Rule 123:1-47-01 | Definition of terms.
(A) Terms used in Chapters 123:1-1 to 123:1-47 of the Administrative Code that are not defined in Chapter 124. of the Revised Code are defined as follows:
(1) "Abolishment" - the permanent deletion or removal of an encumbered position or positions from the organization or structure of an appointing authority due to a lack of continued need for a position, as a result of a reorganization for the efficient operation of the appointing authority, for reasons of economy, or due to a lack of work.
(2) "Active pay status" - conditions under which an employee is eligible to receive pay, and includes, but is not limited to, vacation leave, sick leave, bereavement leave, administrative leave, compensatory time, holidays, and personal leave. For the purpose of determining overtime or compensatory time for an employee who is eligible for overtime compensation, active pay status does not include sick leave or leave used in lieu of sick leave.
(3) "Active work status" - the conditions under which an employee is actually in a work status and is eligible to receive pay but does not include vacation pay, sick leave, bereavement leave, compensatory time, holidays, personal leave, and disability leave.
(4) "Adversely affected " - for the purpose of reclassification means any change for an employee in the service of the state that results in a new classification, pay range, or salary.
(5) "Agency" - any unit of government, including a board or commission, headed by an officer or group having the power to appoint employees.
(6) "Allocation" - the assigning of a position or job to a classification within a classification plan.
(7) "Appointing authority" - the officer, commission, board, or body having the power of appointment to, or removal from, positions in any office, department, commission, board, or institution.
(8) "Appointment categories" - the appointment designation of a position such as part-time temporary, full-time temporary, intermittent, part-time seasonal, full-time seasonal, part-time permanent, and full-time permanent.
(9) "Available vacancy" - an existing funded position, not currently filled by an incumbent that the appointing authority desires to fill. The existence of vacant positions on an appointing authority's table of organization or roster of positions will not mean that a position is an available vacancy.
(10) "Base rate of compensation" - the pay range and step rate paid an employee.
(11) "Base rate of pay" - any of the following:
(a) As used in schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code or schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code:
(i) The rate of pay established under schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, or the rate of pay established under schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code,
(ii) Plus, any supplement provided under section 124.181 of the Revised Code,
(iii) Plus, any supplements enacted into law, and that are added to schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, or that are added to schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code.
(b) As used in rule 123:1-7-22 of the Administrative Code, rule 123:1-33-01 of the Administrative Code and rule 123:1-46-06 of the Administrative Code:
(i) The rate of pay established under schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, or the rate of pay established under schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code;
(ii) Plus, the supplement provided under division (E) of section 124.181;
(iii) Plus, any supplements enacted into law, and that are added to schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, or that are added to schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code.
(c) For those persons paid by warrant of the director of budget and management, but not paid under schedule B or C of section 124.15 of the Revised Code or schedule E-1 or E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code, the employee's actual rate of pay.
(12) "Break in service" - a separation from service of thirty-one days or more. An authorized leave of absence, granted pursuant to rule 123:1-34-01 of the Administrative Code, or any separation from service that carries with it the right to reinstatement, or reemployment as a result of a layoff, will not constitute a break in service, provided the employee is reinstated or reemployed within the allowable time. The time the employee was separated will not be counted towards the calculation of retention points for continuous service.
(13) "Certification" - the process of providing to an appointing authority the names on an eligible list, jurisdictional layoff list, or an agency layoff list.
(14) "Certified employee" - a classified employee appointed to a position from a certification eligible list or the operation of section 124.26, 124.27, or 124.271 of the Revised Code. An employee who is certified in the classified service has permanent status, except than an employee appointed from an eligible list does not obtain permanent status until the employee successfully completes their initial probationary period.
(15) "Classification" - a group of positions sufficiently similar in respect to duties, responsibilities, authority, and qualifications so that the same descriptive title may be used for each, the same pay range assigned, and the same examinations conducted.
(16) "Classification change" - a change in an employee's classification title that results in a promotion, demotion, lateral move to a different classification with the same pay range, or reassignment to another classification.
(17) "Classification plan" - a system of classifications that may include pay range assignment for each classification.
(18) "Classification salary base" - the minimum hourly rate of the pay range for the classification to which the employee is assigned.
(19) "Continuous service" - the uninterrupted service of an employee with a state agency, a county office, or a state-supported college or university where no break in service occurs. For purposes of state paid life insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and disability leave benefits, continuous service means the uninterrupted service in which an employee is paid directly by warrant of the director of budget and management where no break in service occurs.
(20) "Days" - calendar days unless specified otherwise.
(21) "Demotion" - the movement of an employee at the request of the appointing authority or the employee, from one position to a vacant position that is assigned to a different classification and a lower pay range, or lower salary where pay ranges do not exist. For the purposes of this definition, a lower pay range is determined by comparing the step one rates of the relevant pay ranges.
(22) "Director" - the director of administrative services.
(23) "Disability leave" - the leave granted pursuant to section 124.385 of the Revised Code.
(24) "Disability retirement" - a separation granted by a state retirement system retaining reinstatement rights per appropriate section of the Revised Code.
(25) "Displacement" - for purpose of layoffs and job abolishments the process by which an employee with more retention points exercises the right to take the position of another employee with fewer retention points pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 123:1-41 of the Administrative Code. Displacement occurs the date an employee is notified that another employee has exercised the right of displacement and that the employee with fewer retention points is to be displaced.
(26) "Educational institution" - an institution that is approved by nationally recognized accrediting agencies.
(27) "Eligible list" - a list of names and scores of individuals who have taken an examination for a specific classification.
(28) "Full-time employee" - an employee whose regular hours of duty total eighty hours in a pay period in a state agency or any standard accepted as full time by the appointing authority.
(29) "Headquarters county" - the county that the appointing authority has determined and indicated, on the position description for each position or by other appropriate means, to be the headquarters county. The determination will be based on the status of the position as the primary location where the employee assigned to the position receives direction, performs the substantial duties of the position, or where the employee's work flow is centered.
(30) "Immediate family" - an employee's spouse or significant other ("significant other" as used in this definition means one who stands in place of a spouse and who resides with the employee), parents, children, grandparents, siblings, grandchildren, brother- in-law, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, or a legal guardian or other person who stands in the place of a parent (in loco parentis).
(31) "Intermittent " - work for less than one thousand hours per fiscal year, or for the duration of a specific project or grant that may exceed one thousand hours in a fiscal year.
(32) "Inter-transfer" - the act of changing an employee from one agency to another agency with a different over-all appointing authority that may be accompanied by promotion, demotion, or lateral classification change.
(33) "Intra-transfer" - the act of changing an employee from one position to another within the same agency or over-all appointing authority, requiring a change in headquarters county that may be accompanied by promotion, demotion, or lateral classification change.
(34) "Lack of funds" - an appointing authority has a current or projected deficiency of funding needed to maintain current or sustain projected levels of staffing and operation.
(35) "Lack of work" - an appointing authority has a current or projected decrease in workload or work requirements that will cause a reduction in current or projected staffing levels in its organization or structure.
(36) "Lateral " - movement of an employee, with the employee's consent, from one classification to another classification that is assigned to the same pay range or to a pay range in which the step one rate is the same as the step one rate as the classification from which the employee moves.
(37) "No-pay status" - the conditions under which an employee is ineligible to receive pay, and includes, but is not limited to, leave without pay and the period an employee is receiving disability leave benefits or workers' compensation benefits.
(38) "Parenthetical subtitle" - a group of positions logically falling within a general classification, but distinguishable from other positions within that classification by the performance of specific functions or duties requiring specialized skill, knowledge, or training.
(39) "Part-time employee" - an employee whose regular hours of duty are less than eighty hours in a pay period in a state agency or less than any accepted full-time standard accepted by the appointing authority.
(40) "Pay period" -, for state agencies, the fourteen-day period of time during which the payroll is accumulated, as determined by the director.
(41) "Pay range" - a division of a salary schedule to which classifications of positions are assigned.
(42) "Permanent employee" - any person holding a position that necessitates working a regular schedule of twenty-six consecutive bi-weekly pay periods, or any other regular schedule of comparable consecutive pay periods, which is not limited to a specific season or duration. It does not include student help, intermittent, temporary, seasonal, external interim, or individuals covered by personal service contracts.
(43) "Position" - the group of job duties intended to be performed by an individual employee as assigned by the appointing authority.
(44) "Position number" - a unique number assigned to each employment position within an agency by the appointing authority used to identify each position.
(45) "Position number change" - the movement of an employee from one specific employment position to another within the same agency. A position number change may be accompanied by a promotion, demotion, lateral class change, or intra-transfer.
(46) "Probationary period" - either the period of time at the beginning of an original appointment or the period of time immediately following a promotion, which constitutes a trial or testing period for the employee, during which the employee may be terminated.
(47) "Promotion" - the movement of an employee from one position to a vacant position that is assigned to a different classification and a higher pay range, or higher salary where pay ranges do not exist. For the purposes of this definition, a higher pay range is determined by comparing the step one rates of the relevant pay ranges.
(48) "Reassignment" - the act of changing the classification assigned to an employee. This may be the result of change in or addition of classifications to the classification plan, or by action of the department of administrative services, in assigning a different classification title as a result of a position audit or a classification change.
(49) "Reclassification" - the act of changing the classification of an existing position. The employee, if left in the position, will be reassigned to the new classification.
(50) "Reduction" - a change of the classification held by an employee to one having a lower base pay range, a change to lower step within a salary range, or any decrease in compensation for an employee. For purposes of layoff, a "reduced employee" is one serving in a classification lower than the one from which the employee was laid off or displaced.
(51) "Reinstatement" - the act of returning a person to the same appointing authority within the allowable time, following a period of separation or a leave of absence, retaining seniority and status. For purposes of layoff, "reinstatement" means the act of selecting from the appointing authority's layoff list individuals to return to active service with the same appointing authority in the same classification series of layoff.
(52) "Removal" - the termination of an employee's employment by the appointing authority.
(53) "Resignation" - a voluntary separation from state service by the employee.
(54) "Retirement" - a separation from state service in which the employee receives retirement benefits from a state retirement system.
(55) "Seasonal " - working a certain regular season or period of each year performing some work or activity limited to that season or period of the year.
(56) "Suspension" - a disciplinary action resulting in temporary deprivation of employment without pay as a punitive or disciplinary measure.
(57) "Temporary appointment" - an appointment for a limited period of time, fixed by the appointing authority and approved by the director for a period not to exceed one hundred twenty days, except as allowed in section 124.30 of the Revised Code.
(58) "Total rate of pay" - the base rate of compensation plus all pay supplements.
(59) "Unclassified service" - the offices and positions identified as unclassified in section 124.11 of the Revised Code. Appointment to a position in the unclassified service may be made at the discretion of the appointing authority and the incumbent may be removed, suspended, or reduced from the position at the pleasure of the appointing authority.
(60) "Working suspension" - a disciplinary action in which an employee reports to work and receives compensation, but such period will be recorded as a suspension.
Last updated April 10, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 124.09
Five Year Review Date: 1/15/2030
Prior Effective Dates: 1/2/1977, 3/29/1982, 8/5/1982, 10/24/1983, 2/4/1996, 5/24/1998, 9/12/1999, 7/1/2006, 12/1/2006, 7/1/2007, 1/18/2009, 7/1/2009 (Emer.), 9/27/2009, 7/18/2010, 11/18/2012, 10/6/2013, 4/5/2015, 9/20/2015, 4/23/2020, 2/12/2024