| Comment Number: | OL-10505160 |
| Received: | 3/10/2005 3:42:34 PM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Subpart C--Pay and Pay Administration. § 9901.342 Performance payouts. (d) Performance payout. (3) DoD may provide for the establishment of control points within a band that limit increases in the rate of basic pay. DoD may require that certain criteria be met for increases above a control point. (4) A performance payout may be an increase in basic pay, a bonus, or a combination of the two. However, an increase in basic pay may not cause the employee’s rate of basic pay to exceed the maximum rate or applicable control point of the employee’s band rate range. Implementing issuances will provide guidance for determining the payout amount and the appropriate distribution between basic pay and bonus. Comments: The NSPS appears to create a barrier to keep experienced workers from receiving a cost of living increase in basic pay. If true, this will adversely affect retirement benefits and morale of experienced employees. I have only 7 years left before retirement and I am now at the highest pay level for a GS12 engineer. The current system with COLA, provides an increase to basic pay, which affects my future retirement income. My concern with NSPS is that even if I have a highly satisfactory performance rating, these "control points" require experienced workers to get the highest rating possible in order to merely obtain cost of living to basic pay. Apparently under NSPS bonus pay does not affect retirement benefits. Recommendation: High performing experienced workers currently at the top of a pay scale should be exempt from NSPS control point criteria. Please correct NSPS language to permit experienced workers at the top of the current pay scale to at least obtain cost of living allowances in basic pay without having to fight other employees over the control point criteria for a cost of living increase to basic pay.