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CAPS Operating Procedures Manual - III. System Administration ------- C. Conversion from GS to CAPS ---- 1. GRADE-SETTING PROVISIONS

An employee in a band corresponding to a single GS grade is converted to that grade. An employee in a band corresponding to two or more grades is converted to one of those grades according to the following rules:

a.  The employee's basic rate of pay is compared with step 4 rates in the highest applicable GS rate range (including a rate range in the GS base schedule or LEO special base schedule, a rate range in the applicable locality rate schedule, or a rate range in a special rate schedule for the employee's occupation). If the series is a two-grade interval series, only odd-numbered grades are considered below GS-11 (i.e., 201-HR Specialist series, compare step 4 rates in the GS-9, GS-7, etc. rate range).

b.  If the employee's pay rate equals or exceeds the applicable step 4 rate of the highest GS grade in the band, the employee is converted to that grade.

c.  If the employee's pay rate is lower than the applicable step 4 rate of the highest grade, the pay rate is compared with the step 4 rate of the second-highest grade in the employee's band. If the employee's pay rate equals or exceeds step 4 of the second-highest grade, the employee is converted to that grade.

d.  This process is repeated for each successively lower grade in the band until a grade is found in which the employee's rate of basic pay equals or exceeds the applicable step 4 rate of the grade. The employee is then converted at that grade. If the employee's rate of pay is below the step 4 rate of the lowest grade in the band, the employee is converted to the lowest grade.

e.  Exceptions are as follows:

  1. If the employee's pay rate exceeds the maximum rate of the grade assigned under the above-described "step 4" rule but fits in the rate range for the next higher applicable grade in the band (i.e., between steps 1 and 4), then the employee shall be converted to that next higher applicable grade.
  2. An employee will not be converted to a lower grade than that held by the employee immediately preceding a conversion, lateral reassignment, or lateral transfer in the CAPS, unless since that time the employee has undergone a reduction in band.
  3. In band I of the ZP and ZA career paths, students without a bachelor's degree or comparable experience are converted no higher than GS-4.

 

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