§ 4153. Conversion to Senior Foreign Service
(a)
Criteria; application less than 120 days after effective date of Foreign Service Act of 1980
Foreign Service officers and Foreign Service Reserve officers with limited or unlimited tenure who, immediately before February 15, 1981, are serving under appointments at class 2 or a higher class of the schedule established under section 412 or 414 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 may at any time within 120 days after such date submit to the Secretary a written request for appointment to the Senior Foreign Service.
(b)
Limited appointment
Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, if a request is submitted under subsection (a) of this section by a Foreign Service Reserve officer with limited tenure, the Secretary shall grant to such officer a limited appointment to the Senior Foreign Service in the appropriate class established under section
3962 of this title.
(c)
Career appointment
If a request is submitted under subsection (a) of this section by a Foreign Service officer or, except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, a Foreign Service Reserve officer with unlimited tenure, the Secretary shall recommend to the President a career appointment of such officer, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to the Senior Foreign Service in the appropriate class established under section
3962 of this title.
(d)
Availability for worldwide assignment
If the Secretary determines that a Foreign Service Reserve officer with limited or unlimited tenure who submits a request under subsection (a) of this section is not available for worldwide assignment, an appointment under subsection (b) of this section or a recommendation for appointment under subsection (c) of this section shall be made only if—
(e)
Application more than 120 days after effective date of Foreign Service Act of 1980
If a Foreign Service officer or a Foreign Service Reserve officer who is eligible to submit a request under subsection (a) of this section submits a written request for appointment to the Senior Foreign Service to the Secretary more than 120 days after February 15, 1981, and before the end of the 3-year period beginning on February 15, 1981, the Secretary (in the case of a Foreign Service Reserve officer with limited tenure) may grant a limited appointment to, or (in the case of a Foreign Service officer or Foreign Service Reserve officer with unlimited tenure) may recommend to the President a career appointment of, the requesting officer to the appropriate class established under section
3962 of this title, subject to the conditions specified in subsection (d) of this section and such other conditions as the Secretary may prescribe consistent with the provisions of subchapter VI of this chapter relating to promotion into the Senior Foreign Service.
(f)
Forced conversion
Any officer of the Foreign Service who is eligible to submit a request under subsection (a) of this section and—
(2)
who submits such a request more than 120 days after February 15, 1981, and is not appointed to the Senior Foreign Service for any reason other than failure to meet the conditions specified in subsection (d) of this section,
may not remain in the Foreign Service for more than 3 years after February 15, 1981. During such period, the officer shall be subject to the provisions of subchapters I to XI of this chapter applicable to members of the Senior Foreign Service, except that such officer shall not be eligible to compete for performance pay under section
3965 of this title, and shall not be eligible for a limited career extension as described in section
4007
(b) of this title. Upon separation from the Service, any such officer who is a participant in the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System shall be entitled to retirement benefits on the same basis as a member retired from the Senior Foreign Service under section
4007
(c)(1) of this title, and section
4009
(a)(2)(B) of this title shall be deemed to apply to such officer.