NSPS transition at Hanscom likely in either September or January

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom civilians currently under the National Security Personnel System will most likely be transitioning back to the General Schedule system in either September or January, according to base officials.

The Department of Defense's goal is to transition all NSPS employee into other systems by Sept. 30, but Air Force is considering conversions from July to as late as January 2011. It is possible that not all MAJCOMs will convert concurrently, and AFMC will not convert prior to Sept. 26.

The transition is a result of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which contained a provision that repealed NSPS and required the transition of employees out of NSPS, with no loss of or decrease in pay, not later than Jan. 1, 2012.

"With all the reorganization that will be taking place this summer and beyond as we move from wings, groups and squadrons to directorates and program executive officers, AFMC thought it made sense to make the transition out of NSPS after July," said Rich Lombardi, Electronic Systems Center executive director. "Those ESC employees at bases that are not part of AFMC will transition out of NSPS at a time determined by the servicing base organization."

Mr. Lombardi, who is ESC's senior civilian and the center's senior performance review authority for NSPS, said that most employees will "reach back" to the position and grade they held before NSPS implementation.

"Some people, either those whose position has changed since we implemented NSPS or those who were hired into an NSPS position since 2007, will have new GS core documents created or use an existing core document, with grades classified according to OPM standards," he said. "No one will lose pay as a result of this transition."

If an employee's NSPS adjusted salary falls between two steps, the salary will be set at the higher step. If the NSPS adjusted salary falls below step one of the grade, the salary will be set at the step 1 rate.

Employees whose pay rate now exceeds step 10 of the GS grade they convert to will be placed in "retain pay" status. Those employees will receive only half of the January general pay increase until their salary again falls within the pay range of their grade, assuming they stay in the same position.

"We recognize this is disruptive, especially in a busy year where we are undergoing a major organizational realignment," Mr. Lombardi said. "We expect this to be resolved soon, and when it is, we'll get the word out quickly on when the transition will take place."