Alternative Employment Program (AEP)
- Established by law to assist in finding alternative employment opportunities for certified State employees who are on an approved leave of absence due to a work related or non-work related disability.
- The employee must be determined by a physician to be permanently and totally disabled from performing his/her current job duties but not the job duties of any other position.
- Certified State employees who meet the program criteria may inquire about the program through their agency and receive an alternative employment (AE) package.
- Participation in the program is voluntary and will not affect disability benefits if participation is declined.
- Agencies must explore all reasonable accommodations available to the employee as well as reemployment opportunities within their agency before forwarding them to CMS.
- Upon approval alternative position titles are recommended for the employee to establish eligibility. Titles recommended may only represent lateral or downward appointments.
- Applicants who meet the requirements for the selected position titles are issued an AE grade and their name is placed on the AE eligibility list for the titles and counties selected.
- AE grades are valid for a two (2) year period and candidates can only participate in the program for a maximum of two years.
- AE candidates who decline to be interviewed or refuse an offer of employment will be disqualified from continued participation in the program.
- AE candidates who accept a position through the program must resign from their leave of absence position in order to complete a six-month probationary period or an approved training period for trainee titles.
- Acceptance of a position via alternative employment terminates the AE candidate’s participation in the program. All existing AE grades are no longer valid.