(1) Employers are encouraged to limit the duration of a nonpermanent appointment to twelve months from the appointment date.

(2) A nonpermanent appointment for a reason specified in WAC 357-19-360 (1) through (4) must not exceed twenty-four months unless the director has approved an extension of the appointment due to the continued absence of a permanent employee. An employer may choose to not count time spent in formal training programs towards the twenty-four month limit. On-the-job training is not considered a formal training program for purposes of this rule.