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Hiring Freeze and Position Cost Control Presidential Directive Exception Process

Updated as of 12/31/20

The Hiring Freeze and Position Cost Control Presidential Directive (Freeze) allows for exception requests under certain very limited circumstances, including positions that support clinical care, COVID-19 activities, health and safety, activities deemed as mission critical, and positions supported through external funding.

In order to request an exception to the Freeze, departments must complete an Exception Request Form (ERF) which is available as a fillable PDF at Exception Request Form (ERF).  The ERF must be completed, submitted, and approved prior to initiating the transaction for which an exception is being sought, and must be included as approval documentation for the transaction.  Please note that an approved ERF does not replace any standard review or evaluation process; it serves to authorize advancement of the request through standard operating procedures.

Effective January 4, 2021, each cabinet officer has final ERF approval authority for exceptions to the Freeze within their respective areas.

Please note the following resources:

Revised ERF Submission Process - Effective January 4, 2021

  1. The department completes the fillable PDF Exception Request Form (ERF) and obtains cabinet officer approval.
  2. Once cabinet officer approval is received, the department should follow standard operating procedures to initiate and process the transaction as follows:
    1. ROCS Transaction Submissions - Department submits request in ROCS, including the required approved ERF under the Position Documents tab. This will ensure it continues to the next review process through the standard processing channel.
    2. NON-ROCS Transaction Submissions - Department submits request by email including the cabinet officer approved ERF to continue to the next review process through the standard processing channel. The approved ERF provides clearance to advance the transaction for review.
    3. HCM - When processing the approved action (hires, reappointments, job reclassifications, etc.) into PeopleSoft, the approved ERF must be attached to the submitted request.