Federal Appointment and Initial Pay Rate

The Secretary of Agriculture asked for a decision concerning whether the initial pay rate of a county-committee employee, who received a Department of Agriculture appointment, may be (1) at the step of the General Schedule (GS) grade that does not exceed the highest previous rate of pay received in the county-committee position, or (2) at the higher of two consecutive steps of the appointee's GS grade if the highest previous county-committee rate was between the two steps. It was held that a county-committee employee may not receive a Department of Agriculture appointment at a step of a GS grade which exceeds the highest basic pay previously received in that position. Consequently, when the highest previous basic pay falls between two consecutive steps of a GS grade, an appointee's initial pay may not be at the higher of the two steps.