LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Most Air Force civilians under the National Security Personnel System will convert to the General Schedule by the end of this fiscal year in support of the Department of Defense goal to convert out as quickly as possible. This conversion out of NSPS was mandated by the Fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Air Force NSPS transition schedule is in four phases. The Headquarters Air Combat Command AFETS transition out of NSPS in phase one will be effective July 4. The rest of Langley's Air Force civilians in NSPS will transition out in phase three effective Aug. 15. The remainder are in positions covered by statutory and DOD exemptions and will transition in 2011.
According to Langley civilian personnel chief Jim Burke, there are currently about 510 NSPS employees on Langley; 160 AFETS in phase one and 350 NSPS employees in phase three, including 200 at HQ ACC, 100 in the 633d Air Base Wing and 50 in other tenant units. Fort Eustis currently has 90 Army NSPS employees that will transition out July 18 before converting to Air Force civilians Oct. 10 as part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis' full operational capability.
Civilian employees transitioning to GS will have their positions classified and grade assigned according to GS classification rules. The grade and classification will be based upon responsibilities assigned by the supervisor and performed by the employee. Employees will be notified of their GS position classification prior to transition out of NSPS.
To assist civilian employees in understanding the GS personnel and position classification system, the following Web-based training modules are available at https://www.my.af.mil/afknprod/nsps-gs-trng: GS-101 and Classifying Positions under GS and Performance Management: A Tool to Achieve Results.
GS-101 gives an overview of the GS system, including its classification and pay structure. The DOD NSPS Transition Office website also contains helpful information regarding the transition from NSPS to GS at http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps/transition.
Employees will not lose pay upon conversion. These general guidelines will be followed when determining an employee's pay.
If the employee's current pay:
-- Fits within the rate range of the appropriate grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed at a step that equals or exceeds his or her existing pay.
-- Is below the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on the first step of the GS grade upon conversion out.
-- Is above the rate range for the appropriate GS grade to which the employee is assigned, then the employee will be placed on pay retention to ensure he or she does not suffer any decrease in or loss of pay upon conversion.
Upon transition, employees must be placed in GS performance plans within 30 days of transition with an appraisal closeout of March 31, 2011. As with NSPS, supervisors must ensure employees understand their job requirements and how their work aligns with and supports the Air Force mission.
Air Force officials are working to ensure that the transition continues smoothly while maintaining the Air Force mission with minimal disruption to the force. The consistent and equitable treatment of employees and transparency throughout this process is a high priority for the Air Force, they said.
Editor's note: Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, contributed to this story.