply to employees who resign in-lieu of termination for lesser conduct violations that are not performance-related.

Agencies must provide comprehensive documentation to DCHR to support any termination for performance deficiencies that results in an RSI designation. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Detailed performance improvement plans (PIPs); 
• Formal evaluations; 
• Written counseling records; 
• Emails detailing performance expectations or how assignments failed to meet expectations; and
• Other clear evidence of the employee’s failure to meet established performance expectations.

The documentation must demonstrate that the employee was given a reasonable opportunity to improve and that the agency followed all applicable procedures prior to separation.

When an employee separates for any of the reasons listed in Table B, the agency must assign the RSI tag in PeopleSoft at the time of separation. These designations are time-limited and are not subject to removal or appeal.

Table B: Qualifying Separation Reasons for Time-limited RSI Designation

An MSS, ES, DX, or SEAS employee who is removed for well documented performance reasons shall receive an RSI designation within PeopleSoft. DCHR shall determine the duration of the RSI designation for performance related reasons for these employees. To receive an RSI designation for a performance deficiency, the employee must have been removed due to the failure of a PIP pursuant to § 1410.7, or the receipt of a performance rating of 2 or 1 in the most recent evaluation, or failure to meet the expectations of a performance plan as provided in § 1405. 

RSI designations for these types of employees are contingent on whether the employee’s poor performance is well documented and supported by evidence clearly establishing the reason for removal as for performance reasons. Other considerations may include, but are not limited to, the severity of the adverse effects the employee’s poor performance had on the District government and/or District residents. 

To ensure consistency and integrity in District hiring practices, agencies must assign the Rehire Status: Ineligible (RSI) designation in PeopleSoft when an employee is separated under circumstances that meet the criteria outlined in this issuance.

The RSI designation is a tag that prohibits the individual from being rehired into any District government agency. The RSI tag must be applied at the time of separation when the employee is terminated, or when an employee resigns in lieu of termination or while under investigation for any of the actions listed in Section II of this issuance.

RSI designations applied for terminations due to performance deficiencies or lesser conduct reasons will be automatically removed after four (4) years, unless DCHR determines that new information warrants an extension or conversion to a permanent RSI designation.

Agencies must clearly indicate in the separation documentation whether the RSI designation is based on serious misconduct (per Section II) or on performance/lesser conduct grounds. This distinction will determine the duration of the RSI tag in PeopleSoft. For performance-based terminations, agencies must ensure that the documentation submitted to DCHR clearly establishes the performance deficiencies and the steps taken to address them. Incomplete or insufficient documentation may result in the RSI designation being delayed or denied. Agencies are strongly encouraged to consult with their HRSA liaison prior to initiating separation to confirm that the documentation meets the required standard.

When an employee is separated under circumstances that warrant a Rehire Status Ineligible (RSI) designation, the agency must: 

1. Include the following language on documents served to separating employees:
   1. For terminations, include this language in final decision notices: “Your termination for this disciplinary cause will be a considering factor if you decide to apply for another job within the District government.”
   2. For resignations in-lieu of termination while a disciplinary action is pending for an action listed in Section II, or for lesser conduct violations that are not performance-related (i.e., they’ve been served a notice of proposed adverse action for termination), include this language in the agency’s response accepting the resignation: “Your resignation during a pending disciplinary action for [cause for proposed termination] will be a considering factor if you decide to apply for another job within the District government.”
   3. For resignations while under investigation for any of the actions listed in Section II, include this language in the agency’s response accepting the resignation: “Your resignation while under an active investigation for [describe reason for investigation] will be a considering factor should you decide to apply for another job within the District government.”
2. Assign the RSI tag in PeopleSoft at the time of separation and submit all supporting documentation to your agency’s DCHR Human Resources Services Administration (HRSA) liaison. DCHR will review the documentation to confirm that the separation aligns with the criteria outlined in this issuance. Once verified, the RSI designation will be finalized in PeopleSoft.

In some cases, information relevant to an employee’s rehire eligibility may come to light after the employee has separated from District government service. While RSI designations are typically applied at the time of separation, agencies are responsible for monitoring and reporting post-separation developments that may warrant the application of an RSI tag. This process ensures that the District maintains a consistent and equitable approach to rehire eligibility, even when relevant information becomes available only after an employee has left government service.

Examples of post-separation triggers for an RSI designation can include:

• An employee resigns without incident but fails to return government property (e.g., laptop, ID badge) by the specified due date, despite written notice.
• An employee resigns while under investigation or pending legal action and is later convicted of a felony committed against the District or other disqualifying offense related to their District employment.
• New evidence emerges after separation that clearly establishes the employee engaged in serious misconduct as defined in Section II.
• An employee was terminated for lesser conduct, but new evidence emerges post-separation indicating that the conduct was more serious than initially documented (e.g., fraud, criminal activity). In such cases, DCHR may convert the RSI designation from time-limited to permanent.

Agency HR personnel are expected to make reasonable efforts to follow up on unresolved administrative matters involving separated employees, particularly when there is reason to believe that misconduct may have occurred. If post-separation conduct aligns with any of the RSI-eligible actions listed in Section II, the agency must document the facts and timeline of the issue and submit all relevant supporting documentation to their DCHR HRSA liaison for review. DCHR will assess whether the post-separation conduct meets the criteria for RSI designation and will apply the RSI tag in PeopleSoft.

• § 408 Assessing General Suitability Screenings of the District Personnel Manual
• § 1607 Table of Illustrative Actions of the District Personnel Manual