LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 ACR ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

HDOF FLASHED TO SECTOR 4 CLBING TO FL290. SECTOR 32 RETRACTED HDOF AND CHANGED ALT CLBING TO FL330 AND REFLASHED WITHIN 10 MI FOR SECTOR BOUNDARY. I SAW CLB TO FL290; CHKED STRIPS AND ACCEPTED RADAR HDOF BEFORE I REALIZED THE CHANGE HAD BEEN MADE BY SECTOR 32. HIGH ALT SECTORS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO CHANGE DATA BLOCKS WITHIN 15 MI OF SECTOR BOUNDARIES AND THE ACFT SHOULD BE LEVEL UNLESS PMOR COORD IS ACCOMPLISHED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR SAYS BOTH WERE ACR ACFT. ACR X WAS COMING FROM GVE SECTOR 32 INTO RPTR SECTOR 4. RPTR HAD TFC AT FL310 AND FL350 AND WAS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT ACCEPTING ACR X BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THAT ACFT WAS STOPPED AT FL290. DATA PRINTOUT SHOWED THAT FL290 HAD BEEN FLASHING FOR ABOUT 2 MINS PRIOR TO RADAR HDOF BEING RECALLED AND CHANGED. ACR Y AT FL310 HAD BEEN HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER SECTOR SO WHEN ACR X CAME ON FREQ AND C/A ACTIVATED THE RPTR GAVE X A 40 DEG RIGHT TURN. ACFT PASSED WITH 4.2 MI LAT AND 900' VERT SEP. INCIDENT CLASSIFIED AS MINOR OPERROR. ACR X WAS AT FL301 AT CLOSEST POINT. RPTR SAYS THAT CTLRS IN ZDC STILL WORKING A LOT OF OVERTIME.