	Introduction

Most federal employees (59.1%) are paid on the General Schedule (GS), a pay scale that consists of 15 pay grades in which an employee's pay increases are to be based on job performance and length of service. Some Members of Congress, citizens, and public administration scholars have argued that federal employee pay advancement should be more closely linked to job performance. With explicit congressional authorization, the Department of Defense (DOD) developed the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) as a unique personnel and pay system attempting to more closely link employee pay to job performance. NSPS was beset by criticisms since it went into effect in 2006. The system faced legal and political challenges from unions and employees who claimed it was inconsistently applied and caused undeserved pay inequities, among other concerns. On October 7, 2009, House and Senate conferees reported a version of the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2010 that included language to terminate NSPS. On October 8, 2009, the House agreed to the conference report. The Senate agreed to the conference report on October 22, 2009. On October 28, 2009, the President signed the bill into law ( P.L. 111-84 ). DOD must now return employees currently enrolled in NSPS to the GS or to the pay system in which they were previously enrolled. The return to the GS or other pay system must be completed by January 1, 2012, pursuant to the law. NSPS was initially intended to cover all DOD employees, but had a final total enrollment of roughly 227,000 DOD employees or 31.7% of the department's 717,000-person workforce. In October 2010, DOD sent a report to Congress that said 76% (171,985) of employees formerly in the NSPS pay system had been converted to the GS. Of those employees who moved into the GS, 72% (124,200) received a pay raise when they were placed in the proper GS grade and step. As of January 2011, roughly 54,000 DOD employees remain in NSPS. 111-84 included language preventing any employee from suffering a loss or decrease in pay as a result of the elimination of NSPS. § 5363), 35,117 transitioning employees have been placed on "retained pay," which allows them to maintain their NSPS rate of pay, but requires that they receive half of the annual pay adjustment distributed to employees at the step 10 level of their position's assigned GS pay grade. Some NSPS employees, however, may argue that the cap on their annual pay increase amounts to a loss in pay. The 112 th Congress may choose to continue its congressional oversight of NSPS employees' transition to other pay systems. This report focuses on the transition of employees from NSPS to non-NSPS pay scales. It does not address the operation of NSPS or other pay schedules. The report discusses how the transition is scheduled to occur and analyzes congressional options for oversight or legislative action. If an employee was previously enrolled in a system that no longer exists, if his or her job and description did not exist prior to enrollment in NSPS, or if a new pay system is to be created for an employee to enter into, DOD is required by statute to determine the employee's pay system and transition him or her into that pay system by the January 1, 2012 deadline. Pursuant to P.L. Pursuant to P.L. The employee's manager would evaluate the employee's job duties and responsibilities based on the GS grade assigned to the position—without regard for the employee's pay rate. Other employees achieved pay rates that are not aligned with rates on their non-NSPS pay scale.
Most federal employees (59.1%) are paid on the General Schedule (GS), a pay scale that consists of 15 pay grades in which an employee's pay increases are to be based on performance and length of service. Some Members of Congress, citizens, and public administration scholars have argued that federal employee pay advancement should be more closely linked to job performance than it currently is on the GS. With these concerns in mind and with explicit congressional authorization, the Department of Defense (DOD) began developing the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) in 2003 as a unique pay scale attempting to more closely link employee pay to job performance.
NSPS was beset by criticisms since it went into effect in 2006. The system faced legal and political challenges from unions and employees who claimed it was inconsistently applied and caused undeserved pay inequities, among other concerns. On October 7, 2009, House and Senate conferees reported a version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 that included language to terminate NSPS. On October 8, 2009, the House agreed to the conference report. The Senate agreed to the conference report on October 22, 2009. On October 28, 2009, the President signed the bill into law (P.L. 111-84). DOD must now return employees currently enrolled in NSPS to the GS or to the pay system that previously applied to them or their position. If the employee's position did not exist prior to NSPS or if the previous pay scale was abolished during NSPS's lifetime, DOD must determine an appropriate pay scale for the employee. The return to the GS or other pay system must be completed by January 1, 2012, pursuant to the law.
NSPS was initially intended to cover all DOD employees, but had a total final enrollment of roughly 227,000 DOD employees or 31.7% of the department's 717,000-person workforce. In October 2010, DOD sent a report to Congress that said 76% (171,985) of employees formerly in the NSPS pay system had been converted to the GS. Of those employees who moved into the GS, 72% (124,200) received a pay raise when they were placed in the proper GS grade and step. Employees who have not yet been transitioned out of NSPS are to be placed in pay scales other than the GS. As of January 2011, roughly 54,000 DOD employees remain in NSPS.
P.L. 111-84 included language preventing any employee from suffering a loss or decrease in pay as a result of the elimination of NSPS. Pursuant to statute, 35,117 employees who transitioned to GS have been placed on "retained pay," which allows them to maintain their NSPS rate of pay instead of transitioning to the GS pay rate assigned to their job's grade. In such cases, the GS rate of pay assigned to the employee's position may not reach the pay level the employee achieved under NSPS. Retained pay, pursuant to statute, requires that an employee receive half of the annual pay adjustment given to employees who are at the maximum payable rate for their GS grade (step 10). Some NSPS employees may argue that the cap on their annual pay increase amounts to a loss in pay, and, therefore, violates P.L. 111-84.
The 112th Congress may choose to continue congressional oversight of NSPS employees' transition to other pay systems. This report focuses on the transition of employees from NSPS to non-NSPS pay systems. It does not address the operation of NSPS or other pay schedules. The report discusses how the transition is scheduled to occur and analyzes congressional options for oversight or legislative action.