Claim for a Within-Grade Increase

A civilian employee of the Air Force appealed the disallowance of his claim for a retroactive within-grade increase, incident to a reduction in force and subsequent repromotion. Where an employee is demoted and later repromoted to the same grade and step level as previously held, a new waiting period for periodic step increases begins, even though the employee received the same rate of pay during the demotion period as saved pay. On repromotion, the constructive increase in pay from the applicable rate determined in accord with the law for the lower grade held during the demotion is an equivalent increase. Therefore, the appeal was denied and the disallowance was sustained.