Request for Retroactive Temporary Promotion

The Acting Director of the Personnel Systems and Payroll Division, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), requested an advance decision as to whether a retroactive temporary promotion might be granted to a HUD grade GS-15 employee, incident to his extended detail to a higher-grade level position. The employee was assigned on a temporary basis to act as Director, Office of Assisted Housing Management, a newly created office. No grade classification had yet been assigned to the post and the employee was simply performing unclassified duties. After about 5 months, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) classified the position at grade GS-17. After another 4 months, the position was reclassified by CSC at grade GS-16, and the employee's qualifications for advancement to GS-16 were simultaneously approved. The employee was not promoted, however, due to a review of the HUD staffing procedures, and corrected merit promotion program procedures were implemented. Nevertheless, CSC emphasized that this was no reflection on the employee, who still met the position's basic qualifications. Because CSC approved the employee's qualifications for promotion but not his extended detail as a grade GS-15 to a higher level position, the employee was entitled to a retroactive temporary promotion from the date the position was reclassified from GS-17 to GS-16 until the employee's detail ended.