> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cortex.aic.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cortex.aic.io/menu-areas/people-and-settings/personnel-eligibility.md).

# Personnel Eligibility

**Open this area:** In the CORTEX menu, select **People & settings → Personnel eligibility**.

Apply an independently approved workspace policy to selected assurance and release decisions, using current formal appointments.

**Who uses this:** Administrator, Reviewer\
**Open in CORTEX:** `/administration/eligibility`\
**In-app guide:** `/help?topic=personnel-eligibility`

**Expected result:** New governed decisions require current evidence while private personnel records and historical decisions remain protected.

## Before you start

* Select the correct workspace and obtain explicit eligibility read and write/approve capability. Writers and approvers also need appointment and corpus read; the Manager role is a ceiling, not a grant.
* Obtain the actual approved policy authority, accountable and personnel security owners, acceptable evidence and independence references, UTC dates and COM/HMG/DEF profile. The page shows these prerequisites before entry. Current independently approved appointments are needed for activation, but a complete Draft proposal can be retained before they exist.

## What to do

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

## Record the policy authority

Open Administration, Personnel eligibility. The guided form first asks for actual authority, acceptable evidence and reviewer-independence references. Required fields and step colours show missing information as you enter it; Continue is available when the current step is complete.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Set dates and scope

Enter effective, review and expiry UTC dates, explicitly choose to block new decisions when review is due, and set private handling to cover the full decision scope. Review and expiry must be future dates at save.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Choose owners and approved profile

Resolve an eligible accountable owner independent of every proposal author and a personnel security owner. Adopt the exact approved COM, HMG or DEF profile with an adoption reason.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Select governed decisions and appointments

Choose commissioner sign-off, product release approval, UK package approval or derivative marking approval. For each selected decision, specify the actual appointment type, demonstrated competence requirement and any exact BPSS or clearance schemes. You may retain a complete Draft without appointments; activation requires current approved appointments covering every selected rule.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Review and retain

Back preserves entered values. Record the proposal reason on the final step, review the complete policy and retain one Draft. Discard proposal changes restores the retained policy or empty form. The domain service rechecks permissions, owners, profile, dates and rule scope.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Obtain independent activation

The named accountable owner, who cannot be any proposal author, records actual activation evidence and a reason. Activation checks effective policy, current people, exact profile and appointment references, current competence/framework/screening heads and evidence dates.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Review changes and suspend when needed

The named owner may suspend new governed decisions even after supporting evidence expires. Amendments retain history and pause previously governed decisions until independent activation. Previously enabled decision types cannot be removed to bypass the gate.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Check the result

* Are the named owners and actual policy references approved for this deployment profile?
* Does each selected decision have current populated evidence covering its entire scope?
* Are expiry and reviewer-independence responsibilities understood?

## If you get stuck

<details>

<summary>Why is my decision blocked?</summary>

Ask the accountable owner to review policy activation, review dates, current appointment scope and underlying competence or screening changes. Renew or revoke evidence through its own owner workflow, then amend and independently approve the appointment. Reload before deciding; do not request private HR access merely to pass this check.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why did activation fail?</summary>

Use the named independent owner, an effective COM/HMG/DEF profile and exact current appointments covering every rule. Old appointments without the retained framework basis need amendment and fresh approval before activation.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why did saving conflict or the page clear?</summary>

Refresh and compare a changed policy; entered proposal and decision notes remain for review. Reuse an operation only for an unchanged retry. Losing current organisation, workspace, handling or permission clears private fields.

</details>

## Responsibility and limits

* A technical grant does not replace an appointment, and an appointment never grants technical access. Ordinary decision users need their normal decision access and current profile read, not private personnel read.
* At a governed decision, CORTEX checks the current workspace policy, subject's appointment, exact profile, scope, dates and evidence heads, and checks again before saving. Changed, revoked, suspended or due evidence blocks fresh decisions.
* Decision records retain only policy/profile/appointment versions and hashes, subject, check time and validity. Screening details, personnel notes and policy rationale are not returned to ordinary decision users or recipient packages.
* Legacy workspaces without an enabled policy retain their existing behaviour. Completed decisions remain history; this gate does not recall previously distributed files or retroactively reapprove decisions.
* Policy history is bounded to 32 revisions/two MiB. Preserve history and arrange an authorised migration at capacity; deleting a policy is not a supported bypass.

**Reference and scope:** F21-R02/R05: actual COM, HMG or DEF personnel and reviewer-independence policy; exact external clauses and owner acceptance remain deployment inputs.

## Related workflows

* [Retain independent formal appointments](broken://pages/c6154d9bdcd8f7381d845063cd4bf7d42ebd328e)
* [Review professional competence and development](broken://pages/6df735255f56e27da202d1bb6b5d4080b857dd2a)
* [Retain private personnel screening attestations](broken://pages/e07c48ddd8130309eed87b99d3170964bf33a58a)
* [Manage accounts, grants and workspace membership](broken://pages/99c8701bc497eefb32769b668198b1f9f5fc6a93)
* [Plan analytical assurance and obtain separate sign-off](file:///7397340/analyse/analytical-assurance.md)
* [Review, approve and publish an exact internal release](file:///7397340/product/release.md)
* [Prepare an approved UK recipient package](file:///7397340/product/domestic-packages.md)