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2016 CBA Tentati ve Agreement Page 92 of 217 of taking lea ve between tours of duty overseas. The employee must enter into a new written agreement before departure from his/her post of duty that he/she will serve for another period of service at the same or another post of duty outside the continental United State s. This provision is also applicable to employees serving tours of duty in Alaska and Hawaii, but only under the following conditions. Employees who transferred to Alaska or Hawaii on or before September 8, 1982, will continue to be eligible to receive al lowances for travel and transportation expenses for tour renewal travel to the maximum extent permissible under government - wide regulations. However, those who have transferred or are transferring to Alaska or Hawaii after September 8, 1982, are restricted . (Leave under this provision is not the same as "home leave" for which employees in Alaska and Hawaii are not entitled to in any event.) S ection 6. Employees exercising return rights shall be given a list of all existing bargaining unit vacancies which a re to be filled and for which he/she is qualified. He/she must make a selection from the list supplied. This shall be the position to which he/she is returned. Section 7. Waiver of employment agreements shall not be required for an early return of ninety (90) days or less, when an employee has been selected for another position. Section 8. Unless staffing and workload do not permit, tour extensions not to exceed an aggregate period of nine (9) months may be granted by the overseas organization to an emplo yee after coordination with the parent organization. Section 9. An employee completing a tour of duty outside the continental United States shall notify the Agency not prior to one hundred eighty (180) calendar days nor less than one hundred fifty (150) c alendar days before that tour expires that he/she shall or shall not return. Section 10. The Agency shall advise the employee of his/her specific assignment in the continental United States at least ninety (90) calendar days in advance of the expiration d ate of his/her current tour. Section 11. The Agency shall contact the employee prior to determining the release date. Careful consideration will be given to the employee's personal needs in determining a release date under this program. ARTICLE 60 FACILI TY OF PREFERENCE Section 1. Any employee who has completed a minimum of eight (8) years fully certified at his/her current facility shall be considered to have achieved priority bid status for inter - facility ingrade/downgrade bargaining unit vacancies/pos itions. The employee shall not normally be eligible to receive any permanent change of station (PCS) benefits unless the selection was made in conjunction with a vacancy announcement where PCS benefits were authorized. In that case the individual requestin g voluntary transfer shall be entitled to the same benefits as advertised on the vacancy announcement. Section 2. Eligible employees shall be given priority consideration within the same bargaining unit for any ingrade/downgrade bargaining unit vacancy at any of those facilities for which he/she is qualified. Release dates are subject to the staffing requirements of his/her current facility as well as the needs of the target facility. To the maximum extent possible provide a release date within six (6) mon ths of selection. If a six (6) month release date is not practicable, the Agency

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