QUALIFICATIONS PAY
(§ 9814 of S.610)

PURPOSE: Current Federal pay-setting rules provide limited flexibility in adjusting pay for employees in connection with internal placement actions. The qualifications pay provision permits NASA to provide a pay incentive to an employee to encourage the employee to accept a new set of duties or a new position, based on his or her superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Agency.

KEY FEATURES

• This provision authorizes NASA to pay General Schedule employees at any step within the pay range for the grade of the position when the employee is assigned to a new position or is assigned new duties, and the employee possesses unusually high or unique qualifications for the job.

• When this pay incentive is used to assign a current NASA employee to a new set or duties or position, a written determination must be made that the employee’s contributions in the new position exceed those in the former position.

• Pay set under this provision is considered part of the employee’s basic rate of pay.

• If an employee serves at least one year in a position for which qualifications pay was authorized (or a successor position), that rate of pay may be used to set pay in succeeding actions. However, if an employee fails to complete a year in that position, his or her pay will be set in the new position as if that pay incentive had not be granted.

• Prior to using this authority, NASA must submit a plan to OPM that describes the criteria and process for approving qualifications pay.