5 CFR Part 532 — Prevailing Rate Systems

PART 532—PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5343, 5346. Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552. Source: 46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, unless otherwise noted. Subpart A—General Provisions § 532.101 Scope. This part provides common policies, systems, and practices for uniform application by all agencies subject to section 5342 of title 5, United States Code, in fixing pay for prevailing rate employees as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with prevailing rates. § 532.103 Coverage. The provisions of this part shall apply to prevailing rate employees and agencies covered by section 5342 of title 5, United States Code. § 532.105 Pay-fixing authority. The head of each agency shall authorize application of the rates established by the lead agency or the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to prevailing rate employees within the appropriate wage area, in accordance with the provisions of this part. Subpart B—Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.201 Definitions. For the purposes of this part: Full-scale survey Host activity Lead agency Survey area Wage area Wage change survey [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 86 FR 11858, Mar. 1, 2021] § 532.203 Structure of regular wage schedules. (a) Each nonsupervisory and leader regular wage schedule shall have 15 grades, which shall be designated as follows: (1) WG (2) WL (3) NA (4) NL (b) Each supervisory regular wage schedule shall have 19 grades, which shall be designated as follows: (1) WS (2) NS (c) The step 2 or payline rate for each grade of a leader regular wage schedule shall be equal to 110 percent of the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the area. (d) The step 2 or payline rate for each grade of an appropriated fund supervisory regular wage schedule shall be: (1) For grades WS-1 through WS-10, equal to the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the area, plus 30 percent of the rate for step 2 of WG-10; (2) For grades WS-11 through WS-18, the second rate of WS-10, plus 5, 11.5, 19.6, 29.2, 40.3, 52.9, 67.1, and 82.8 percent, respectively, of the difference between the step 2 rates of WS-10 and WS-19; and (3) For grade WS-19, the third rate in effect for General Schedule grade GS-14 at the time of the area wage schedule adjustment. The WS-19 rate shall include any cost of living allowance payable for the area under 5 U.S.C. 5941. (e) The step 2 or payline rate for each grade of a nonappropriated fund supervisory regular wage schedule shall be: (1) For grades NS-1 through NS-8, equal to the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the area, plus 20 percent of the rate for step 2 of NA-8; (2) For grades NS-9 through NS-15, equal to 120 percent of the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the area; (3) For grades NS-16 through NS-19, the rates will be 25, 30, 35 and 40 percent, respectively, above the step 2 rate of NA-15; (f) The number of within-grade steps and the differentials between steps for each nonsupervisory grade on a regular wage schedule shall be established in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5343(e)(1). Each grade on a leader and supervisory regular wage schedule shall have 5 within-grade steps with step 2 set according to paragraphs (c), (d), or (e) of this section, as appropriate, and— (1) Step 1 set at 96 percent of the step 2 rate; (2) Step 3 set at 104 percent of the step 2 rate; (3) Step 4 set at 108 percent of the step 2 rate; and (4) Step 5 set at 112 percent of the step 2 rate. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 48 FR 13385, Mar. 30, 1983; 49 FR 28347, July 11, 1984; 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.205 The use of Federal, State, and local minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing rates. (a) Wage schedules, including special schedules, shall not include any rates of pay less than the higher of: (1) The minimum rate prescribed by section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, or (2) The highest State or local minimum wage rate in the local wage area which is applicable to the private industry counterparts of the single largest Federal industry/occupation in the wage area. (b) Wage data below the minimum wage rates prescribed by section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall not be used in determining prevailing rates. (c) Adjustments to regular wage schedules to comply with the minimum wage rate determined to be applicable under paragraph (a) of this section shall be computed as follows: (1) The step 2 rate of grade 1 of the nonsupervisory wage schedule shall be set at a rate which, upon application of the 4 percent step-rate differential, provides a step 1 rate which is equal to the applicable minimum wage rate. (2) An intergrade differential shall be determined as 5 percent of the rate established as the step 2 rate of grade 1, rounded to the nearest whole cent. This intergrade differential shall be added to the step 2 rate of each grade, beginning with grade 1, to determine the step 2 rate for the succeeding grade until the grade is reached at which the step 2 rate established through the wage survey process equals or exceeds the rate determined under this procedure. Rates of all grades above that point shall be computed in accordance with § 532.221(b) of this subpart. (3) Steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 of each grade adjusted under paragraph (c) of this section shall be set at 96, 104, 108, and 112 percent of the step 2 rate, respectively. (4) The leader and supervisory wage schedule grades corresponding to each nonsupervisory grade adjusted under paragraph (c) of this section shall be constructed in accordance with the procedures of § 532.203 of this subpart, on the basis of the step 2 rates established under this paragraph for the nonsupervisory wage schedule grades. (d) All wage schedule adjustments made under this section shall be effective on the effective date of the applicable minimum wage rate. § 532.207 Time schedule for wage surveys. (a) Wage surveys shall be conducted on a 2-year cycle at annual intervals. (b) A full-scale survey shall be made in the first year of the 2-year cycle and shall include development of a current sample of establishments and the collection of wage data by visits to establishments. With the unanimous consent of the members of a Local Wage Survey Committee, data may also be obtained from a private sector establishment or establishments during a full-scale wage survey by telephone, mail, or electronic means. (c) A wage-change survey shall be made every other year using only the same employers, occupations, survey jobs, and establishment weights used in the preceding full-scale survey. Data may be collected by telephone, mail, electronic means, or personal contact. (d) Scheduling of surveys shall take into consideration the following criteria: (1) The best timing in relation to wage adjustments in the principal local private enterprise establishments; (2) Reasonable distribution of workload of the lead agency; (3) The timing of surveys for nearby or selected wage areas; and (4) Scheduling relationships with other pay surveys. (e) The Office of Personnel Management may authorize adjustments in the normal cycle as requested by the lead agency and based on the criteria in paragraph (d) of this section or to accommodate special studies or adjustments consistent with determining local prevailing rates. (f) The beginning month of appropriated and nonappropriated fund wage surveys and the fiscal year during which full-scale surveys will be conducted are set out as appendices A and B to this subpart and are incorporated in and made part of this section. [55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 86 FR 11859, Mar. 1, 2021] § 532.209 Lead agency. (a) The Office of Personnel Management shall select a lead agency for each appropriated and nonappropriated fund wage area based on the number of agency employees covered by the regular wage schedule for that area and the capability of the agency in providing administrative and clerical support at the local level necessary to conduct a wage survey. (b) OPM may authorize exceptions to these criteria where this will improve the administration of the local wage survey. (c) The listing in appendix A to this subpart shows the lead agency for each appropriated fund wage area. The Department of Defense is the lead agency for each nonappropriated fund wage area. [55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.211 Criteria for appropriated fund wage areas. (a) Each wage area shall consist of one or more survey areas along with nonsurvey areas, if any. (1) Survey area. (2) Nonsurvey area. (b) Wage areas shall include wherever possible a recognized economic community such as a Combined Statistical Area, a Metropolitan Statistical Area, or a political unit such as a county. Two or more economic communities or political units, or both, may be combined to constitute a single wage area; however, except in unusual circumstances and as an exception to the criteria, an individually defined Combined Statistical Area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, county or similar geographic entity shall not be subdivided for the purpose of defining a wage area. (c) Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, wage areas shall be established and maintained when: (1) There is a minimum of 100 wage employees subject to the regular schedule and the lead agency indicates that a local installation has the capacity to do the survey; and (2) There is, within a reasonable commuting distance of the concentration of Federal employment: (i) A minimum of either 20 establishments within survey specifications having at least 50 employees each; or 10 establishments having at least 50 employees each, with a combined total of 1,500 employees; and (ii) The total private enterprise employment in the industries surveyed in the survey area is at least twice the Federal wage employment in the survey area. (d)(1) Adjacent economic communities or political units meeting the separate wage area criteria in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section may be combined through consideration of local commuting patterns such as employment interchange measures, distance, transportation facilities, geographic features; similarities in overall population, employment, and the kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments; and other factors relevant to the process of determining and establishing rates of pay for wage employees at prevailing wage levels. (2) When two wage areas are combined, the survey area of either or both may be used, depending on the concentrations of Federal and private employment and locations of establishments, the proximity of the survey areas to each other, and the extent of economic similarities or differences as indicated by relative levels of wage rates in each of the potential survey areas. (e) Appropriated fund wage and survey area definitions are set out as appendix C to this subpart and are incorporated in and made part of this section. (f) A single contiguous military installation defined as a Joint Base that will otherwise overlap two separate wage areas shall be included in only a single wage area. The wage area of such a Joint Base shall be defined to be the wage area with the most favorable payline based on an analysis of the simple average of the 15 nonsupervisory second step rates on each one of the regular wage schedules applicable in the otherwise overlapped wage areas. [90 FR 7439, Jan. 21, 2025] § 532.213 Industries included in regular appropriated fund wage surveys. (a) The lead agency must include the industries in the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes in all regular appropriated fund wage surveys: 2022 NAICS codes 2022 NAICS industry titles 311 through 339 (except 323) All manufacturing classes except printing and related support activities (NAICS 323). 221 Utilities. 481 Air transportation. 482 Rail transportation. 484 Truck transportation. 485 (except 4853) Transit and ground passenger transportation except taxi and limousine service (NAICS 4853). 487 (except 4872) Scenic and sightseeing transportation except scenic and sightseeing transportation, water (NAICS 4872). 488 (except 4883 and 4884) Support activities for transportation except support activities for water transportation (NAICS 4883) and support activities for road transportation (NAICS 4884). 492 Couriers and messengers. 493 Warehousing and storage. 516 * Broadcasting and content providers. 517 Telecommunications. 5621 Waste collection. 5622 Waste Treatment and Disposal. 423 Merchant wholesalers, durable goods. 424 Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods. (b) A lead agency may add other industry classes to a regular survey in an area where these industries account for significant proportions of local private employment of the kinds and levels found in local Federal employment. (c) Specifically excluded from all wage surveys for regular wage schedules are food service and laundry establishments and industries having peculiar employment conditions that directly affect the wage rates paid and that are the basis for special wage surveys. [55 FR 46142, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 71 FR 35373, June 20, 2006; 73 FR 45853, Aug. 7, 2008; 78 FR 58153, Sept. 23, 2013; 84 FR 36813, July 30, 2019; 89 FR 4540, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.215 Establishments included in regular appropriated fund surveys. (a) All establishments having a total employment of 50 or more employees in the prescribed industries within a survey area shall be included within the survey universe. On rare occasions and as an exception to the rule, OPM may authorize lower minimum size levels based on a recommendation of the lead agency for the wage area. (b) Establishments to be covered in surveys shall be selected under standard probability sample selection procedures. In areas with relatively few establishments, surveys shall cover all establishments within the prescribed industry and size groups. (c) A lead agency may not delete from a survey an establishment properly included in an establishment list drawn under statistical sampling procedures. [55 FR 46142, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.217 Appropriated fund survey jobs. (a) A lead agency shall survey the following required jobs: Job title Job grade Janitor (Light) 1 Janitor (Heavy) 2 Material Handler 2 Maintenance Laborer 3 Packer 4 Warehouse Worker 5 Forklift Operator 5 Material Handling Equipment Operator 5 Truckdriver (Medium) 6 Truckdriver (Heavy) 7 Machine Tool Operator II 8 Machine Tool Operator I 9 Carpenter 9 Electrician 10 Automotive Mechanic 10 Sheet Metal Mechanic 10 Pipefitter 10 Welder 10 Machinist 10 Electronics Mechanic 11 Toolmaker 13 (b) A lead agency may not omit a required survey job from a regular schedule wage survey. (c) A lead agency may survey the following jobs on an optional basis: Job title Job grade Aircraft Structures Assembler B 7 Aircraft Structures Assembler A 9 Aircraft Mechanic 10 Electrician, Ship 10 Pipefitter, Ship 10 Shipfitter 10 Shipwright 10 Machinist, Marine 10 Cable Splicer (Electric) 10 Electrical Lineman 10 Electrician (Powerplant) 10 Telephone Installer-Repairer 9 Central Office Repairer 11 Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic 10 Heavy Mobile Equipment Operator 10 Air Conditioning Mechanic 10 Rigger 10 Trailer Truck Driver 8 Tool Crib Attendant 6 Painter (Finish) 9 Light Vehicle Operator 5 Helper (Trades) 5 Boiler Plant Operator 10 Meat Cutter 8 Equipment Mechanic 10 Boom Crane Operator 9 Boom Crane Operator (Precision) 11 Tool and Parts Attendant 4 Painter (Rough) 7 Electronic Industrial Controls Mechanic 11 Electronic Test Equipment Repairer 11 Electronic Computer Mechanic 11 Television Station Mechanic 11 Maintenance Mechanic 10 (d) A lead agency may add the following survey jobs to the survey when the Hospital industry is included in the survey: Job title Job grade Laundry Worker 1 Food Service Worker 2 Cook 8 (e) A lead agency must obtain prior approval of OPM to add a job not authorized under paragraph (a), (c), or (d) of this section. [55 FR 46142, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 64 FR 69183, Dec. 10, 1999; 68 FR 460, Jan. 6, 2003; 69 FR 26475, May 13, 2004] § 532.219 Criteria for establishing nonappropriated fund wage areas. (a) Each wage area shall consist of one or more survey areas along with nonsurvey areas, if any, having nonappropriated fund employees. (1) Survey area: (2) Nonsurvey area: (b) Wage areas shall be established when: (1) There is a minimum of 26 NAF wage employees in the survey area and local activities have the capability to do the survey; and (2) There is within the survey area a minimum of 1,800 private enterprise employees in establishments within survey specifications. (c)(1) Two or more counties may be combined to constitute a single wage area through consideration of: (i) Proximity of largest activity in each county; (ii) Transportation facilities and commuting patterns; and (iii) Similarities of the counties in: (A) Overall population; (B) Private employment in major industry categories; and (C) Kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments. (2) Generally, the criteria listed in paragraph (c)(1) of this section are considered in the order listed. (d) The nonappropriated fund wage and survey area definitions are set out as appendix D to this subpart and are incorporated in and made part of this section. [55 FR 46143, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 57 FR 29783, July 7, 1992] § 532.221 Industries included in regular nonappropriated fund surveys. (a) The lead agency must include the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes in all regular nonappropriated fund wage surveys: 2022 NAICS codes 2022 NAICS industry titles 42312 Motor vehicle supplies and new parts merchant wholesalers. 4232 Furniture and home furnishing merchant wholesalers. 42362 Electrical and electronic appliance, television, and radio set merchant wholesalers. 42369 Other electronic parts and equipment merchant wholesalers. 42371 Hardware merchant wholesalers. 42391 Sporting and recreational goods and supplies merchant wholesalers. 42399 Other miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers. 4241 Paper and paper product merchant wholesalers. 42421 Drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers. 4243 Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers. 42445 Confectionery merchant wholesalers. 4247 Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers. 4249 Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers. 44134 Tire dealers. 44411 Home centers. 449210 Electronics and appliance retailers. 4551 Department stores. 4552 Warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers. 45611 Pharmacies and drug stores. 4571 Gasoline stations. 45811 Clothing and clothing accessories retailers. 45941 Office supplies and stationery retailers. 71391 Golf courses and country clubs. 71395 Bowling centers. 72111 Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels. 7224 Drinking places (alcoholic beverages). 7225 Restaurants and other eating places. (b) A lead agency may add other industry classes from within the wholesale, retail, and service industry divisions in an area where these industries account for significant proportions of local private employment of the kinds and levels found in local NAF employment. (c) Additional industries shall be defined in terms of entire industry classes (fourth digit breakdown). [55 FR 46143, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 71 FR 35374, June 20, 2006; 73 FR 45853, Aug. 7, 2008; 78 FR 58153, Sept. 23, 2013; 84 FR 36813, July 30, 2019; 89 FR 4540, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.223 Establishments included in regular nonappropriated fund surveys. (a) All establishments having 20 or more employees in the prescribed industries within a survey area must be included in the survey universe. Establishments in NAICS codes 4571, 71391, and 71395 must be included in the survey universe if they have eight or more employees. (b) Establishment selection procedures are the same as those prescribed for appropriated fund surveys in paragraphs (b) and (c) of § 532.213 of this subpart. [55 FR 46143, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 71 FR 35374, June 20, 2006; 89 FR 4540, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.225 Nonappropriated fund survey jobs. (a) A lead agency shall survey the following required jobs: Job title Job grade Janitor (Light) 1 Food Service Worker 1 Food Service Worker 2 Fast Food Worker 2 Janitor 2 Laborer (Light) 2 Laborer (Heavy) 3 Service Station Attendant 3 Stock Handler 4 Short Order Cook 5 Materials Handling Equipment Operator 5 Warehouseman 5 Service Station Attendant 5 Truck Driver (Light) 5 Truck Driver (Medium) 6 Truck Driver (Heavy) 7 Cook 8 Carpenter 9 Painter 9 Automotive Mechanic 10 Electrician 10 (b) A lead agency may not omit a required survey job from a regular schedule wage survey. (c) A lead agency may survey the following jobs on an optional basis: Job title Job grade Service Station Attendant 1 Groundskeeper 4 Grill Attendant 4 Tractor Operator 6 Bowling Equipment Mechanic 7 Building Maintenance Worker 7 Vending Machine Mechanic 8 Building Maintenance Worker 8 Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic 8 Truck Driver (Trailer) 8 Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic 10 (d) A lead agency must obtain prior approval of OPM to add a job not listed under paragraph (a) or (c) of this section. [55 FR 46143, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.227 Agency wage committee. (a) Each lead agency shall establish an agency wage committee for the purpose of considering matters relating to the conduct of wage surveys, the establishment of wage schedules and making recommendations thereon to the lead agency. (b) The Agency Wage Committee shall consist of five members, with the chairperson and two members designated by the head of the lead agency, and the remaining two members designated as follows: (1) For the Department of Defense Wage Committee, one member shall be designated by each of the two labor organizations having the largest number of wage employees covered by exclusive recognition in the Department of Defense; and (2) For other lead agencies, two members shall be designated by the labor organization having the largest number of wage employees by exclusive recognition in the agency. (c) Recommendations of agency wage committees shall be developed by majority vote. Any member of an agency wage committee may submit a minority report to the lead agency along with the recommendations of the committee. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.229 Local wage survey committee. (a)(1) A lead agency shall establish a local wage survey committee in each wage area for which it has lead agency responsibility and in which a labor organization represents, by exclusive recognition, wage employees subject to the wage schedules for which the survey is conducted. (2) The local wage survey committee shall assist the lead agency in the conduct of wage surveys and make recommendations to the lead agency thereon. (b)(1) Local wage survey committees shall consist of three members, with the chairperson and one member recommended by Federal agencies and designated by the lead agency, and one member recommended by the labor organization having the largest number of wage employees under the regular wage schedule who are under exclusive recognition in the wage area. (2) All members of local wage survey committees for appropriated fund surveys shall be Federal employees appointed by their employing agencies. (3) Members for nonappropriated fund surveys shall be nonappropriated fund employees appointed by their employing agencies. (4) The member recommended by the labor organization must be an employee of a Federal activity for appropriated fund surveys or nonappropriated fund activity for nonappropriated fund surveys who is covered by one of the regular wage schedules in the wage area in which the activity is located. (5) In selecting and appointing employees recommended by labor organizations and by Federal agencies to serve as committee members, consideration shall be given to the requirement in the prevailing rate law for labor and agency representatives to participate in the wage survey process, the qualifications of the recommended employees, the need of the employees' work units for their presence on the job, and the prudent management of available financial and human resources. Employing agencies and activities shall cooperate and appoint the recommended employees unless exceptional circumstances prohibit their consideration. When the recommended employees cannot be appointed to serve as local wage survey committee members, the responsible lead agency or labor organization shall provide additional recommendations expeditiously to avoid any delay in the survey process. (6) Employers shall cooperate and release appointed employees for committee proceedings unless the employers can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances directly related to the accomplishment of the work units' missions require their presence on their regular jobs. Employees serving as committee members are considered to be on official assignment to an interagency function, rather than on leave. (c) A local wage survey committee shall be established before each full-scale wage survey. Responsibility for providing members shall remain with the same agency and the same labor organization until the next full-scale survey. (d) Recommendations of local wage survey committees shall be developed by majority vote. Any member of a local wage survey committee may submit a minority report to the lead agency relating to any local wage survey committee majority recommendation. (e) The lead agency shall establish the type of local wage survey organization it considers appropriate in a wage area which does not qualify for a local wage survey committee under paragraph (a) of this section. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 15415, Mar. 23, 1993] § 532.231 Responsibilities of participating organizations. (a) The Office of Personnel Management: (1) Defines the boundaries of wage and survey areas; (2) Prescribes the required industries to be surveyed; (3) Prescribes the required job coverage for surveys; (4) Designates a lead agency for each wage area; (5) Establishes, jointly with lead agencies, a nationwide schedule of wage surveys; (6) Arranges for technical services with other Government agencies; (7) Considers recommendations of the national headquarters of any agency or labor organization relating to the Office of Personnel Management's responsibilities for the Federal Wage System; and (8) Establishes wage schedules and rates for prevailing rate employees who are United States citizens outside of the United States, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the Territories and Possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. (b) Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee. (c) Employing agencies Heads of agencies. (2) Heads of local activities. (d) Lead agencies are responsible for: (1) Planning and conducting the wage survey for that area; (2) Developing survey specifications and providing or arranging for the identification of establishments to be surveyed; (3) Officially ordering wage surveys; (4) Establishing wage schedules, applying wage schedules authorized by the head of the agency; and (5) Referring pertinent matters to the agency wage committee and the Office of Personnel Management. (e) Agency wage committees. (f) Local wage survey committees. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 15415, Mar. 23, 1993] § 532.233 Preparation for full-scale wage surveys. (a) The local wage survey committee, prior to each full-scale survey: (1) Shall hold a public hearing to receive recommendations from interested parties concerning the area, industries, establishments and jobs to be covered in the wage survey. (2) Shall prepare a summary of the hearings and submit it to the lead agency together with the committees' recommendations concerning the survey specifications prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section. (3) May make any other recommendations concerning the local wage survey which it considers appropriate. (b) The lead agency shall consider the local wage survey committee's report if: (1) The lead agency proposes not to accept the recommendations of the local wage survey committee concerning the specifications of the local wage survey; or (2) The local wage survey committee's report is accompanied by a minority report. (c) The lead agency shall develop survey specifications after taking into consideration the reports and recommendations received from the local wage survey committee and, if applicable, the agency wage committee. The survey specifications shall include: (1) The counties to be surveyed; (2) The industries to be surveyed; (3) The standard minimum size of establishments to be surveyed; (4) Establishments to be surveyed with certainty; and (5) The survey jobs. (d) A list of establishments to be surveyed shall be prepared through use of statistical sampling techniques in accordance with the specifications developed by the lead agency. A copy of this list shall be forwarded to the local wage survey committee. (e) Selection and appointment of data collectors. (2) Wage data for appropriated fund surveys shall be collected by teams consisting of one local Federal Wage System employee recommended by the committee member representing the qualifying labor organization and one Federal employee recommended by Federal agencies. The data collectors shall be selected and appointed by their employing agency. (3) Wage data for nonappropriated fund surveys shall be collected by teams, each consisting of one local nonappropriated fund employee recommended by the committee member representing the qualifying labor organization and one nonappropriated fund employee recommended by nonappropriated fund activities. The data collectors shall be selected and appointed by their employing agency. (4) The local wage survey committee shall provide employers with the names of employees recommended by labor organizations and by Federal agencies to serve as data collectors and shall indicate the number of regular and alternate data collectors to be selected and appointed by the employers. (5) In selecting and appointing employees recommended by labor organizations and by Federal agencies to serve as data collectors, consideration shall be given to the requirement in the prevailing rate law for labor and agency representatives to participate in the wage survey process, the qualifications of the recommended employees, the need of the employees' work units for their presence on the job, and the prudent management of available financial and human resources. Employing agencies and activities shall cooperate and appoint the recommended employees unless exceptional circumstances prohibit their consideration. When the required number of employees cannot be appointed to serve as data collectors from among those recommended, the local wage survey committee shall obtain additional recommendations expeditiously to avoid any delay in the survey process. (6) Employers shall cooperate and release appointed employees to serve as data collectors throughout the duration of the data collection period unless the employers can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances directly related to the accomplishment of the work units' missions require their presence on their regular jobs. Employees serving as data collectors are considered to be on official assignment to an interagency function, rather than on leave. (f)(1) Each member of a local wage survey committee, each data collector, and any other person having access to data collected must retain this information in confidence, and is subject to disciplinary action by the employing agency or activity if the employee violates the confidence of data secured from private employers. (2) Any violation of the above provision by a Federal employee must be reported to the employing agency and, in the case of a participant designated by a labor organization, to the recognized labor organization and its headquarters, and shall be cause for the lead agency immediately to remove the offending person from participation in the wage survey function. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 15415, Mar. 23, 1993] § 532.235 Conduct of full-scale wage survey. (a) Wage survey data shall not be collected before the date the survey is ordered by the lead agency. (b) Data collection for a full-scale wage survey shall be accomplished by personal visit to private sector establishments. With the unanimous consent of the members of a Local Wage Survey Committee, data may also be obtained from a private sector establishment or establishments during a full-scale wage survey by telephone, mail, or electronic means. The following required data shall be collected: (1) General information about the size, location, and type of product or service of the establishment sufficient to determine whether the establishment is within the scope of the survey and properly weighted, if the survey is a sample survey; (2) Specific information about each job within the establishment that is similar to one of the jobs covered by the survey, including a brief description of the establishment job, the number of employees in the job, and their rate(s) of pay to the nearest mill (including any cost-of-living adjustments required by contract or that are regular and customary and monetary bonuses that are regular and customary); and (3) Any other information the lead agency believes is appropriate and useful in determining local prevailing rates. (c) The data collectors shall submit the data they collect to the local wage survey committee together with their recommendations about the use of the data. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 86 FR 11859, Mar. 1, 2021] § 532.237 Review by the local wage survey committee. (a) The local wage survey committee shall review all establishment information and survey job data collected in the wage survey for completeness and accuracy and forward all of the data collected to the lead agency together with a report of its recommendations concerning the use of the data. The local wage survey committee may make any other recommendations concerning the wage survey which it considers appropriate. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.239 Review by the lead agency. (a) The lead agency shall review all material and wage survey data forwarded by the local wage survey committee to: (1) Assure that the survey was conducted within the prescribed procedures and specifications; (2) Consider matters included in the local wage survey committee report and recommendations; (3) Exclude unusable data; (4) Resolve questionable job matching and wage rate data; and (5) Verify all computations reported on wage data collection forms. (b) The lead agency shall determine whether the usable data collected in the wage survey are adequate for computing paylines, according to the following criteria: (1) The wage survey data collected in an appropriated fund wage survey are adequate if the unweighted job matches include at least one survey job in the WG-01 through 04 range, one survey job in the WG-05 through 08 range, and two survey jobs in the WG-09 and above range, each providing at least 20 samples; and at least six other survey jobs, each providing at least 10 samples. (2) The wage survey data collected in a nonappropriated fund wage survey are adequate if the unweighted job matches include at least two survey jobs in the NA-01 through 04 range providing 10 samples each, one survey job in the NA-01 through 04 range and three survey jobs in the NA-05 through 15 range providing five samples each; two other survey jobs, each providing at least five samples, and at least 100 unweighted samples for all survey jobs combined are used in the computation of the final payline. (c)(1) If the wage survey data do not meet the adequacy criteria in paragraph (b) of this section, the lead agency shall analyze the data, construct lines and wage schedules, submit them to the agency wage committee for its review and recommendations and issue wage schedules, in accordance with the requirements of this subpart, as if the adequacy criteria were met. (2) The lead agency may determine such a wage area to be adequate if the quantity of data obtained is large enough to construct paylines even though it was obtained for fewer than the prescribed number of jobs, or at different grade levels, or in different combinations than prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section. (3) The lead agency may not determine a nonappropriated fund wage area to be adequate if fewer than 100 usable unweighted job matches were used in the final payline computation. (d) If the lead agency determines a wage area to be inadequate under paragraph (c) of this section, it shall promptly refer the problem to OPM for resolution. OPM shall: (1) Authorize the lead agency to continue to survey the area if the lead agency believes the survey is likely to be adequate in the next full-scale survey; (2) Authorize the lead agency to expand the scope of the survey; or (3) Abolish the wage area and establish it as part of one or more other wage areas. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46140, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.241 Analysis of usable wage survey data. (a)(1) The lead agency shall compute a weighted average rate for each appropriated fund survey job having at least 10 unweighed matches and for each nonappropriated fund job having at least 5 unweighed matches. The weighted average rates shall be computed using the survey job data collected in accordance with §§ 532.235 and 532.247 and the establishment weight. (2)(i) Incentive and piece-work rates shall be excluded when computing weighted average rates if, after establishment weights have been applied, 90 percent or more of the total usable wage survey data reflect rates paid on a straight-time basis only. (ii) When sufficient incentive and piece-work rate data are obtained, the full incentive rate shall be used in computing the job weighted average rate when it is equal to or less than the average nonincentive rate. If the full incentive rate is greater than the average nonincentive rate, the incentive rate shall be discounted by 15 percent. The discounted incentive rate shall be compared with the guaranteed minimum rate and the average nonincentive rate, and the highest rate shall be used in computing the job weighted average rate. (b) The lead agency shall compute paylines using the weighted average rates computed under paragraph (a) of this section. (1) The lead agency shall compute unit and frequency paylines using the straight-line, least squares regression formula: Y = a + bx, where Y is the hourly rate, x is grade, a is the intercept of the payline with the Y-axis, and b is the slope of the payline. (i) The unit payline shall be computed using a weight of one for each of the usable survey jobs and the weighted average rates identified and computed under paragraph (a) of this section. (ii) The frequency payline shall be computed using a weight equal to the number of weighted matches for each of the usable survey jobs and the weighted average rates identified and computed under paragraph (a) of this section. (2) Either or both of the lines computed according to paragraph (b)(1) of this section may be recomputed after eliminating survey job data that cause distortion in the lines. (3) The lead agency may compute midpoint paylines using the following formula: Y = (a u f u f u f u f (4) The lead agency may compute other paylines for the purpose of instituting changes in the scope of the survey. (c) Usable data obtained from a particular establishment may not be modified or deleted in order to reduce the effect of an establishment's rates on survey findings, i.e., [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 32273, June 9, 1993; 60 FR 62701, Dec. 7, 1995] § 532.243 Consultation with the agency wage committee. (a) The lead agency shall submit to the agency wage committee: (1) The data collected in the wage survey; (2) The report and recommendations of the local wage survey committee concerning the use of data; (3) The lead agency's analysis of the data; and (4) The lines computed from the data. (b) After considering the information available to it, the agency wage committee shall report to the lead agency its recommendation for a proposed wage schedule derived from the data. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.245 Selection of payline and issuance of wage schedules. (a) The lead agency shall select a payline and construct wage schedules therefrom for issuance as the regular wage schedules for the wage area, after considering all of the information, analysis, and recommendations made available to it pursuant to this subpart. (b)(1) The lead agency shall prepare and maintain a record of all of the analysis and deliberations made under this subpart, documenting fully the basis for its determination under paragraph (a) of this section. (2) The lead agency shall include in the record all of the wage survey data obtained and the recommendations and reports received from the local wage survey committee and the agency wage committee. (c)(1) The lead agency shall issue the nonsupervisory, leader, and supervisory regular wage schedules for the local wage area, showing the rates of pay for all grades and steps. (2) The wage schedules shall have a single effective date for all employees in the wage area, determined by the lead agency in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5344. (d) The head of each agency having employees in the local wage area to whom the regular wage schedules apply shall authorize the application of the wage schedules issued under paragraph (c) of this section to those employees, effective on the date specified by the lead agency. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.247 Wage change surveys. (a) Wage change surveys shall be conducted in each wage area in years during which full-scale wage surveys are not conducted. (b) Data shall be collected in wage change surveys only from establishments which participated in the preceding full-scale survey. Information concerning pay adjustments of general application in effect for jobs matched in each establishment which participated in the preceding full-scale survey shall be obtained. (c) Data may be obtained in wage change surveys by telephone, mail, electronic means, or personal visit. The chairperson of the local wage survey committee shall determine the manner in which establishments will be contacted for collection of data. Data may be collected by the local wage survey committee members or by data collectors appointed and assigned to two member teams in accordance with § 532.233(e) of this subpart. (d) Wage change survey data may not be collected before the date ordered by the lead agency. (e) The local wage survey committee shall review all wage change survey data collected and forward the data to the lead agency. Where appropriate, the committee shall also forward to the lead agency a report of unusual circumstances surrounding the survey. (f) The lead agency shall review the wage change survey data and, if applicable, the report filed by the local wage survey committee. (g)(1) The lead agency shall recompute the line selected under § 532.245(a) of this subpart in the preceding full-scale survey using the wage change survey data and shall construct wage schedules therefrom in accordance with § 532.203 and, if appropriate, § 532.205 of this subpart. (2) The lead agency shall consult with the agency wage committee in accordance with § 532.243 of this subpart. (3) Records of this process shall be maintained in accordance with § 532.245(b) of this subpart. (h) The wage schedules shall be issued and authorized in accordance with § 532.245 (c) and (d) of this subpart. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 32274, June 9, 1993; 86 FR 11859, Mar. 1, 2021] § 532.249 Minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions. (a) The lead agency for a wage area may establish the rate of the second, third, fourth, or fifth step of one or more grades of an occupation as the mandatory minimum rate or rates payable by any agency for the occupation at one or more locations within a wage area based on findings that: (1) The hiring rates prevailing for an occupation in private sector establishments in the wage area are higher than the rate of the first step of the grade or grades of the occupation; and (2) Federal installations and activities in the wage area are unable to recruit qualified employees at the rate of the first step of the grade or grades of the occupation. (b) Any authorizations made under paragraph (a) of this section shall be indicated on the regular wage schedule for the wage area. (c) Any authorizations made under paragraph (a) of this section shall be terminated with the issuance of a new regular wage schedule unless the conditions that warrant the authorizations continue and the new regular wage schedule continues that authorization. (d) The lead agency, prior to terminating any authorization made under paragraph (a) of this section, shall require the appropriate official or officials at all installations or activities to which the authorization applies to discuss the termination with the appropriate official or officials of exclusively recognized employee organizations representing employees in the affected occupation. The agency officials shall report the results of these discussions to the lead agency. (e) No employee shall have his/her pay reduced because of cancellation of an authorization made under paragraph (a) of this section. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981. Redesignated at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.251 Special rates. (a) A lead agency, with the approval of OPM, may establish special rates for use within all or part of a wage area for a designated occupation or occupational specialization and grade, in lieu of rates on the regular schedule. OPM may authorize special rates to the extent it considers necessary to overcome existing or likely significant handicaps in the recruitment or retention of well-qualified personnel when these handicaps are due to any of the following circumstances: (1) Rates of pay offered by private sector employers for an occupation or occupational specialization and grade are significantly higher than those paid by the Federal Government within the competitive labor market; (2) The remoteness of the area or location involved; or (3) Any other circumstances that OPM considers appropriate. (b) In authorizing special rates, OPM shall consider— (1) The number of existing or likely vacant positions and the length of time they have been vacant, including evidence to support the likelihood that a recruitment problem will develop if one does not already exist; (2) The number of employees who have or are likely to quit, including the number quitting for higher pay positions and evidence to support the likelihood that employees will quit; (3) The number of vacancies employing agencies tried to fill and the number of hires and offers made; (4) The nature of the existing labor market; (5) The degree to which employing agencies have considered or used increased minimum rates for hard-to-fill positions; (6) The degree to which employing agencies have considered relevant non-pay solutions to the staffing problem, such as conducting an aggressive recruiting program, using appropriate appointment authorities, redesigning jobs, establishing training programs, and improving working conditions; (7) The impact of the staffing problem on employers' missions; (8) The level of private sector rates paid for comparable positions; and (9) As appropriate, the extent to which the use of unrestricted rates authorized under § 532.801 of this part was considered. (c) In determining at what level to set special rates, OPM shall consider— (1) The level of rates it believes necessary to recruit or retain an adequate number of well-qualified persons; (2) The offsetting costs that will be incurred if special rates are not authorized; and (3) The level of private sector rates paid for comparable positions. (d) No one factor or combination of factors specified in paragraphs (b) or (c) of this section requires special rates to be established or to be adjusted to any given level. Each request to establish special rates shall be judged on its own merits, based on the extent to which it meets these factors. Increased minimum rates are not a prerequisite to the establishment of special rates under this section. (e) Special rates shall be based on private sector wage data, or a percentage thereof, as specified by OPM at the time the special rates are authorized. The private sector data shall be calculated as a weighted average or payline, as appropriate. A single rate shall be used when this represents private sector practice, and five rates shall be used when rate ranges are used by the private sector. When a five-step rate range is used, the differentials between steps shall be set in accordance with § 532.203(f) of this subpart. (f) Once approved by OPM, special rates may be adjusted by the lead agency on the same cycle as the applicable regular schedule to the extent deemed necessary to ensure the continued recruitment or retention of well-qualified personnel. The amount of the special rate adjustment may be up to the percentage (rounded to the nearest one-tenth of 1 percent) by which the market rate has changed since the last adjustment. Special rates may not exceed the percentage of market rates initially approved by OPM unless a request for higher special rates is made and approved under paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section. (g) Any special rates established under paragraph (a) of this section shall be shown on the regular schedule or published as an amendment to the regular schedule and shall indicate the wage area (or part thereof) and each occupation or occupational specialization and grade for which the rates are authorized. These rates shall be paid by all agencies having such positions in the wage area (or part thereof) specified. (h) The scheduled special rate payable under this section may not, at any time, be less than the unrestricted (uncapped) rate otherwise payable for such positions under the applicable regular wage schedule. (i) If a special rate is terminated under paragraph (f) of this section, the lead agency shall provide written notice of such termination to OPM. (j) Employers using special rates shall maintain current recruitment and retention data for all authorized special rates. Such data shall be made available to the lead agency prior to the wage area regular schedule adjustment date for the purpose of determining whether there is a continuing need for special rates and the amount of special rate adjustment necessary to recruit or retain well-qualified employees. [57 FR 57875, Dec. 8, 1992] § 532.253 Special rates or rate ranges for leader, supervisory, and production facilitating positions. (a) When special rates or rate ranges are established for nonsupervisory positions, a lead agency also shall establish special rates for leader, supervisory, and production facilitating positions, classified to the same occupational series and title, that lead, supervise, or perform production facilitating work directly relating to the nonsupervisory jobs covered by the special rates. (b) The step rate structure shall be the same as that of the related nonsupervisory special rate or rate range. (c) The following formulas shall be used to establish a special rate or rate range: (1) A single rate shall equal the top step of the appropriate leader, supervisory, or production facilitating grade on the regular schedule, plus the cents per hour difference between the top step of the appropriate nonsupervisory grade on the regular schedule and the special nonsupervisory rate. (2) For a multiple rate range, the step 2 rate shall equal the step 2 rate of the appropriate leader, supervisory, or production facilitating grade on the regular schedule, plus the cents per hour difference between the prevailing rate of the appropriate nonsupervisory grade on the regular schedule and the prevailing rate of the special rate position. Other required step rates shall be computed in accordance with the formula established in § 532.203 of this subpart. [55 FR 46144, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.254 Special schedules. (a) A lead agency, with the approval of OPM, may establish special schedules for use within an area for specific occupations that are critical to the mission of a Federal activity based on findings that— (1) Unusual prevailing pay practices exist in the private sector that are incompatible with regular schedule practices, and serious recruitment or retention problems exist or will likely develop if employees are paid from the authorized regular schedule; or (2) Administrative considerations require the establishment of special schedules to address unique agency missions or other unusual circumstances that OPM considers appropriate. (b) An OPM authorization for a special schedule shall include instructions for its construction, application, and administration. (c) Unless otherwise specified, positions covered by special schedules shall be subject to the general provisions of this part and to other applicable rules and regulations of OPM. [57 FR 57876, Dec. 8, 1992] § 532.255 Regular appropriated fund wage schedules in foreign areas. (a) The Department of Defense shall establish and issue regular appropriated fund wage schedules for U.S. citizens who are employees in foreign areas. These wage schedules shall provide rates of pay for nonsupervisory, leader, supervisory, and production facilitating employees. (b) Schedules shall be— (1) Computed on the basis of a simple average of all regular appropriated fund wage area schedules in effect on December 31; and (2) Effective on the first day of the first pay period that begins on or after January 1 of the succeeding year. (c) Step 2 rates for each nonsupervisory grade shall be derived by computing a simple average of each step 2 rate for each of the 15 grades of all nonsupervisory wage rate schedules designated in paragraph (b) of this section. (d) Through the use of the step 2 rates derived under the schedule averaging process, the step rates for each of the 15 grades of the nonsupervisory schedule and all scheduled pay rates for leaders and supervisors shall be developed by using the standard formulas established in 5 CFR 532.203, Structure of regular wage schedules. (e) Pay schedules for production facilitating positions shall be established in accordance with the table in § 532.263(c) of this subpart. [50 FR 38634, Sept. 24, 1985, as amended at 51 FR 28799, Aug. 12, 1986; 51 FR 39853, Nov. 3, 1986; 54 FR 52011, Dec. 20, 1989. Redesignated and amended at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990; 58 FR 13194, Mar. 10, 1993] § 532.257 Regular nonappropriated fund wage schedules in foreign areas. (a) The Department of Defense shall establish and issue regular nonappropriated fund wage schedules for U.S. citizens who are wage employees in foreign areas. These schedules will provide rates of pay for nonsupervisory, leader, and supervisory employees. (b) Schedules will be— (1) Computed on the basis of a simple average of all regular nonappropriated fund wage area schedules defined for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia in effect on the first Sunday in January; and (2) Effective on the first Sunday in January of each year. (c) Step 2 rates for each nonsupervisory grade will be derived by computing a simple average of each step 2 rate for each of the 15 grades of all nonsupervisory wage rate schedules designated in paragraph (b) of this section. (d) Through the use of the step 2 rates derived under the schedule averaging process, the step rates for each of the 15 grades of the nonsupervisory schedule and all scheduled pay rates for leaders and supervisors will be developed by using the standard formulas established in 5 CFR 532.203, Structure of regular wage schedules. [50 FR 38634, Sept. 24, 1985, as amended at 51 FR 28799, Aug. 12, 1986; 54 FR 52011, Dec. 20, 1989. Redesignated and amended at 55 FR 46141, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.259 Special appropriated fund wage schedules for U.S. insular areas. (a) The lead agency shall establish and issue special wage schedules for U.S. civil service wage employees in certain U.S. insular areas. The Department of Defense is the lead agency for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Midway, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These schedules shall provide rates of pay for nonsupervisory, leader, supervisory, and production facilitating employees. (b) Special schedules shall be established at the same time and with rates identical to the foreign area appropriated fund wage schedules established under § 532.255 of this subpart. (c) Wage employees recruited from outside the insular area where employed, who meet the same eligibility requirements as those specified for General Schedule employees in § 591.209 of subpart B of part 591, are also paid as a part of basic pay a differential for recruitment and retention purposes. The differential rate shall be that established for General Schedule employees in appendix B of subpart B of part 591 and shall be adjusted effective concurrently with the special schedules. [58 FR 13194, Mar. 10, 1993, as amended at 84 FR 22693, May 20, 2019] § 532.261 Special wage schedules for leader and supervisory schedules for leader and supervisory wage employees in the Puerto Rico wage area. (a) The Department of Defense shall establish special wage schedules for leader and supervisory wage employees in the Puerto Rico wage area. (b) The step 2 rate for each grade of the leader wage schedule shall be equal to 120 percent of the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the Puerto Rico wage area. (c) The step 2 rate for the supervisory wage schedule shall be: (1) For grades WS-1 through WS-10, equal to the rate for step 2 of the corresponding grade of the nonsupervisory regular wage schedule for the Puerto Rico wage area, plus 60 percent of the rate for step 2 of WG-10; (2) For grades WS-11 through WS-18, the second rate of WS-10 plus 5, 11.5, 19.6, 29.2, 40.3, 52.9, 67.1, and 82.8 percent, respectively, of the difference between the step 2 rates of WS-10 and WS-19; and (3) For grade WS-19, the third rate in effect for General Schedule grade GS-14 at the time of the area wage schedule adjustment. The WS-19 rate shall include any cost of living allowance payable for the area under 5 U.S.C. 5941. (d) Step rates shall be developed by using the formula established in § 532.203 of this subpart. [55 FR 46144, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.263 Special wage schedules for production facilitating positions. (a) The lead agency in each FWS wage area shall establish special nonsupervisory and supervisory production facilitating wage schedules for employees properly allocable to production facilitating positions under applicable Federal Wage System job grading standards. (b) Nonsupervisory schedules shall have 11 pay levels, and supervisory schedules shall have 9 pay levels. (c) Pay levels and rates of pay for nonsupervisory (WD) schedules and supervisory (WN) schedules shall be identical to the pay levels and rates of pay for the corresponding grades on the local FWS regular supervisory wage schedule. Pay levels shall be determined in accordance with the following table: WN supervisory level WS grade WD nonsupervisory Level: 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 5 1 7 6 2 8 7 3 9 8 4 10 9 5 11 10 6 12 11 7 13 8 14 9 15 (d) Special production facilitating wage schedules shall be effective on the same date as the regular wage schedules in the FWS wage area. [55 FR 46144, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.265 Special wage schedules for apprentices and shop trainees. (a) Agencies may establish special wage schedules for apprentices and shop trainees who are included in: (1) Formal apprenticeship programs involving training for journeyman level duties in occupations that are recognized as apprenticeable by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor; or (2) Formal shop trainee programs involving training for journeyman level duties in nonapprenticeable occupations that require specialized trade or craft skill and knowledge. (b) Special schedules shall consist of a single wage rate for each training period. Wage rates shall be determined as follows: (1) Rates shall be based on the current second step rate of the target journeyman grade level on the regular nonsupervisory wage schedule for the area where the apprentice or trainee is employed. (2) The entrance rate shall be computed at 65 percent of the journeyman level, step 2, rate, or the WG-1, step 1, rate, whichever is greater. (3) When the WG-1, step 1, rate is used, the apprentice rate shall be increased by a minimum of 5 cents per hour for each succeeding increment interval until the rate obtained by this method equals the rate computed under the formula. No increase shall be less then 5 cents per hour. (c) Advancement to higher increments shall be at 26-week intervals, regardless of the total length of the training period. Intermediate rates shall be established by subtracting the entrance rate from the journeyman level, step 2 rate, and dividing the difference by the number of 26-week periods of the particular training term. The resulting quotient equals the increment for each succeeding rate. (d) Agencies may hire at advanced rates or accelerate progression through scheduled wage rates if prescribed by approved agency training standards or programs. (e) If the employee is promoted to the target job or to a job at the same grade level, the promotion shall be to the second step rate. If the employee is assigned to a job at a grade level that is less than the grade level of the target job, existing pay fixing rules shall be followed. [55 FR 46144, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.267 Special wage schedules for aircraft, electronic, and optical instrument overhaul and repair positions in Puerto Rico. (a) The Department of Defense shall conduct special industry surveys and establish special wage schedules for wage employees in Puerto Rico whose primary duties involve the performance of work related to aircraft, electronic equipment, and optical instrument overhaul and repair. (b) Except as provided in this section, regular appropriated fund wage survey and wage-setting procedures are applicable. (c) Special survey specifications are as follows: (1) Surveys must, at a minimum, include the air transportation and electronics industries in the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes: 2022 NAICS codes 2022 NAICS industry titles 333310 Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing. 3341 Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing. 33422 Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. 33429 Other communications equipment manufacturing. 3343 Audio and video equipment manufacturing. 334412 Bare printed circuit board manufacturing. 334413 Semiconductor and related device manufacturing. 334418 Printed circuit assembly (electronic assembly) manufacturing. 334419 Other electronic component manufacturing. 334511 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical system and instrument manufacturing. 334515 Instrument manufacturing for measuring and testing electricity and electrical signals. 334610 Manufacturing and reproducing magnetic and optical media. 42342 Office equipment merchant wholesalers. 42343 Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software merchant wholesalers. 4811 Scheduled air transportation. 4812 Nonscheduled air transportation. 4879 Scenic and sightseeing transportation, other. 4881 Support activities for air transportation. 4921 Couriers and express delivery services. 56172 Janitorial services. 62191 Ambulance services. 81142 Reupholstery and furniture repair. (2) Surveys shall cover all establishments in the surveyed industries. (3) Surveys shall, as a minimum, include all the following jobs: Job titles Job grades Aircraft Cleaner 3 Fleet Service Worker 5 Aircraft Mechanic 10 Industrial Electronic Controls Repairer 10 Aircraft Instrument Mechanic 11 Electronic Test Equipment Repairer 11 Electronics Mechanic 11 Electronic Computer Mechanic 11 Television Station Mechanic 11 (d) The data collected in a special wage survey shall be considered adequate if there are as many weighted matches used in computing the nonsupervisory payline as there are employees covered by the special wage rate schedules. (e) Each survey job used in computing the nonsupervisory payline must include a minimum of three unweighted matches. (f) Special schedules shall have three step rates with the payline fixed at step 2. Step 1 shall be set at 96 percent of the payline rate, and step 3 shall be set at 104 percent of the payline rate. (g) The waiting period for within-grade increases shall be 26 weeks between steps 1 and 2 and 78 weeks between steps 2 and 3. (h) Special wage schedules shall be effective on the same date as the regular wage schedules for the Puerto Rico wage area. [55 FR 46145, Nov. 1, 1990, as amended at 60 FR 62701, Dec. 7, 1995; 71 FR 35374, June 20, 2006; 73 FR 45853, Aug. 7, 2008; 78 FR 58154, Sept. 23, 2013; 84 FR 36814, July 30, 2019; 89 FR 4540, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.269 Special wage schedules for Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army navigation lock and dam employees. (a) The Department of Defense shall establish special wage schedules for nonsupervisory, leader, and supervisory wage employees of the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, who are engaged in operating lock and dam equipment or who repair and maintain navigation lock and dam operating machinery and equipment. (b) Employees shall be subject to one of the following pay provisions: (1) If all navigation lock and dam installations under a District headquarters office are located within a single wage area, the employees shall be paid from special wage schedules having rates identical to the regular wage schedule applicable to that wage area. (2) If navigation lock and dam installations under a District headquarters office are located in more than one wage area, employees shall be paid from a special wage schedule having rates identical to the regular wage schedule authorized for the headquarters office. (c) Each special wage schedule shall be effective on the same date as the regular schedule on which it is based. [55 FR 46145, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.271 Special wage schedules for National Park Service positions in overlap areas. (a)(1) The Department of the Interior shall establish special schedules for wage employees of the National Park Service whose duty station is located in one of the following NPS jurisdictions: (i) Blue Ridge Parkway; (ii) Natchez Trace Parkway; and (iii) Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (2) Each of these NPS jurisdictions is located in ( i.e., (b) The special overlap wage schedules in each of the NPS jurisdictions shall be based on a determination concerning which regular nonsupervisory wage schedule in the overlapped FWS wage areas provides the most favorable payline for the employees. (c) The most favorable payline shall be determined by computing a simple average of the 15 nonsupervisory second step rates on each one of the regular schedules authorized for each wage area overlapped. The highest average obtained by this method will identify the regular schedule that produces the most favorable payline. (d) Each special schedule shall be effective on the same date as the regular schedule on which it is based. (e) If there is a change in the identification of the most favorable payline, the special scheule for the current year shall be issued on its normal effective date. The next special scheule shall be issued on the effective date of the next regular schedule that produced the most favorable payline for the NPS jurisdiction in the previous year. [55 FR 46145, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.273 Special wage schedules for United States Information Agency Radio Antenna Rigger positions. (a) The United States Information Agency shall establish special wage schedules for Radio Antenna Riggers employed at transmitting and relay stations in the United States. (b) The wage rate shall be the regular wage rate for the appropriate grade for Radio Antenna Rigger for the wage area in which the station is located, plus 25 percent of that rate. (c) The 25 percent differential shall be in lieu of any environmental differential that would otherwise be payable. (d) The special schedules shall be effective on the same date as the regular wage schedules for the wage area in which the positions are located. [55 FR 46145, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.277 Special wage schedules for U.S. Navy positions in Bridgeport, California. (a) The Department of Defense shall establish special wage schedules for prevailing rate employees at the United States Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California. (b) Schedules shall be established by increasing the step 2 rates on the Reno, Nevada, regular wage schedule by 10 percent. (c) Step rates shall be developed by using the standard formulas established in § 532.203 of this subpart. (d) The special wage schedules shall be effective on the same date as the regular wage schedules applicable to the Reno, Nevada, wage area. [55 FR 46146, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.281 Special wage schedules for divers and tenders. (a) Agencies are authorized to establish special schedule payments for prevailing rate employees who perform diving and tending duties. (b) Employees who perform diving duties shall be paid 175 percent of the locality WG-10, step 2, rate for all payable hours of the shift. (c) Employees who perform tending duties shall be paid at the locality WG-10, step 2, rate for all payable hours of the shift. (d) Employees whose regular scheduled rate exceeds the diving/tending rate on the day they perform such duties shall retain their regular scheduled rate on that day. (e) An employee's diving/tending rate shall be used as the basic rate of pay for computing all premium payments for a shift. (f) Employees who both dive and tend on the same shift shall receive the higher diving rate as the basic rate for all hours of the shift. [55 FR 46146, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.283 Special wage schedules for nonappropriated fund tipped employees classified as waiter/waitress. (a) Tipped employees shall be paid from the regular nonappropriated fund (NAF) schedule applicable to the employee's duty station. (b) A tip offset may be authorized for employees classified as Waiter/Waitress. For purposes of this section, a tipped employee is one who is engaged in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips, and a tip offset is the amount of money by which an employer, in meeting legal minimum wage standards, may reduce a tipped employee's cash wage in consideration of the receipt of tips. (c) A tip offset may be established, abolished, or adjusted by NAF instrumentalities on an annual basis and at such additional times as new or revised minimum wage statutes require. The amount of any tip offset may vary within a single instrumentality based on location, type of service, or time of service. (d) If tipped employees are represented by a labor organization holding exclusive recognition, the employing NAF instrumentality shall negotiate with such organization to arrive at a determination as to whether, when, and how much tip offset shall be applied. Changes in tip offset practices may be made more frequently than annually as a result of collective bargaining agreement. (e) Tip offset practices shall be governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, or the applicable statutes of the State, possession or territory where an employee works, whichever provides the greater benefit to the employee. In locations where tip offset is prohibited by law, the requirements of paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section do not apply. [55 FR 46146, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.285 Special wage schedules for supervisors of negotiated rate Bureau of Reclamation employees. (a) The Department of the Interior shall establish and issue special wage schedules for wage supervisors of negotiated rate wage employees in the Bureau of Reclamation. These schedules shall be based on annual special wage surveys conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation in each special wage area. Survey jobs representing Bureau of Reclamation positions at up to four levels will be matched to private industry jobs in each special wage area. Special schedule rates for each position will be based on prevailing rates for that particular job in private industry. (b) Each supervisory job shall be described at one of four levels corresponding to the four supervisory situations described in Factor I and four levels of Subfactor IIIA of the FWS Job Grading Standard for Supervisors. They shall be titled in accordance with regular FWS practices, with the added designation of level I, II, III, or IV. The special survey and wage schedule for a given special wage area includes only those occupations and levels having employees in that area. For each position on the special schedule, there shall be three step rates. Step 2 is the prevailing rate as determined by the survey; step 1 is 96 percent of the prevailing rate; and step 3 is 104 percent of the prevailing rate. (c) For each special wage area, the Bureau of Reclamation shall designate and appoint a special wage survey committee, including a chairperson and two other members (at least one of whom shall be a supervisor paid from the special wage schedule), and one or more two-person data collection teams (each of which shall include at least one supervisor paid from the special wage schedule). The local wage survey committee shall determine the prevailing rate for each survey job as a weighted average. Survey specifications are as follows for all surveys: (1) Based on Bureau of Reclamation activities and types of supervisory positions in the special wage area, the Bureau of Reclamation must survey private industry companies, with no minimum employment size requirement for establishments, in the following North American Industry Classification System code subsectors: 2022 NAICS codes 2022 NAICS industry titles 211 Oil and gas extraction. 212 Mining (except oil and gas). 213 Support activities for mining. 221 Utilities. 333 Machinery manufacturing. 334 Computer and electronic product manufacturing. 335 Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing. 484 Truck transportation. 492 Couriers and messengers. 493 Warehousing and storage. 516 Broadcasting and content providers. 517 Telecommunications. 562 Waste management and remediation services. 811 Repair and maintenance. (2) Each local wage survey committee shall compile lists of all companies in the survey area known to have potential job matches. For the first survey, all companies on the list will be surveyed. Subsequently, companies shall be removed from the survey list if they prove not to have job matches, and new companies will be added if they are expected to have job matches. Survey data will be shared with other local wage survey committees when the data from any one company is applicable to more than one special wage area. (3) For each area, survey job descriptions shall be tailored to correspond to the position of each covered supervisor in that area. They will be described at one of four levels (I, II, III, or IV) corresponding to the definitions of the four supervisory situations described in Factor I and four levels of Subfactor IIIA of the FWS Job Grading Standard for Supervisors. A description of the craft, trade, or labor work supervised will be included in each supervisory survey job description. (d) Special wage area boundaries shall be identical to the survey areas covered by the special wage surveys. The areas of application in which the special schedules will be paid are generally smaller than the survey areas, reflecting actual Bureau of Reclamation worksites and the often scattered location of surveyable private sector jobs. Special wage schedules shall be established in the following areas: The Great Plains Region Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Montana: Wyoming: Colorado: North Dakota: South Dakota: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Montana: Wyoming: Colorado: Beginning month of survey: The Mid-Pacific Region Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) California: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) California: Beginning month of survey: Green Springs Power Field Station Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Oregon: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Oregon: Beginning month of survey: Pacific NW. Region Drill Crew Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Montana: Oregon: Utah: Idaho: Washington: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Oregon: Montana: Idaho: Washington: Beginning month of survey: Snake River Area Office (Central Snake/Minidoka) Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Idaho: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Idaho: Beginning month of survey: Hungry Horse Project Office Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Montana: Idaho: Washington: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Montana: Beginning month of survey: Grand Coulee Power Office (Grand Coulee Project Office) Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Oregon: Washington: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Washington: Beginning month of survey: Upper Columbia Area Office (Yakima) Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Washington: Oregon: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Washington: Oregon: Beginning Month of Survey: Colorado River Storage Project Area Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Arizona: Colorado: Wyoming: Utah: Special Survey Area of Application (Counties) Arizona: Colorado: Wyoming: Utah: Beginning month of survey: Elephant Butte Area Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) New Mexico: Texas: Arizona: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) New Mexico: Beginning month of survey: Lower Colorado Dams Area Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Nevada: California: Arizona: Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Nevada: California: Arizona: Beginning month of survey: Yuma Projects Area Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) California: Arizona: Note: Bureau of Reclamation may add other survey counties for dredge operator supervisors because of the uniqueness of the occupation and difficulty in finding job matches.) Special Wage Area of Application (Counties) Arizona: Beginning month of survey: Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO, Area Special Wage Survey Area (Counties) Colorado: Special Wage Survey Area of Application (Counties) Colorado: Beginning month of survey: (e) These special schedule positions will be identified by pay plan code XE, grade 00, and the Federal Wage System occupational codes will be used. New employees shall be hired at step 1 of the position. With satisfactory or higher performance, advancement between steps shall be automatic after 52 weeks of service. (f)(1) In the first year of implementation, all special areas will have full-scale surveys. (2) Current employees shall be placed in step 2 of the new special schedule, or, if their current rate of pay exceeds the rate for step 2, they shall be placed in step 3. Pay retention shall apply to any employee whose rate of basic pay would otherwise be reduced as a result of placement in these new special wage schedules. (3) The waiting period for within-grade increases shall begin on the employee's first day under the new special schedule. [60 FR 5310, Jan. 27, 1995, as amended at 69 FR 7105, Feb. 13, 2004; 71 FR 35375, June 20, 2006; 73 FR 45853, Aug. 7, 2008; 78 FR 58154, Sept. 23, 2013; 84 FR 36814, July 30, 2019; 89 FR 4541, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.287 Special wage schedules for nonappropriated fund automotive mechanics. (a) The Department of Defense (DOD) will establish a flat rate pay system for nonappropriated fund (NAF) automotive mechanics. This flat rate pay system will take into account local prevailing rates, the mechanic's skill level, and the standard number of hours required to complete a particular job. (b) DOD will issue special wage schedules for NAF automotive mechanics who are covered by the flat rate pay system. These special schedules will provide rates of pay for nonsupervisory, leader, and supervisory employees. These special schedule positions will be identified by pay plan codes XW (nonsupervisory), XY (leader), and XZ (supervisory), grades 8-10, and will use the Federal Wage System occupational code 5823. (c) DOD will issue special wage schedules for NAF automotive mechanics based on annual special flat rate surveys of similar jobs conducted in each special schedule wage area. (1) The survey area for these special surveys will include the same counties as the regular NAF survey area. (2) The survey jobs used will be Automotive Worker and Automotive Mechanic. (3) The special surveys will include data on automotive mechanics that are paid under private industry flat rate pay plans as well as those paid by commission. (4) In addition to all standard North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes currently used on the regular surveys, the industries surveyed will include— 2022 NAICS Codes 2022 NAICS Industry titles 441110 New car dealers. 811111 General automotive repair. 811191 Automotive oil change and lubrication shops. (5) The surveys will cover establishments with a total employment of eight or more. (6) The special schedules for NAF automotive mechanics will be effective on the same dates as the regular wage schedules in the NAF FWS wage area. (d) New employees will be hired at step 1 of the position under the flat rate pay system. Current employees will be moved to these special wage schedules on a step-by-step basis. Pay retention will apply to any employee whose rate of basic pay would otherwise be reduced as a result of placement in these new special schedules. [79 FR 22765, Apr. 24, 2014, as amended at 89 FR 4541, Jan. 24, 2024; 89 FR 8065, Feb. 6, 2024] § 532.289 Special wage schedules for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control employees of the Vicksburg District in Mississippi. (a)(1) The Department of Defense will establish special wage schedules for wage employees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who work at flood control dams (also known as reservoir projects) and whose duty station is located in one of the lakes that comprise the Vicksburg District of the Mississippi Valley Division. (2) These special wage schedules will provide rates of pay for nonsupervisory, leader, and supervisory employees. These special schedule positions will be identified by pay plan codes XR (nonsupervisory), XT (leader), and XU (supervisory). (b) The Vicksburg District of the Mississippi Valley Division is comprised of the following four lakes: (1) Grenada Lake in Grenada County, MS (2) Enid Lake in Yalobusha County, MS (3) Sardis Lake in Panola County, MS (4) Arkabutla Lake in Tate County, MS (c) Special wage schedules shall be established at the same time and with rates identical to the Memphis, TN, appropriated fund wage schedule. [80 FR 61277, Oct. 13, 2015] Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 532—Nationwide Schedule of Appropriated Fund Regular Wage Surveys This appendix shows the annual schedule of wage surveys. It lists all States alphabetically, each State being followed by an alphabetical listing of all wage areas in the State. Information given for each wage area includes— (1) The lead agency responsible for conducting the survey; (2) The month in which the survey will begin; and (3) Whether full-scale surveys will be done in odd or even numbered fiscal years. State Wage area Lead agency Beginning month of Fiscal year of full-scale Alabama Birmingham-Cullman-Talladega DoD January Even. Dothan DoD July Odd. Huntsville DoD April Even. Montgomery-Selma DoD August Odd. Alaska Alaska DoD July Even. Arizona Northeastern Arizona DoD March Odd. Phoenix DoD March Odd. Tucson DoD March Odd. Arkansas Little Rock DoD July Even. California Fresno DoD February Odd. Los Angeles DoD November Odd. Sacramento-Roseville DoD February Odd. San Diego DoD September Odd. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland DoD October Even. Colorado Denver DoD January Odd. Southern Colorado DoD January Even. Connecticut New Haven-Hartford DoD April Odd. District of Columbia Washington-Baltimore-Arlington DoD July Odd. Florida Cocoa Beach DoD October Even. Jacksonville DoD January Odd. Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale DoD May Odd. Panama City DoD September Even. Pensacola DoD September Odd. Tampa-St. Petersburg DoD April Even. Georgia Albany DoD August Odd. Atlanta DoD May Odd. Augusta DoD June Odd. Macon DoD June Odd. Savannah DoD May Odd. Hawaii Hawaii DoD June Even. Idaho Boise DoD July Odd. Illinois Bloomington-Pontiac DoD September Odd. Chicago-Naperville, IL DoD September Even. Indiana Evansville-Henderson DoD October Odd. Fort Wayne-Marion DoD October Odd. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie DoD October Odd. Iowa Cedar Rapids-Iowa City DoD July Even. Davenport-Moline DoD October Even. Des Moines DoD September Odd. Kansas Manhattan DoD November Even. Wichita DoD November Even. Kentucky Lexington DoD February Even. Louisville DoD February Odd. Louisiana Lake Charles-Alexandria DoD April Even. New Orleans DoD June Even. Shreveport DoD May Even. Maine Augusta DoD May Even. Central and Northern Maine DoD June Even. Massachusetts Boston-Worcester-Providence DoD August Even. Michigan Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor DoD January Odd. Northwestern Michigan DoD August Odd. Southwestern Michigan DoD October Even. Minnesota Duluth DoD June Odd. Minneapolis-St. Paul DoD April Odd. Mississippi Biloxi DoD November Even. Jackson DoD February Odd. Meridian DoD February Odd. Northern Mississippi DoD February Even. Missouri Kansas City DoD October Odd. St. Louis DoD October Odd. Southern Missouri DoD October Odd. Montana Montana DoD July Even. Nebraska Omaha DoD October Odd. Nevada Las Vegas DoD September Even. Reno DoD March Even. New Hampshire Portsmouth DoD September Even. New Mexico Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Los Alamos DoD April Odd. New York Albany-Schenectady DoD March Odd. Buffalo DoD September Odd. New York-Newark DoD January Even. Northern New York DoD March Odd. Rochester DoD April Even. Syracuse-Utica-Rome DoD March Even. North Carolina Asheville DoD June Even. Central North Carolina DoD May Even. Charlotte-Concord DoD August Odd. Southeastern North Carolina DoD January Odd. North Dakota North Dakota DoD March Even. Ohio Cincinnati DoD January Odd. Cleveland-Akron-Canton DoD April Odd. Columbus-Marion-Zanesville DoD January Odd. Dayton DoD January Even. Oklahoma Oklahoma City DoD August Odd. Tulsa DoD August Odd. Oregon Portland-Vancouver-Salem DoD July Even. Southwestern Oregon DoD June Even. Pennsylvania Harrisburg-York-Lebanon DoD May Even. Philadelphia-Reading-Camden DoD October Even. Pittsburgh DoD July Odd. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre DoD August Odd. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico DoD July Odd. South Carolina Charleston DoD July Even. Columbia DoD May Even. South Dakota Eastern South Dakota DoD October Even. Tennessee Eastern Tennessee DoD February Odd. Memphis DoD February Even. Nashville DoD February Even. Texas Austin DoD June Even. Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice DoD June Even. Dallas-Fort Worth DoD October Odd. El Paso DoD April Even. Houston-Galveston-Texas City DoD March Even. San Antonio DoD June Odd. Texarkana DoD April Odd. Waco DoD May Odd. Western Texas DoD May Odd. Wichita Falls, Texas-Southwestern Oklahoma DoD July Even. Utah Utah DoD July Odd. Virginia Richmond DoD November Odd. Roanoke DoD November Even. Virginia Beach-Chesapeake DoD May Even. Washington Seattle-Everett DoD September Even. Southeastern Washington- Eastern Oregon DoD June Odd. Spokane DoD July Odd. West Virginia West Virginia DoD March Odd. Wisconsin Madison DoD July Even. Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha DoD June Odd. Southwestern Wisconsin DoD June Even. Wyoming Wyoming DoD January Even. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981] Editorial Note: For Federal Register www.govinfo.gov. Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 532—Nationwide Schedule of Nonappropriated Fund Regular Wage Surveys This appendix shows the annual schedule of NAF wage surveys. It lists all States alphabetically, each State being followed by an alphabetical listing of all wage areas in the State. Information given for each wage area includes— (1) The lead agency responsible for conducting the survey; (2) The month in which the survey will begin; and (3) Whether full-scale surveys will be conducted in odd or even numbered calendar years. State Wage area Beginning month of Calendar year of full-scale survey odd or even Alabama Madison April Even. Montgomery April Odd. Alaska Anchorage June Even. Arizona Maricopa October Even. Pima October Even. Yuma October Even. Arkansas Pulaski April Odd. California Kern September Odd. Los Angeles September Even. Monterey September Odd. Orange September Even. Riverside September Even. Sacramento February Odd. San Bernardino September Even. San Diego September Odd. San Joaquin February Odd. Santa Barbara September Even. Solano September Odd. Ventura September Even. Colorado Arapahoe July Even. El Paso July Even. Connecticut New London July Even. Delaware Kent August Odd. District of Columbia Washington, DC August Even. Florida Bay January Even. Brevard January Odd. Miami-Dade January Odd. Duval January Odd. Escambia January Even. Hillsborough January Odd. Monroe January Odd. Okaloosa January Even. Orange January Even. Georgia Chatham March Odd. Cobb June Odd. Columbus June Odd. Dougherty March Odd. Houston April Odd. Lowndes March Odd. Richmond April Odd. Guam Guam September Even. Hawaii Honolulu May Even. Idaho Ada-Elmore July Odd. Illinois Lake April Even. St. Clair April Even. Kansas Leavenworth-Jackson-Johnson April Even. Sedgwick April Odd. Kentucky Christian-Montgomery February Even. Hardin-Jefferson March Even. Louisiana Bossier-Caddo March Odd. Orleans June Odd. Rapides March Odd. Maine York October Odd. Maryland Anne Arundel August Even. Charles-St. Mary's August Even. Harford May Even. Montgomery-Prince George's August Even. Massachusetts Hampden October Odd. Middlesex October Odd. Michigan Macomb May Odd. Mississippi Harrison March Even. Lauderdale March Odd. Lowndes March Odd. Montana Cascade July Odd. Nebraska Douglas-Sarpy April Even. Nevada Churchill-Washoe January Even. Clark January Even. New Jersey Burlington August Odd. Morris August Odd. New Mexico Bernalillo February Odd. Curry June Odd. Dona Ana February Odd. New York Jefferson May Odd. Kings-Queens October Even. Niagara May Odd. Orange May Odd. North Carolina Craven March Even. Cumberland March Even. Onslow February Even. Wayne March Even. North Dakota Grand Forks July Odd. Ward July Odd. Ohio Greene-Montgomery April Odd. Oklahoma Comanche March Even. Oklahoma March Even. Pennsylvania Cumberland May Even. York May Even. Puerto Rico Guaynabo-San Juan February Even. Rhode Island Newport July Even. South Carolina Charleston February Even. Richland March Even. South Dakota Pennington June Even. Tennessee Shelby February Even. Texas Bell June Odd. Bexar June Even. Dallas June Even. El Paso February Odd. McLennan May Odd. Nueces June Even. Tarrant June Even. Taylor June Odd. Tom Green June Odd. Wichita March Even. Utah Davis-Salt Lake-Weber July Odd. Virginia Alexandria-Arlington-Fairfax August Even. Chesterfield-Richmond August Odd. Hampton-Newport News May Even. Norfolk-Portsmouth-Virginia Beach May Even. Prince William August Even. Washington Kitsap June Even. Pierce July Even. Snohomish July Even. Spokane July Odd. Wyoming Laramie July Even. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981] Editorial Note: For Federal Register www.govinfo.gov. Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532—Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas This appendix lists the wage area definitions for appropriated fund employees. With a few exceptions, each area is defined in terms of county units, independent cities, or a similar geographic entity. Each wage area definition consists of: (1) Wage area title. Wage areas usually carry the title of the principal city in the area. Sometimes, however, the area title reflects a broader geographic area, such as Combined Statistical Area or Metropolitan Statistical Area. (2) Survey area definition. Lists each county, independent city, or a similar geographic entity in the survey area. (3) Area of application definition. Lists each county, independent city, or a similar geographic entity which, in addition to the survey area, is in the area of application. Definitions of Wage Areas and Wage Area Survey Areas ALABAMA Birmingham-Cullman-Talladega Survey Area Alabama: Calhoun (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Etowah (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Jefferson St. Clair Shelby Talladega (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Tuscaloosa Walker Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Bibb Blount Calhoun (effective until January 2028) Chilton Clay Coosa Cullman Etowah (effective until January 2028) Fayette Greene Hale Lamar Marengo Perry Pickens Talladega (effective until January 2028) Winston Dothan Survey Area Alabama: Dale Houston Georgia: Early Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Barbour Coffee Geneva Henry Georgia: Clay Miller Seminole Huntsville Survey Area Alabama: Limestone Madison Marshall Morgan Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Colbert DeKalb Franklin Lauderdale Lawrence Marion Tennessee: Giles Lincoln Wayne Montgomery-Selma Survey Area Alabama: Autauga Elmore Montgomery Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Bullock Butler Crenshaw Dallas Lowndes Pike Wilcox ALASKA Anchorage Survey Area Alaska: (boroughs and the areas within a 24-kilometer (15-mile) radius of their corporate city limits) Anchorage Fairbanks Juneau Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alaska: State of Alaska (except special area schedules) ARIZONA Northeastern Arizona Survey Area Arizona: Apache Coconino Navajo New Mexico: San Juan Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Dolores Gunnison (Only includes the Curecanti National Recreation Area portion) La Plata Montezuma Montrose Ouray San Juan San Miguel Utah: Garfield (Only includes the Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands National Parks portions) Grand (Only includes the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks portions) Iron (Only includes the Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park portions) Kane San Juan Washington Wayne (Only includes the Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks portions) Phoenix Survey Area Arizona: Gila Maricopa Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arizona: Pinal Yavapai Tucson Survey Area Arizona: Pima Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arizona: Cochise Graham Greenlee Santa Cruz ARKANSAS Little Rock Survey Area Arkansas: Jefferson Pulaski Saline Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Arkansas Ashley Baxter Boone Bradley Calhoun Chicot Clark Clay Cleburne Cleveland Conway Dallas Desha Drew Faulkner Franklin (Does not include the Fort Chaffee portion) Fulton Garland Grant Greene Hot Spring Independence Izard Jackson Johnson Lawrence Lincoln Logan Lonoke Marion Monroe Montgomery Newton Ouachita Perry Phillips Pike Polk Pope Prairie Randolph Scott Searcy Sharp Stone Union Van Buren White Woodruff Yell CALIFORNIA Fresno Survey Area California: Fresno Kings Tulare Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Madera Mariposa Tuolumne (Only includes the Yosemite National Park portion) Los Angeles Survey Area California: Kern (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) Los Angeles Orange (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) Riverside (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) San Bernardino (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) Santa Barbara (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) Ventura (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2026) Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Inyo (Only includes the China Lake Naval Weapons Center portion) Kern (effective until November 2026) Orange (effective until November 2026) Riverside (effective until November 2026) San Bernardino (effective until November 2026) Santa Barbara (effective until November 2026) San Luis Obispo Ventura (effective until November 2026) Sacramento-Roseville Survey Area California: Placer Sacramento Sutter Yolo Yuba Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Amador Butte Colusa El Dorado Glenn Humboldt Lake Modoc Nevada Plumas Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Tehama Trinity San Diego Survey Area California: San Diego Arizona: Yuma (effective for wage surveys beginning in September 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arizona: La Paz Yuma (effective until September 2027) California: Imperial San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Survey Area California: Alameda Contra Costa Marin Monterey (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) Napa San Joaquin (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) San Francisco San Mateo Santa Clara Solano Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Calaveras Mendocino Merced Monterey (effective until October 2027) San Benito San Joaquin (effective until October 2027) Santa Cruz Sonoma Stanislaus Tuolumne (Does not include the Yosemite National Park portion) COLORADO Denver Survey Area Colorado: Adams Arapahoe Boulder Broomfield Denver Douglas Gilpin Jefferson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Clear Creek Eagle Elbert Garfield Grand Jackson Lake Larimer Lincoln Logan Morgan Park Phillips Pitkin Rio Blanco Routt Sedgwick Summit Washington Weld Yuma Southern Colorado Survey Area Colorado: El Paso Pueblo Teller Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Alamosa Archuleta Baca Bent Chaffee Cheyenne Conejos Costilla Crowley Custer Delta Fremont Gunnison (does not includes the Curecanti National Recreation Area portion) Hinsdale Huerfano Kiowa Kit Carson Las Animas Mineral Otero Prowers Rio Grande Saguache CONNECTICUT New Haven-Hartford Survey Area Connecticut: Hartford New Haven New London (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Massachusetts: Hampden (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Hampshire (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Connecticut: Litchfield Middlesex New London (effective until April 2027) Tolland Windham Massachusetts: Franklin Hampden (effective until April 2027) Hampshire (effective until April 2027) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington-Baltimore-Arlington Survey Area District of Columbia: Washington, DC Maryland (city): Baltimore (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Maryland (counties): Anne Arundel (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Baltimore (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Carroll (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Charles Frederick Harford (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Howard (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Montgomery Prince George's Washington (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Pennsylvania: Franklin (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Virginia (cities): Alexandria Fairfax Falls Church Manassas Manassas Park Virginia (counties): Arlington Fairfax King George (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Loudoun Prince William West Virginia: Berkeley (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maryland (city): Baltimore (effective until July 2027) Maryland (counties): Allegany Anne Arundel (effective until July 2027) Baltimore (effective until July 2027) Calvert Caroline Carroll (effective until July 2027) Dorchester Garrett Harford (effective until July 2027) Howard (effective until July 2027) Kent Queen Anne's St. Mary's Talbot Washington (effective until July 2027) Pennsylvania: Adams (Only includes the Raven Rock Mountain Complex) Franklin (effective until July 2027) Fulton Virginia (cities): Fredericksburg Harrisonburg Staunton Waynesboro Winchester Virginia (counties): Albemarle (Only includes the Shenandoah National Park portion) Augusta Caroline Clarke Culpeper Fauquier Frederick Greene (Only includes the Shenandoah National Park portion) King George (effective until July 2027) Madison Orange Page Rappahannock Rockingham Shenandoah Spotsylvania Stafford Warren Westmoreland West Virginia: Berkeley (effective until July 2027) Hampshire Hardy Jefferson Mineral Morgan FLORIDA Cocoa-Beach Survey Area Florida: Brevard Area of Application. Survey area. Jacksonville Survey Area Florida: Alachua Baker Clay Columbia (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) Duval Nassau Orange (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) St. Johns Sumter (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) Georgia: Camden Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Bradford Citrus Columbia (effective until January 2027) Dixie Flagler Gilchrist Hamilton Lafayette Lake Levy Madison Marion Orange (effective until January 2027) Osceola Polk Putnam Seminole Sumter (effective until January 2027) Suwannee Taylor Union Volusia Georgia: Charlton Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale Survey Area Florida: Miami-Dade Palm Beach (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Broward Collier Glades Hendry Highlands Indian River Lee Martin Monroe Okeechobee Palm Beach (effective until May 2027) St. Lucie Panama City Survey Area Florida: Bay Gulf Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Calhoun Franklin Gadsden Holmes Jackson Jefferson Leon Liberty Wakulla Washington Georgia: Decatur Pensacola Survey Area Florida: Escambia Santa Rosa Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Baldwin Clarke Conecuh Covington Escambia Mobile Monroe Washington Florida: Okaloosa Walton Tampa-St. Petersburg Survey Area Florida: Hillsborough Pasco Pinellas Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Charlotte De Soto Hardee Hernando Manatee Sarasota Georgia: Colquitt Dougherty Lee Mitchell Worth Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Atkinson Baker Ben Hill Berrien Brooks Calhoun Clinch Coffee Cook Echols Grady Irwin Lanier Lowndes Quitman Randolph Schley Sumter Terrell Thomas Tift Turner Ware Webster Atlanta Survey Area Alabama: Lee (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Macon (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Russell (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Georgia: Butts Chattahoochee (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Cherokee Clayton Cobb De Kalb Douglas Fayette Forsyth Fulton Gwinnett Henry Muscogee (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Newton Paulding Rockdale Walton Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Chambers Cherokee Cleburne Lee (effective until May 2027) Macon (effective until May 2027) Randolph Russell (effective until May 2027) Tallapoosa Georgia: Banks Barrow Bartow Carroll Chattahoochee (effective until May 2027) Clarke Coweta Dawson Elbert Fannin Floyd Franklin Gilmer Gordon Greene Habersham Hall Haralson Harris Hart Heard Jackson Jasper Lamar Lumpkin Madison Marion Meriwether Morgan Muscogee (effective until May 2027) Oconee Oglethorpe Pickens Pike Polk Putnam Rabun Spalding Stephens Stewart Talbot Taliaferro Towns Troup Union Upson White Augusta Survey Area Georgia: Columbia McDuffie Richmond South Carolina: Aiken Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Burke Emanuel Glascock Jefferson Jenkins Lincoln Warren Wilkes South Carolina: Allendale Bamberg Barnwell Edgefield McCormick Macon Survey Area Georgia: Bibb Houston Jones Laurens Twiggs Wilkinson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Baldwin Bleckley Crawford Crisp Dodge Dooly Hancock Johnson Macon Monroe Montgomery Peach Pulaski Taylor Telfair Treutlen Washington Wheeler Wilcox Savannah Survey Area Georgia: Bryan Chatham Effingham Liberty South Carolina: Beaufort (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Appling Bacon Brantley Bulloch Candler Evans Glynn Jeff Davis Long McIntosh Pierce Screven Tattnall Toombs Wayne South Carolina: Beaufort (effective until May 2027) Hampton Jasper HAWAII Hawaii Survey Area Hawaii: Honolulu Area of Application. Survey area plus: Hawaii: Hawaii Kauai (includes the islands of Kauai and Niihau) Maui (includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe) IDAHO Boise Survey Area Idaho: Ada Boise Canyon Elmore Gem Area of Application. Survey area plus: Idaho: Adams Bannock Bear Lake Bingham Blaine Bonneville Butte Camas Caribou Cassia Clark Custer Fremont Gooding Jefferson Jerome Lemhi Lincoln Madison Minidoka Oneida Owyhee Payette Power Teton Twin Falls Valley Washington ILLINOIS Bloomington-Pontiac Survey Area Illinois: Champaign Menard Sangamon Vermilion Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Christian Clark Coles Crawford Cumberland De Witt Douglas Edgar Ford Jasper Livingston Logan McLean Macon Morgan Moultrie Piatt Scott Shelby Chicago-Naperville Survey Area Illinois: Cook Du Page Kane Lake McHenry Will Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Boone Bureau De Kalb Grundy Iroquois Kankakee Kendall La Salle Ogle Putnam Stephenson Winnebago Indiana: Jasper Lake La Porte Newton Porter Pulaski Starke Wisconsin: Kenosha INDIANA Evansville-Henderson Survey Area Indiana: Daviess Greene Knox Martin Orange Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Edwards Gallatin Hardin Lawrence Richland Wabash White Indiana: Crawford Dubois Gibson Perry Pike Posey Spencer Vanderburgh Warrick Kentucky: Crittenden Daviess Hancock Henderson McLean Ohio Union Webster Fort Wayne-Marion Survey Area Indiana: Adams Allen DeKalb Huntington Wells Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Cass Elkhart Fulton Jay Kosciusko LaGrange Marshall Noble St. Joseph Steuben Wabash Whitley Ohio: Defiance Henry Paulding Putnam Williams Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie Survey Area Indiana: Boone Grant (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Hamilton Hancock Hendricks Johnson Lawrence (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Marion Miami (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Monroe (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Morgan Shelby Vigo (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Bartholomew Benton Blackford Brown Carroll Clay Clinton Decatur Delaware Fayette Fountain Grant (effective until October 2026) Henry Howard Jackson Jennings Lawrence (effective until October 2026) Madison Miami (effective until October 2026) Monroe (effective until October 2026) Montgomery Owen Parke Putnam Randolph Rush Sullivan Tippecanoe Tipton Vermillion Vigo (effective until October 2026) Warren Wayne White IOWA Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Survey Area Iowa: Benton Black Hawk Johnson Linn Area of Application. Survey area plus: Iowa: Allamakee Bremer Buchanan Butler Cedar Chickasaw Clayton Davis Delaware Fayette Floyd Grundy Henry Howard Iowa Jefferson Jones Keokuk Mitchell Tama Van Buren Wapello Washington Winneshiek Davenport-Moline Survey Area Illinois: Henry Rock Island Iowa: Scott Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Brown Carroll Cass Fulton Hancock Henderson Jo Daviess Knox Lee McDonough Marshall Mason Mercer Peoria Schuyler Stark Tazewell Warren Whiteside Woodford Iowa: Clinton Des Moines Dubuque Jackson Lee Louisa Muscatine Des Moines Survey Area Iowa: Polk Story Warren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Iowa: Adair Appanoose Boone Calhoun Carroll Cerro Gordo Clarke Dallas Decatur Franklin Greene Guthrie Hamilton Hancock Hardin Humboldt Jasper Kossuth Lucas Madison Mahaska Marion Marshall Monroe Poweshiek Ringgold Union Wayne Webster Winnebago Worth Wright KANSAS Manhattan Survey Area Kansas: Geary Riley (effective for wage surveys beginning in November 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kansas: Brown Clay Cloud Coffey Dickinson Lyon Marshall Morris Nemaha Ottawa Pottawatomie Republic Riley (effective until November 2027) Saline Washington Wichita Survey Area Kansas: Butler Sedgwick Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kansas: Barber Barton Chase Chautauqua Cheyenne Clark Comanche Cowley Decatur Edwards Elk Ellis Ellsworth Finney Ford Gove Graham Grant Gray Greeley Greenwood Hamilton Harper Harvey Haskell Hodgeman Jewell Kearny Kingman Kiowa Labette Lane Lincoln Logan McPherson Marion Meade Mitchell Montgomery Morton Neosho Ness Norton Osborne Pawnee Phillips Pratt Rawlins Reno Rice Rooks Rush Russell Scott Seward Sheridan Sherman Smith Stafford Stanton Stevens Sumner Thomas Trego Wallace Wichita Wilson Woodson KENTUCKY Lexington Survey Area Kentucky: Bourbon Clark Fayette Jessamine Madison Scott Woodford Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kentucky: Anderson Bath Bell Boyle Breathitt Casey Clay Estill Fleming Franklin Garrard Green Harrison Jackson Knott Knox Laurel Lee Leslie Lincoln McCreary Marion Menifee Mercer Montgomery Morgan Nicholas Owsley Perry Powell Pulaski Rockcastle Rowan Taylor Washington Wayne Whitley Wolfe Louisville Survey Area Indiana: Clark Floyd Jefferson Kentucky: Bullitt Hardin Jefferson Oldham Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Harrison Scott Washington Kentucky: Breckinridge Grayson Hart Henry Larue Meade Nelson Shelby Spencer Trimble LOUISIANA Lake Charles-Alexandria Survey Area Louisiana: Allen Beauregard Calcasieu Grant Rapides Sabine Vernon Area of Application. Survey area plus: Louisiana: Acadia Avoyelles Caldwell Cameron Catahoula Concordia Evangeline Franklin Iberia Jefferson Davis Lafayette La Salle Madison Natchitoches St. Landry St. Martin Tensas Vermilion Winn New Orleans Survey Area Louisiana: Jefferson Orleans Plaquemines St. Bernard St. Charles St. John the Baptist St. Tammany Area of Application. Survey area plus: Louisiana: Ascension Assumption East Baton Rouge East Feliciana Iberville Lafourche Livingston Pointe Coupee St. Helena St. James St. Mary Tangipahoa Terrebonne Washington West Baton Rouge West Feliciana Shreveport Survey Area Louisiana: Bossier Caddo Webster Area of Application. Survey area plus: Louisiana: Bienville Claiborne De Soto East Carroll Jackson Lincoln Morehouse Ouachita Red River Richland Union West Carroll Texas: Gregg Harrison Panola Rusk Upshur MAINE Augusta Survey Area Maine: Kennebec Knox Lincoln Area of Application. Survey area. Central And Northern Maine Survey Area Maine: Aroostook Penobscot Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maine: Hancock Piscataquis Somerset Waldo Washington MASSACHUSETTS Boston-Worcester-Providence Survey Area Maine: Androscoggin (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Cumberland (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Sagadahoc (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) York (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Massachusetts: Barnstable Bristol (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Essex Middlesex Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) New Hampshire: Rockingham (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Strafford (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Rhode Island: Bristol (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Kent (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Newport (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Providence (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Washington (effective for wage surveys beginning in August 2026) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maine: Androscoggin (effective until August 2026) Cumberland (effective until August 2026) Franklin Oxford Sagadahoc (effective until August 2026) York (effective until August 2026) Massachusetts: Bristol (effective until August 2026) Dukes Nantucket Worcester (effective until August 2026) New Hampshire: Belknap Carroll Cheshire Coos Grafton Hillsborough Merrimack Rockingham (effective until August 2026) Strafford (effective until August 2026) Sullivan Rhode Island: Bristol (effective until August 2026) Kent (effective until August 2026) Newport (effective until August 2026) Providence (effective until August 2026) Washington (effective until August 2026) Vermont: Orange Windham Windsor MICHIGAN Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor Survey Area Michigan: Lapeer Livingston Macomb Oakland St. Clair Washtenaw (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) Wayne Ohio: Lucas (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Michigan: Arenac Bay Clare Clinton Eaton Genesee Gladwin Gratiot Huron Ingham Isabella Jackson Lenawee Midland Monroe Saginaw Sanilac Shiawassee Tuscola Washtenaw (effective until January 2027) Ohio: Fulton Lucas (effective until January 2027) Wood Northwestern Michigan Survey Area Michigan: Delta Dickinson Marquette Area of Application. Survey area plus: Michigan: Alcona Alger Alpena Antrim Baraga Benzie Charlevoix Cheboygan Chippewa Crawford Emmet Gogebic Grand Traverse Houghton Iosco Iron Kalkaska Keweenaw Leelanau Luce Mackinac Manistee Menominee Missaukee Montmorency Ogemaw Ontonagon Oscoda Otsego Presque Isle Roscommon Schoolcraft Wexford Wisconsin: Florence Marinette Southwestern Michigan Survey Area Michigan: Barry Calhoun Kalamazoo Van Buren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Michigan: Allegan Berrien Branch Cass Hillsdale Ionia Kent Lake Mason Mecosta Montcalm Muskegon Newaygo Oceana Osceola Ottawa St. Joseph MINNESOTA Duluth Survey Area Minnesota: Carlton St. Louis Wisconsin: Douglas Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Aitkin Becker (only includes the White Earth Indian Reservation portion) Beltrami Cass Clearwater Cook Crow Wing Hubbard Itasca Koochiching Lake Lake of the Woods Mahnomen Wisconsin: Ashland Bayfield Burnett Iron Sawyer Washburn Minneapolis-St. Paul Survey Area Minnesota: Anoka Carver Chisago Dakota Hennepin Morrison (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Ramsey Scott Stearns (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Washington Wright Wisconsin: St. Croix Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Benton Big Stone Blue Earth Brown Chippewa Cottonwood Dodge Douglas Faribault Fillmore Freeborn Goodhue Grant Isanti Kanabec Kandiyohi Lac Qui Parle Le Sueur McLeod Martin Meeker Mille Lacs Morrison (effective until April 2027) Mower Nicollet Olmsted Pine Pope Redwood Renville Rice Sherburne Sibley Stearns (effective until April 2027) Steele Stevens Swift Todd Traverse Wabasha Wadena Waseca Watonwan Winona Yellow Medicine Wisconsin: Pierce Polk MISSISSIPPI Biloxi Survey Area Mississippi: Hancock Harrison Jackson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Mississippi: George Pearl River Stone Jackson Survey Area Mississippi: Hinds Rankin Warren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Mississippi: Adams Amite Attala Claiborne Copiah Franklin Holmes Humphreys Issaquena Jefferson Jefferson Davis Lawrence Lincoln Madison Marion Pike Scott Sharkey Simpson Smith Walthall Wilkinson Yazoo Meridian Survey Area Alabama: Choctaw Mississippi: Forrest Lamar Lauderdale Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Sumter Mississippi: Clarke Covington Greene Jasper Jones Kemper Leake Neshoba Newton Perry Wayne Northern Mississippi Survey area Mississippi: Clay Grenada Lee Leflore Lowndes Monroe Oktibbeha Area of Application. Survey area plus: Mississippi: Alcorn Bolivar Calhoun Carroll Chickasaw Choctaw Coahoma Itawamba Lafayette (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Montgomery Noxubee Pontotoc (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Prentiss Quitman Sunflower Tallahatchie Tishomingo Union (Does not include the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Washington Webster Winston Yalobusha MISSOURI Kansas City Survey Area Kansas: Jefferson (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Johnson Leavenworth Osage (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Shawnee (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Wyandotte Missouri: Cass Clay Jackson Johnson (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Platte Ray Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kansas: Allen Anderson Atchison Bourbon Doniphan Douglas Franklin Jackson Jefferson (effective until October 2026) Linn Miami Osage (effective until October 2026) Shawnee (effective until October 2026) Wabaunsee Missouri: Adair Andrew Atchison Bates Buchanan Caldwell Carroll Chariton Clinton Daviess DeKalb Gentry Grundy Harrison Henry Holt Johnson (effective until October 2026) Lafayette Linn Livingston Macon Mercer Nodaway Pettis Putnam Saline Schuyler Sullivan Worth St. Louis Survey Area Illinois: Clinton Madison Monroe St. Clair Williamson (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Missouri (city): St. Louis Missouri (counties): Boone (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2026) Franklin Jefferson St. Charles St. Louis Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Adams Alexander Bond Calhoun Clay Effingham Fayette Franklin Greene Hamilton Jackson Jefferson Jersey Johnson Macoupin Marion Montgomery Perry Pike Pope Pulaski Randolph Saline Union Washington Wayne Williamson (effective until October 2026) Missouri: Audrain Bollinger Boone (effective until October 2026) Callaway Cape Girardeau Clark Cole Cooper Crawford Gasconade Howard Iron Knox Lewis Lincoln Madison Marion Mississippi Moniteau Monroe Montgomery Osage Perry Pike Ralls Randolph St. Francois Ste. Genevieve Scotland Scott Shelby Warren Washington Southern Missouri Survey Area Missouri: Christian Greene Laclede Phelps Pulaski Webster Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kansas: Cherokee Crawford Missouri: Barry Barton Benton Butler Camden Carter Cedar Dade Dallas Dent Douglas Hickory Howell Jasper Lawrence Maries Miller Morgan New Madrid Newton Oregon Ozark Polk Reynolds Ripley St. Clair Shannon Stoddard Stone Taney Texas Vernon Wayne Wright MONTANA Montana Survey Area Montana: Cascade Lewis and Clark Yellowstone Area of Applicaton. Survey area plus: Montana: Beaverhead Big Horn Blaine Broadwater Carbon Carter Chouteau Custer Daniels Dawson Deer Lodge Fallon Fergus Flathead Gallatin Garfield Glacier Golden Valley Granite Hill Jefferson Judith Basin Lake Liberty Lincoln McCone Madison Meagher Mineral Missoula Musselshell Park Petroleum Phillips Pondera Powder River Powell Prairie Ravalli Richland Roosevelt Rosebud Sanders Sheridan Silver Bow Stillwater Sweet Grass Teton Toole Treasure Valley Wheatland Wibaux Wyoming: Big Horn Park Teton NEBRASKA Omaha Survey Area Iowa: Pottawattamie Nebraska: Douglas Lancaster Sarpy Area of Applicaton. Survey area plus: Iowa: Adams Audubon Buena Vista Cass Cherokee Clay Crawford Fremont Harrison Ida Mills Monona Montgomery O'Brien Page Palo Alto Plymouth Pocahontas Sac Shelby Sioux Taylor Woodbury Nebraska: Adams Antelope Arthur Blaine Boone Boyd Brown Buffalo Burt Butler Cass Cedar Chase Cherry Clay Colfax Cuming Custer Dakota Dawson Dixon Dodge Dundy Fillmore Franklin Frontier Furnas Gage Garfield Gosper Grant Greeley Hall Hamilton Harlan Hayes Hitchcock Holt Hooker Howard Jefferson Johnson Kearney Keith Keya Paha Knox Lincoln Logan Loup McPherson Madison Merrick Nance Nemaha Nuckolls Otoe Pawnee Perkins Phelps Pierce Platte Polk Red Willow Richardson Rock Saline Saunders Seward Sherman Stanton Thayer Thomas Thurston Valley Washington Wayne Webster Wheeler York South Dakota: Union NEVADA Las Vegas Survey Area Nevada: Clark Nye Area of Applicaton. Survey area plus: Arizona: Mohave California: Inyo (Does not include the China Lake Naval Weapons Center portion.) Nevada: Esmeralda Lincoln Reno Survey Area California: Lassen (effective for wage surveys beginning in March 2026) Nevada: Lyon Mineral Storey Washoe Area of Applicaton. Survey area plus: California: Alpine Lassen (effective until March 2026) Mono (Does not cover locations where the Bridgeport, CA, special schedule applies) Nevada (city): Carson City Nevada (county): Churchill Douglas Elko Eureka Humboldt Lander Pershing White Pine NEW MEXICO Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Los Alamos Survey Area New Mexico: Bernalillo McKinley (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Sandoval Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Mexico: Catron Cibola Colfax Curry De Baca Guadalupe Harding Lincoln (Does not include the White Sands Missile Range portion) Los Alamos McKinley (effective until April 2027) Mora Quay Rio Arriba Roosevelt San Miguel Santa Fe Socorro (Does not include the White Sands Missile Range portion) Taos Torrance Union Valencia NEW YORK Albany-Schenectady Survey Area New York: Albany Montgomery Rensselaer Saratoga Schenectady Area of Applicaton. Survey area plus: Massachusetts: Berkshire New York: Columbia Delaware Fulton Greene Hamilton Schoharie Warren Washington Vermont: Bennington Rutland Buffalo Survey Area New York: Erie Niagara Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Allegany Cattaraugus Chautauqua Wyoming Pennsylvania: Elk (Only includes the Allegheny National Forest portion) Forest (Only includes the Allegheny National Forest portion) McKean Warren New York-Newark Survey Area New Jersey: Bergen Burlington (Only includes the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst portion) Essex Hudson Middlesex Monmouth (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Morris Ocean (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Passaic Somerset Union New York: Bronx Dutchess (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Kings Nassau New York Orange Queens Suffolk Westchester Pennsylvania: Monroe (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2028) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Connecticut: Fairfield New Jersey: Hunterdon Mercer Monmouth (effective until January 2028) Ocean (effective until January 2028) Sussex Warren New York: Dutchess (effective until January 2028) Putnam Richmond Rockland Sullivan Ulster Pennsylvania: Carbon Lehigh Monroe (effective until January 2028) Northampton Pike Wayne Northern New York Survey Area New York: Clinton Franklin Jefferson St. Lawrence Vermont: Chittenden Franklin Grand Isle Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Essex Lewis Vermont: Addison Caledonia Essex Lamoille Orleans Washington Rochester Survey Area New York: Livingston Monroe Ontario Orleans Steuben Wayne Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Chemung Genesee Schuyler Seneca Yates Pennsylvania: Tioga Syracuse-Utica-Rome Survey Area New York: Herkimer Madison Oneida Onondaga Oswego Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Broome Cayuga Chenango Cortland Otsego Tioga Tompkins NORTH CAROLINA Asheville Survey Area North Carolina: Buncombe Haywood Henderson Madison Transylvania Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Avery Cherokee Clay Graham Jackson Macon Mitchell Polk Rutherford Swain Yancey Central North Carolina Survey Area North Carolina: Cumberland Durham Harnett Hoke Johnston Orange Wake Wayne Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Alamance Bladen Caswell Chatham Davidson Davie Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Granville Guilford Halifax Lee Montgomery Moore Nash Northampton Person Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Sampson Scotland Stokes Surry Vance Warren Wilson Yadkin South Carolina: Dillon Marion Marlboro Charlotte-Concord Survey Area North Carolina: Cabarrus Gaston Mecklenburg Rowan Union Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Alexander Anson Burke Caldwell Catawba Cleveland Iredell Lincoln McDowell Stanly Wilkes South Carolina: Chester Chesterfield Lancaster York Southeastern North Carolina Survey Area North Carolina: Brunswick Carteret Columbus Craven Jones Lenoir New Hanover Onslow Pamlico Pender Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Beaufort Bertie Duplin Greene Hyde Martin Pitt Washington NORTH DAKOTA North Dakota Survey Area Minnesota: Clay Polk North Dakota: Burleigh Cass Grand Forks McLean Mercer Morton Oliver Traill Ward Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Becker (does not include the White Earth Indian Reservation portion) Kittson Marshall Norman Otter Tail Pennington Red Lake Roseau Wilkin North Dakota: Adams Barnes Benson Billings Bottineau Bowman Burke Cavalier Dickey Divide Dunn Eddy Emmons Foster Golden Valley Grant Griggs Hettinger Kidder LaMoure Logan McHenry McIntosh McKenzie Mountrail Nelson Pembina Pierce Ramsey Ransom Renville Richland Rolette Sargent Sheridan Sioux Slope Stark Steele Stutsman Towner Walsh Wells Williams OHIO Cincinnati Survey Area Indiana: Dearborn Kentucky: Boone Campbell Kenton Ohio: Clermont Hamilton Warren Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Franklin Ohio Ripley Switzerland Union Kentucky: Bracken Carroll Gallatin Grant Lewis Mason Owen Pendleton Robertson Ohio: Adams Brown Butler Clinton Highland Cleveland-Akron-Canton Survey Area Ohio: Cuyahoga Geauga Lake Mahoning (effective for wage surveys beginning in April 2027) Medina Area of Application. Survey area plus: Ohio: Ashland Ashtabula Carroll Columbiana Coshocton Crawford Erie Holmes Huron Lorain Mahoning (effective until April 2027) Ottawa Portage Richland Sandusky Stark Summit Trumbull Tuscarawas Wayne Columbus-Marion-Zanesville Survey Area Ohio: Delaware Fairfield Franklin Licking Madison Pickaway Ross (effective for wage surveys beginning in January 2027) Area of Application. Survey area plus: Ohio: Athens Fayette Guernsey Hancock Hardin Hocking Knox Logan Marion Morgan Morrow Muskingum Noble Perry Pike Ross (effective until January 2027) Seneca Union Vinton Wyandot Dayton Survey Area Ohio: Champaign Clark Greene Miami Montgomery Preble Area of Application. Survey area plus: Ohio: Allen Auglaize Darke Mercer Shelby Van Wert OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City Survey Area Oklahoma: Canadian Cleveland McClain Oklahoma Pottawatomie Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oklahoma: Alfalfa Atoka Beckham Blaine Caddo Coal Custer Dewey Ellis Garfield Garvin Grady Grant Harper Hughes Johnston Kingfisher Lincoln Logan Major Marshall Murray Noble Payne Pontotoc Roger Mills Seminole Washita Woods Woodward Tulsa Survey Area Oklahoma: Creek Mayes Muskogee Osage Pittsburg Rogers Tulsa Wagoner Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Benton Carroll Crawford Franklin (Only includes the Fort Chaffee portion) Madison Sebastian Washington Missouri: McDonald Oklahoma: Adair Cherokee Choctaw Craig Delaware Haskell Kay Latimer Le Flore McCurtain McIntosh Nowata Okfuskee Okmulgee Ottawa Pawnee Pushmataha Sequoyah Washington OREGON Portland-Vancouver-Salem Survey Area Oregon: Clackamas Marion Multnomah Polk Washington Washington: Clark Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oregon: Benton Clatsop Columbia Gilliam Hood River Linn Sherman Tillamook Wasco Yamhill Washington: Cowlitz Klickitat Skamania Wahkiakum Southwestern Oregon Survey Area Oregon: Douglas Jackson Lane Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Del Norte Oregon: Coos Crook Curry Deschutes Jefferson Josephine Klamath Lake Lincoln PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg-York-Lebanon Survey Area Pennsylvania: Cumberland Dauphin Lebanon Union (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2026) York Area of Application. Survey area plus: Pennsylvania: Adams (Does not include the Raven Rock Mountain Complex) Clinton Juniata Lancaster Lycoming Mifflin Perry Snyder Union (effective until May 2026) Philadelphia-Reading-Camden Survey Area Delaware: Kent (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) New Castle (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) Maryland: Cecil (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) New Jersey: Burlington (Excluding the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst portion) Camden Gloucester Salem (effective for wage surveys beginning in October 2027) Pennsylvania: Bucks Chester Delaware Montgomery Philadelphia Area of Application. Survey area plus: Delaware: Kent (effective until October 2027) New Castle (effective until October 2027) Sussex Maryland: Cecil (effective until October 2027) Somerset Wicomico Worcester (Does not include the Assateague Island portion) New Jersey: Atlantic Cape May Cumberland Salem (effective until October 2027) Pennsylvania: Berks Schuylkill Pittsburgh Survey Area Pennsylvania: Allegheny Beaver Butler Cambria (effective for wage surveys beginning in July 2027) Washington Westmoreland Area of Application. Survey area plus: Ohio: Belmont Harrison Jefferson Pennsylvania: Armstrong Bedford Blair Cambria (effective until July 2027) Cameron Centre Clarion Clearfield Crawford Elk (Does not include the Allegheny National Forest portion) Erie Fayette Forest (Does not include the Allegheny National Forest portion) Greene Huntingdon Indiana Jefferson Lawrence Mercer Potter Somerset Venango West Virginia: Brooke Hancock Marshall Ohio Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Survey Area Pennsylvania: Lackawanna Luzerne Area of Application. Survey area plus: Pennsylvania: Bradford Columbia Montour Northumberland Sullivan Susquehanna Wyoming PUERTO RICO Puerto Rico Survey Area Puerto Rico (Municipios): Bayamón Canóvanas Carolina Cataño Guaynabo Humacao Loíza San Juan Toa Baja Trujillo Alto Area of Application. Puerto Rico SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston Survey Area South Carolina: Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Area of Application. Survey area plus: South Carolina: Colleton Georgetown Horry Williamsburg Columbia Survey Area South Carolina: Darlington Florence Kershaw Lee Lexington Richland Sumter Area of Application. Survey area plus: South Carolina: Abbeville Anderson Calhoun Cherokee Clarendon Fairfield Greenville Greenwood Laurens Newberry Oconee Orangeburg Pickens Saluda Spartanburg Union SOUTH DAKOTA Eastern South Dakota Survey Area South Dakota: Minnehaha Area of Application. Survey area plus: Iowa: Dickinson Emmet Lyon Osceola Minnesota: Jackson Lincoln Lyon Murray Nobles Pipestone Rock South Dakota: Aurora Beadle Bennett Bon Homme Brookings Brown Brule Buffalo Campbell Charles Mix Clark Clay Codington Corson Davison Day Deuel Dewey Douglas Edmunds Faulk Grant Gregory Haakon Hamlin Hand Hanson Hughes Hutchinson Hyde Jerauld Jones Kingsbury Lake Lincoln Lyman McCook McPherson Marshall Mellette Miner Moody Potter Roberts Sanborn Spink Stanley Sully Todd Tripp Turner Walworth Yankton Ziebach TENNESSEE Eastern Tennessee Survey Area Tennessee: Carter Hawkins Sullivan Unicoi Washington Virginia (city): Bristol Virginia (counties): Scott Washington Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kentucky: Harlan Letcher North Carolina: Alleghany Ashe Watauga Tennessee: Cocke Greene Hancock Johnson Virginia: Buchanan Grayson Lee Russell Smyth Tazewell Memphis Survey Area Arkansas: Crittenden Mississippi Mississippi: De Soto Tennessee: Shelby Tipton Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Craighead Cross Lee Poinsett St. Francis Mississippi: Benton Lafayette (Only includes the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Marshall Panola Pontotoc (Only includes the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Tate Tippah Tunica Union (Only includes the Holly Springs National Forest portion) Missouri: Dunklin Pemiscot Tennessee: Carroll Chester Crockett Dyer Fayette Gibson Hardeman Hardin Haywood Lake Lauderdale Madison McNairy Obion Nashville Survey Area Kentucky: Christian Tennessee: Cheatham Davidson Dickson Montgomery Robertson Rutherford Sumner Williamson Wilson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Jackson Georgia: Catossa Chattooga Dade Murray Walker Whitfield Illinois: Massac Kentucky: Adair Allen Ballard Barren Butler Caldwell Calloway Carlisle Clinton Cumberland Edmonson Fulton Graves Hickman Hopkins Livingston Logan Lyon McCracken Marshall Metcalfe Monroe Muhlenberg Russell Simpson Todd Trigg Warren Tennessee: Anderson Bedford Benton Bledsoe Blount Bradley Campbell Cannon Claiborne Clay Coffee Cumberland Decatur DeKalb Fentress Franklin Grainger Grundy Hamblen Hamilton Henderson Henry Hickman Houston Humphreys Jackson Jefferson Knox Lawrence Lewis Loudon McMinn Macon Marion Marshall Maury Meigs Monroe Moore Morgan Overton Perry Pickett Polk Putnam Rhea Roane Scott Sequatchie Sevier Smith Stewart Trousdale Union Van Buren Warren Weakley White TEXAS Austin Survey Area Texas: Hays Milam Travis Williamson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Bastrop Blanco Burnet Caldwell Fayette Lee Llano Mason San Saba Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice Survey Area Texas: Hidalgo (effective for wage surveys beginning in June 2026) Nueces San Patricio Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Aransas Bee Brooks Calhoun Cameron Duval Goliad Hidalgo (effective until June 2026) Jim Wells Kenedy Kleberg Live Oak Refugio Starr Victoria Willacy Dallas-Fort Worth Survey Area Texas: Collin Dallas Denton Ellis Grayson Hood Johnson Kaufman Parker Rockwall Tarrant Wise Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oklahoma: Bryan Carter Love Texas: Cherokee Cooke Delta Erath Fannin Henderson Hill Hopkins Hunt Jack Lamar Montague Navarro Palo Pinto Rains Smith Somervell Van Zandt Wood El Paso Survey Area New Mexico: Dona Ana Otero Texas: El Paso Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Mexico: Chaves Eddy Grant Hidalgo Lincoln (Only includes the White Sands Missile Range portion) Luna Sierra Socorro (Only includes the White Sands Missile Range portion) Texas: Culberson Hudspeth Houston-Galveston-Texas City Survey Area Texas: Brazoria Fort Bend Galveston Harris Liberty Montgomery Waller Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Angelina Austin Chambers Colorado Grimes Hardin Houston Jackson Jasper Jefferson Lavaca Madison Matagorda Nacogdoches Newton Orange Polk Sabine San Augustine San Jacinto Shelby Trinity Tyler Walker Washington Wharton San Antonio Survey Area Texas: Bexar Comal Guadalupe Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Atascosa Bandera DeWitt Dimmit Edwards Frio Gillespie Gonzales Jim Hogg Karnes Kendall Kerr Kinney La Salle McMullen Maverick Medina Real Uvalde Val Verde Webb Wilson Zapata Zavala Texarkana Survey Area Arkansas: Little River Miller Texas: Bowie Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Columbia Hempstead Howard Lafayette Nevada Sevier Texas: Camp Cass Franklin Marion Morris Red River Titus Waco Survey Area Texas: Bell Coryell McLennan Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Anderson Bosque Brazos Burleson Falls Freestone Hamilton Lampasas Leon Limestone Mills Robertson Western Texas Survey Area Texas: Callahan Ector Howard Jones Lubbock Midland Nolan Taylor Tom Green Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Mexico: Lea Oklahoma: Beaver Cimarron Texas Texas: Andrews Armstrong Bailey Borden Brewster Briscoe Brown Carson Castro Childress Cochran Coke Coleman Collingsworth Comanche Concho Cottle Crane Crockett Crosby Dallam Dawson Deaf Smith Dickens Donley Eastland Fisher Floyd Gaines Garza Glasscock Gray Hale Hall Hansford Hartley Haskell Hemphill Hockley Hutchinson Irion Jeff Davis Kent Kimble King Lamb Lipscomb Loving Lynn McCulloch Martin Menard Mitchell Moore Motley Ochiltree Oldham Parmer Pecos Potter Presidio Randall Reagan Reeves Roberts Runnels Schleicher Scurry Shackelford Sherman Stephens Sterling Stonewall Sutton Swisher Terrell Terry Throckmorton Upton Ward Wheeler Winkler Yoakum Wichita Falls, Texas-Southwestern Oklahoma Survey Area Oklahoma: Comanche Cotton Stephens Tillman Texas: Archer Clay Wichita Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oklahoma: Greer Harmon Jackson Jefferson Kiowa Texas: Baylor Foard Hardeman Knox Wilbarger Young UTAH Utah Survey Area Utah: Box Elder Davis Salt Lake Tooele Utah Weber Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Mesa Moffat Idaho: Franklin Utah: Beaver Cache Carbon Daggett Duchesne Emery Garfield (Does not include the Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands National Parks portions) Grand (Does not include the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks portions) Iron (Does not include the Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park portions) Juab Millard Morgan Piute Rich Sanpete Sevier Summit Uintah Wasatch Wayne (Does not include the Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks portions) VIRGINIA Richmond Survey Area Virginia (cities): Colonial Heights Hopewell Petersburg Richmond Virginia (counties): Charles City Chesterfield Dinwiddie Goochland Hanover Henrico New Kent Powhatan Prince George Area of Application. Survey area plus: Virginia (cities): Charlottesville Emporia Virginia (counties): Albemarle (Does not include the Shenandoah National Park portion) Amelia Brunswick Buckingham Charlotte Cumberland Essex Fluvanna Greene (Does not include the Shenandoah National Park portion) Greensville King and Queen King William Lancaster Louisa Lunenburg Mecklenburg Nelson Northumberland Nottoway Prince Edward Richmond Sussex Roanoke Survey Area Virginia (cities): Radford Roanoke Salem Virginia (counties): Botetourt Craig Montgomery Roanoke Area of Application. Survey area plus: Virginia (cities): Buena Vista Covington Danville Galax Lexington Lynchburg Martinsville Virginia (counties): Alleghany Amherst Appomattox Bath Bedford Bland Campbell Carroll Floyd Franklin Giles Halifax Henry Highland Patrick Pittsylvania Pulaski Rockbridge Wythe Virginia Beach-Chesapeake Survey Area North Carolina: Currituck Pasquotank (effective for wage surveys beginning in May 2026) Virginia (cities): Chesapeake Hampton Newport News Norfolk Poquoson Portsmouth Suffolk Virginia Beach Williamsburg Virginia (counties): Gloucester James City York Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maryland: Worcester (Only includes the Assateague Island portion) North Carolina: Camden Chowan Dare Gates Hertford Pasquotank (effective until May 2026) Perquimans Tyrrell Virginia (city): Franklin Virginia (counties): Accomack Isle of Wight Mathews Middlesex Northampton Southampton Surry WASHINGTON Seattle-Tacoma Survey Area Washington: Island (effective for wage surveys beginning in September 2026) King Kitsap Pierce Snohomish Area of Application. Survey area plus: Washington: Chelan (Only includes the North Cascades National Park section) Clallam Grays Harbor Island (effective until September 2026) Jefferson Lewis Mason Pacific San Juan Skagit Thurston Whatcom Southeastern Washington-Eastern Oregon Survey Area Oregon: Umatilla Washington: Benton Franklin Walla Walla Yakima Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oregon: Baker Grant Harney Malheur Morrow Union Wallowa Wheeler Washington: Columbia Kittitas (Only includes the Yakima Firing Range portion) Spokane Survey Area Washington: Spokane Area of Application. Survey area plus: Idaho: Benewah Bonner Boundary Clearwater Idaho Kootenai Latah Lewis Nez Perce Shoshone Washington: Adams Asotin Chelan (Does not include the North Cascades National Park portion) Douglas Ferry Garfield Grant Kittitas (Does not include the Yakima Firing Range portion) Lincoln Okanogan Pend Oreille Stevens Whitman WEST VIRGINIA West Virginia Survey Area Kentucky: Boyd Greenup Ohio: Lawrence West Virginia: Cabell Harrison Kanawha Marion Monongalia Putnam Wayne Area of Application. Survey area plus: Kentucky: Carter Elliott Floyd Johnson Lawrence Magoffin Martin Pike Ohio: Gallia Jackson Meigs Monroe Scioto Washington Virginia (city): Norton Virginia (counties): Dickenson Wise West Virginia: Barbour Boone Braxton Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Jackson Lewis Lincoln Logan McDowell Mason Mercer Mingo Monroe Nicholas Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming WISCONSIN Madison Survey Area Wisconsin: Dane Area of Application. Survey area plus: Wisconsin: Adams Columbia Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Lafayette Marquette Rock Sauk Waushara Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha Survey Area Wisconsin: Milwaukee Ozaukee Washington Waukesha Area of Application. Survey area plus: Wisconsin: Brown Calumet Dodge Door Fond du Lac Jefferson Kewaunee Manitowoc Menominee Oconto Outagamie Racine Shawano Sheboygan Walworth Winnebago Southwestern Wisconsin Survey Area Wisconsin: Chippewa Eau Claire La Crosse Monroe Trempealeau Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Houston Wisconsin: Barron Buffalo Clark Crawford Dunn Forest Jackson Juneau Langlade Lincoln Marathon Oneida Pepin Portage Price Richland Rusk Taylor Vernon Vilas Waupaca Wood WYOMING Wyoming Survey Area South Dakota: Pennington Wyoming: Albany Laramie Natrona Area of Application. Survey area plus: Nebraska: Banner Box Butte Cheyenne Dawes Deuel Garden Kimball Morrill Scotts Bluff Sheridan Sioux South Dakota: Butte Custer Fall River Harding Jackson Lawrence Meade Oglala Lakota Perkins Wyoming: Campbell Carbon Converse Crook Fremont Goshen Hot Springs Johnson Lincoln Niobrara Platte Sheridan Sublette Sweetwater Uinta Washakie Weston [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981] Editorial Note: For Federal Register www.govinfo.gov. Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 532—Nonappropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas This appendix lists the wage area definitions for NAF employees. With a few exceptions, each area is defined in terms of county units or independent cities. Each wage area definition consists of: (1) Wage area title. (2) Survey area definition. (3) Area of application definition. Definitions of Wage Areas and Wage Area Survey Areas ALABAMA Madison Survey Area Alabama: Madison Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Jefferson Tennessee: Coffee Davidson Hamilton Rutherford Montgomery Survey Area Alabama: Montgomery Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Dale Dallas Macon ALASKA Anchorage Survey Area Alaska: (borough) Anchorage Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alaska: (boroughs and census areas) Fairbanks North Star Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Sitka Southeast Fairbanks Valdez-Cordova Yukon-Koyukuk ARIZONA Maricopa Survey Area Arizona: Maricopa Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arizona: Coconino Yavapai Pima Survey Area Arizona: Pima Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arizona: Cochise Yuma Survey Area Arizona: Yuma Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Imperial ARKANSAS Pulaski Survey Area Arkansas: Pulaski Area of Application. Survey area plus: Arkansas: Jefferson Sebastian Washington CALIFORNIA Kern Survey Area California: Kern Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Fresno Kings Los Angeles Survey Area California: Los Angeles Area of Application. Survey area. Monterey Survey Area California: Monterey Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: San Mateo Santa Clara Orange Survey Area California: Orange Area of Application. Survey area. Riverside Survey Area California: Riverside Area of Application. Survey area. Sacramento Survey Area California: Sacramento Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Yuba Oregon: Jackson Klamath San Bernardino Survey Area California: San Bernardino Area of Application. Survey area. San Diego Survey Area California: San Diego Area of Application. Survey area. San Joaquin Survey Area California: San Joaquin Area of Application. Survey area. Santa Barbara Survey Area California: Santa Barbara Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: San Luis Obispo Solano Survey Area California: Solano Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Alameda Contra Costa Marin Napa San Francisco Sonoma Ventura Survey Area California: Ventura Area of Application. Survey area. COLORADO Arapahoe Survey Area Colorado: Arapahoe Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Mesa El Paso Survey Area Colorado: El Paso Area of Application. Survey area plus: Colorado: Bent Otero Pueblo CONNECTICUT New London Survey Area Connecticut: New London Area of Application. Survey area plus: Connecticut: New Haven DELAWARE Kent Survey Area Delaware: Kent Area of Application. Survey area plus: Delaware: Sussex Maryland: Kent DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington, DC Survey Area District of Columbia: Washington, DC Area of Application. Survey Area Plus: West Virginia: Berkeley FLORIDA Bay Survey Area Florida: Bay Area of Application. Survey area. Brevard Survey Area Florida: Brevard Area of Application. Survey area. Duval Survey Area Florida: Duval Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Alachua Clay Columbia Georgia: Camden Escambia Survey Area Florida: Escambia Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Santa Rosa Hillsborough Survey Area Florida: Hillsborough Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Lee Pinellas Polk Miami-Dade Survey Area Florida: Miami-Dade Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Broward Palm Beach Monroe Survey Area Florida: Monroe Area of Application. Survey area. Okaloosa Survey Area Florida: Okaloosa Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Walton Orange Survey Area Florida: Orange Area of Application. Survey area. GEORGIA Chatham Survey Area Georgia: Chatham Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Glynn Liberty South Carolina: Beaufort Cobb Survey Area Georgia: Cobb Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Calhoun Georgia: Bartow De Kalb Fulton Columbus Survey Area Georgia: Columbus Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Chattahoochee Dougherty Survey Area Georgia: Dougherty Area of Application. Survey area. HOUSTON Survey Area Georgia: Houston Area of Application. Survey area plus: Georgia: Laurens Lowndes Survey Area Georgia: Lowndes Area of Application. Survey area plus: Florida: Leon Richmond Survey Area Georgia: Richmond Area of Application. Survey area plus: South Carolina: Aiken GUAM Guam Survey Area Guam Area of Application. Survey area. HAWAII Honolulu Survey Area Hawaii: Honolulu Area of Application. Survey area plus: Hawaii (counties): Hawaii Kauai Maui Pacific Islands: Midway Islands Johnston Atoll American Samoa IDAHO Ada-Elmore Survey Area Idaho: Ada Elmore Area of Application. Survey area. ILLINOIS LAKE Survey Area Illinois: Lake Survey Area. Illinois: Lake Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Cook Rock Island Vermilion Indiana: St. Joseph Iowa: Johnson Michigan: Dickinson Marquette Wisconsin: Brown Dane Milwaukee Monroe St. Clair Survey Area Illinois: St. Clair Area of Application. Survey area plus: Illinois: Madison Williamson Indiana: Vanderburgh Missouri (City): St. Louis Missouri (County): St. Louis KANSAS Leaven-Worth-Jackson-Johnson Survey Area Kansas: Leavenworth Missouri: Jackson Johnson Area of Application. Survey area. Kansas: Shawnee Missouri: Boone Camden Cass Greene Sedgwick Survey Area Kansas: Sedgwick Area of Application. Survey area. Kansas: Geary Saline KENTUCKY Christian-Montgomery Survey Area Kentucky: Christian Tennessee: Montgomery Area of Application. Survey area. Hardin-Jefferson Kentucky: Hardin Jefferson Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Jefferson Johnson Martin Kentucky: Fayette Madison Warren LOUISIANA Bossier-Caddo Survey Area Louisiana: (parishes) Bossier Caddo Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Bowie Orleans Survey Area Louisiana: (parish) Orleans Area of Application. Survey area plus: Louisiana: (parish) Plaquemines Rapides Survey Area Louisiana: (parish) Rapides Area of Application. Survey area plus: Louisiana: (parish) Vernon MAINE York Survey Area Maine: York Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maine: Cumberland Kennebec Penobscot New Hampshire: Rockingham Vermont: Windsor MARYLAND Anne Arundel Survey Area Maryland: Anne Arundel Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maryland: (city) Baltimore Maryland: (counties) Baltimore Frederick Charles-St. Mary's Survey Area Maryland: Charles St. Mary's Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maryland: Calvert Virginia: King George Harford Survey Area Maryland: Harford Area of Application. Survey area plus: West Virginia: Berkeley Harford Survey Area Maryland: Harford Area of Application. Survey area plus: Maryland: Cecil Montgomery-Prince George's Survey Area Maryland: Montgomery Prince George's Area of Application. Survey area. MASSACHUSETTS Hampden Survey Area Massachusetts: Hampden Area of Application. Survey area plus: Connecticut: Hartford Massachusetts: Hampshire Middlesex Survey Area Massachusetts: Middlesex Area of Application. Survey area plus: Massachusetts: Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk New Hampshire: Hillsborough MICHIGAN Macomb Survey Area Michigan: Macomb Area of Application. Survey area plus: Michigan: Alpena Calhoun Crawford Grand Traverse Huron Iosco Kent Leelanau Ottawa Saginaw Washtenaw Wayne Ohio: Cuyahoga Lucas Ottawa MINNESOTA Hennepin Survey Area Minnesota: Hennepin Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Morrison Murray Ramsey Stearns St. Louis Wisconsin: Juneau Monroe Polk MISSISSIPPI Harrison Survey Area Mississippi: Harrison Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Mobile Mississippi: Forest Hancock Jackson Lauderdale Survey Area Mississippi: Lauderdale Area of Application. Survey area plus: Mississippi: Hinds Rankin Warren Lowndes Survey Area Mississippi: Lowndes Area of Application. Survey area plus: Alabama: Tuscaloosa MONTANA Cascade Survey Area Montana: Cascade Area of Application. Survey area plus: Montana: Fergus Flathead Hill Lewis and Clark Valley Yellowstone NEBRASKA Douglas-Sarpy Survey Area Nebraska: Douglas Sarpy Area of Application. Survey area plus: Iowa: Marion Polk Woodbury Nebraska: Hall Lancaster Saunders South Dakota: Minnehaha NEVADA Churchill-Washoe Survey Area Nevada: Churchill Washoe Area of Application. Survey area plus: California: Lassen Mono Nevada: Mineral Clark Survey Area Nevada: Clark Area of Application. Survey area. NEW JERSEY Burlington Survey Area New Jersey: Burlington Area of Application. Survey area plus: Delaware: New Castle New Jersey: Atlantic Cape May Monmouth Ocean Salem Pennsylvania: Chester Montgomery Philadelphia Morris Survey Area New Jersey: Morris Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Jersey: Somerset Pennsylvania: Luzerne Monroe NEW MEXICO Bernalillo Survey Area New Mexico: Bernalillo Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Mexico: McKinley Curry Survey Area New Mexico: Curry Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Lubbock Potter Dona Ana Survey Area New Mexico: Dona Ana Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Mexico: Chaves Otero NEW YORK Jefferson Survey Area New York: Jefferson Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Albany Oneida Onondaga Ontario Saratoga Schenectady Steuben Kings-Queens Survey Area New York: Kings Queens Area of Application. Survey area plus: New Jersey: Essex Hudson New York: Bronx Nassau New York Richmond Suffolk Niagara Survey Area New York: Niagara Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Erie Genesee Ohio: Trumbull Pennsylvania: Erie Orange Survey Area New York: Orange Area of Application. Survey area plus: New York: Dutchess Westchester NORTH CAROLINA Craven Survey Area North Carolina: Craven Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Carteret Dare Cumberland Survey Area North Carolina: Cumberland Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Durham Forsyth Rowan Onslow Survey area North Carolina: Onslow Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: New Hanover Wayne Survey area North Carolina: Wayne Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Halifax Pitt NORTH DAKOTA Grand Forks Survey Area North Dakota: Grand Forks Area of Application. Survey area plus: Minnesota: Hennepin Morrison Stearns North Dakota: Cass Cavalier Pembina Steele Ward Survey Area North Dakota: Ward Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Dakota: Divide OHIO Greene-Montgomery Survey Area Ohio: Greene Montgomery Area of Application. Survey area plus: Indiana: Allen Grant Marion Miami Ohio: Clinton Franklin Hamilton Licking Ross West Virginia: Raleigh Wayne OKLAHOMA Comanche Survey Area Oklahoma: Comanche Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oklahoma: Cotton Jackson Oklahoma Survey Area Oklahoma: Oklahoma Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oklahoma: Garfield Muskogee Pittsburg Tulsa PENNSYLVANIA Cumberland Survey Area Pennsylvania: Cumberland Area of Application. Survey area plus: Pennsylvania: Allegheny Blair Butler Franklin York Survey Area Pennsylvania: York Area of Application. Survey area plus: Pennsylvania: Lebanon PUERTO RICO Guaynabo-San Juan Survey Area Puerto Rico: Guaynabo San Juan Area of Application. Survey area. Puerto Rico: Aguadilla Bayamon Mayaguez Ponce Salinas RHODE ISLAND Newport Survey Area Rhode Island: Newport Area of Application. Survey area plus: Massachusetts: Barnstable Nantucket Rhode Island: Providence Washington SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston Survey Area South Carolina: Charleston Area of Application. Survey area plus: South Carolina: Berkeley Horry Richland Survey Area South Carolina: Richland Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Buncombe Mecklenburg South Carolina: Sumpter Tennessee: Washington SOUTH DAKOTA Pennington Survey Area South Dakota: Pennington Area of Application. Survey area plus: Montana: Custer South Dakota: Fall River Meade Wyoming: Sheridan TENNESSEE Shelby Survey Area Tennessee: Shelby Area of Application. Survey area plus: Missouri: Butler TEXAS Bell Survey Area Texas: Bell Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Burnet Coryell Falls Bexar Survey Area Texas: Bexar Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Comal Kerr Travis Val Verde Dallas Survey Area Texas: Dallas Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Angelina Fannin Galveston Harris El Paso Survey Area Texas: El Paso Area of Application. Survey area. McLennan Survey Area Texas: McLennan Area of Application. Survey area. Nueces Survey Area Texas: Nueces Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Bee Calhoun Cameron Kleberg San Patricio Webb Tarrant Survey Area Texas: Tarrant Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Cooke Palo Pinto Taylor Survey Area Texas: Taylor Area of Application. Survey area. Tom Green Survey Area Texas: Tom Green Area of Application. Survey area plus: Texas: Howard Wichita Survey Area Texas: Wichita Area of Application. Survey area. UTAH Davis-Salt Lake-Weber Survey Area Utah: Davis Salt Lake Weber Area of Application. Survey area plus: Utah: Box Elder Tooele Uintah VIRGINIA Alexandria-Arlington-Fairfax Survey Area Virginia (city): Alexandria Virginia (counties): Arlington Fairfax Area of Application. Survey area. Chesterfield-Richmond Survey Area Virginia: (city) Richmond Virginia: (county) Chesterfield Area of Application. Survey area plus: Virginia: (cities) Bedford Charlottesville Salem Virginia: (counties) Caroline Nottoway Prince George West Virginia: Pendleton Hampton-Newport News Survey Area Virginia: (cities) Hampton Newport News Area of Application. Survey area plus: Virginia: (city) Williamsburg Virginia: (county) York Norfolk-Portsmouth-Virginia Beach Survey Area Virginia: (cities) Norfolk Portsmouth Virginia Beach Area of Application. Survey area plus: North Carolina: Pasquotank Virginia: (cities) Chesapeake Suffolk Virginia: (counties) Accomack Northampton Prince William Survey Area Virginia: Prince William Area of Application. Survey area plus: Virginia: Fauquier West Virginia: Harrison WASHINGTON Kitsap Survey Area Washington: Kitsap Area of Application. Survey area plus: Washington: Clallam Jefferson Pierce Survey Area Washington: Pierce Area of Application. Survey area plus: Oregon: Clatsop Coos Douglas Lane Multnomah Tillamook Washington: Clark Grays Harbor Snohomish Survey Area Washington: Snohomish Area of Application. Survey area plus: Washington: Island King Yakima Spokane Survey Area Washington: Spokane Area of Application. Survey area plus: Washington: Adams Walla Walla WYOMING Laramie Survey Area Wyoming: Laramie Area of Application. Survey area. [75 FR 49351, Aug. 13, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 9640, Feb. 22, 2011; 76 FR 31786, June 2, 2011; 76 FR 53046, Aug. 25, 2011; 77 FR 28472, May 15, 2012; 78 FR 29612, May 21, 2013; 78 FR 60181, 60182, Oct. 1, 2013; 82 FR 40669, Aug. 28, 2017; 82 FR 41321, Aug. 31, 2017; 84 FR 49942, Sept. 24, 2019; 85 FR 19377, Apr. 7, 2020; 89 FR 67519, Aug. 21, 2024; 89 FR 67829, Aug. 22, 2024; 89 FR 93147, Nov. 26, 2024; 89 FR 100721, Dec. 13, 2024; 90 FR 43366, Sept. 9, 2025] Subpart C—Determining Rates for Principal Types of Positions § 532.301 Definitions. For purposes of this subpart: Nearest similar wage area Principal types of appropriated or nonappropriated fund positions Specialized private industry § 532.303 Specialized industry. (a)(1) Under the appropriated fund wage system, a “specialized industry” is a Federal activity engaged in the production or repair of aircraft, ammunition, artillery and combat vehicles, communication equipment, electronic equipment, guided missiles, heavy duty equipment, shipbuilding, sighting and fire control equipment, or small arms. (2) Under the nonappropriated fund wage system a “specialized industry” includes only nonappropriated fund operated eating and drinking places. Additional industries may be considered as specialized industries upon approval of the Office of Personnel Management. § 532.305 Dominant industry. (a)(1) A specialized industry is a “dominant industry” if the number of wage employees in the wage area who are subject to the wage schedule for which the survey is made and employed in occupations which comprise the principal types of appropriated or nonappropriated fund positions in the specialized industry comprise: (i) For appropriated fund activities, (A) At least 25 percent of the total wage employment or (B) 1,000 or more employees in a wage area having more than 4,000 wage employees; and (ii) For nonappropriated fund activities (A) At least 25 percent of the total wage employment or (B) 100 or more wage employees in a wage area having 400 or more wage employees. (2) If two or more specialized industries in a wage area qualify as dominant industries, the two specialized industries having the largest number of wage employees shall be the dominant industries for purposes of applying the requirements of this subpart. § 532.307 Determinating whether a dominant industry exists in a wage area. (a) The chairperson of the local wage survey committee shall, before a full-scale wage survey is scheduled to begin, notify all appropriated or nonappropriated fund activities having employees subject to the wage schedules for which the survey is conducted so that organizations and individuals may submit written recommendations and supporting evidence to the local wage survey committee concerning principal types of appropriated or nonappropriated fund positions in the area. Each appropriated or nonappropriated fund activity shall publicize the opportunity to make such recommendations. (b)(1) Before conducting a full-scale wage survey an occupational inventory of employees subject to the wage schedules for which the survey is conducted shall be obtained from each appropriated or nonappropriated fund activity in the area having such employees. (2) After reviewing the occupational inventory and considering the recommendations received pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the local wage survey committee shall formulate its recommendations and prepare a written report concerning the existence of specialized industries within the wage area. (3) The report of the recommendations, the occupational inventory, and the recommendations and supporting evidence received pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section shall be forwarded to the lead agency. (c) The lead agency shall refer the occupational inventory and the reports received pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section to the agency wage committee for its consideration and recommendation if: (1) The lead agency proposes not to accept the recommendation of the local wage survey committee concerning the specifications of the local wage survey; or (2) The local wage survey committee's report is accompanied by a minority report. (d) The lead agency shall determine, in writing, after taking into consideration the reports and recommendations received under paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, and prior to ordering a full-scale wage survey to begin, whether the principal types of appropriated or nonappropriated fund positions in a local wage area comprise a dominant industry. The determination shall remain in effect until the next full-scale wage survey in the area. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46179, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.309 Determining adequacy of specialized private industry. (a) Specialized private industry comparable to an appropriated fund dominant industry is adequate when: (1) The survey area is one of the 25 largest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or the total number of employees of private industry establishments in the specialized private industry located in the survey area is at least equal to the total number of appropriated fund wage employees in occupations which comprise the principal types of appropriated positions in the dominant industry who are subject to the wage schedules for which the survey is made; or (2) For any dominant industry except “ammunition,” the job matches obtained from the specialized private industry include one regular survey job in the WG-01 through 04 range, one regular survey job in the WG-05 through 08 range, one regular survey job in the WG-09 and above range, and one special survey job in the WG-09 and above range all providing at least 20 unweighted samples each; and three other regular or special survey jobs, each providing at least 10 unweighted samples. (3) For the dominant industry “ammunition,” the job matches obtained from the specialized survey industries include one regular survey job in the WG-01 through 04 range, one special survey job in the WG-05 through 08 range, and one regular survey job in the WG-09 through 15 range, all providing at least 20 unweighted samples each; and three other regular or special survey jobs, each providing at least 10 unweighted samples. (b) Specialized private industry comparable to a nonappropriated fund dominant industry is adequate when: (1) The total number of employees of private industry establishments similar to the dominant industry located in the survey are at least equal to the number of nonappropriated fund wage employees in positions which comprise the principal types of nonappropriated fund positions in the dominant industry who are subject to the wage schedules for which the survey is made; and (2) The job matches obtained from all industries surveyed for regular survey jobs related to the dominant industry include one regular survey job in the NA-01 through 04 range providing at least 10 samples; and one regular survey job in the NA-05 through 15 range and one other regular survey job, each providing at least five samples. § 532.311 Survey of specialized private industry related to a dominant industry. If it is determined that there are one or more dominant industries within a wage area, the lead agency shall insure that the survey includes the industries and survey jobs related to the dominant industries. When the related industry within the local wage survey area fails to meet the criteria in § 532.309 of this subpart, the lead agency shall obtain data related to the dominant industry from the survey area of the wage area which is determined to be the nearest similar area which will provide adequate data under the criteria in § 532.309 of this subpart. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46179, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.313 Private sector industries. (a) For appropriated fund surveys, the lead agency must use the private sector industries in the following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes when it makes its wage schedule determinations for each specialized Federal industry: 2022 NAICS codes 2022 NAICS industry titles Aircraft Specialized Industry 332912 Fluid power valve and hose fitting manufacturing. 336411 Aircraft manufacturing. 336412 Aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing. 336413 Other aircraft part and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. 336415 Guided missile and space vehicle propulsion unit and propulsion unit parts manufacturing. 336419 Other guided missile and space vehicle parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing. 4811 Scheduled air transportation. 4812 Nonscheduled air transportation. 4879 Scenic and sightseeing transportation, other. 4881 Support activities for air transportation. 4921 Couriers and express delivery services. 541713 Research and development in nanotechnology. 541715 Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences (except nanotechnology and biotechnology). 56172 Janitorial services. 62191 Ambulance services. 81142 Reupholstery and furniture repair. Ammunition Specialized Industry 32592 Explosives manufacturing. 332992 Small arms ammunition manufacturing. 332993 Ammunition (except small arms) manufacturing. Artillery and Combat Vehicles Specialized Industry 2211 Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution. 2212 Natural gas distribution. 32732 Ready-mix concrete manufacturing. 332216 Saw blade and hand tool manufacturing. 332323 Ornamental and architectural metal work manufacturing. 332439 Other metal container manufacturing. 332994 Small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing. 332999 All other miscellaneous fabricated metal product manufacturing. 33311 Agricultural implement manufacturing. 33312 Construction machinery manufacturing. 333611 Turbine and turbine generator set units manufacturing. 333618 Other engine equipment manufacturing. 333922 Conveyor and conveying equipment manufacturing. 333923 Overhead traveling crane, hoist, and monorail system manufacturing. 333924 Industrial truck, tractor, trailer, and stacker machinery manufacturing. 3361 Motor vehicle manufacturing. 336211 Motor vehicle body manufacturing. 336212 Truck trailer manufacturing. 33631 Motor vehicle gasoline engine and engine parts manufacturing. 33632 Motor vehicle electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing. 33633 Motor vehicle steering and suspension components (except spring) manufacturing. 33634 Motor vehicle brake system manufacturing. 33635 Motor vehicle transmission and power train parts manufacturing. 33639 Other motor vehicle parts manufacturing. 33651 Railroad rolling stock manufacturing. 336992 Military armored vehicle, tank, and tank component manufacturing. 4231 Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers. 42381 Construction and mining (except oil well) machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers. 42382 Farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers. 4413 Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers. 44423 Outdoor power equipment retailers. 484 Truck transportation. 4862 Pipeline transportation of natural gas. 492 Couriers and messengers. 5171 Wired and wireless telecommunications carriers (except Satellite). 517121 Telecommunications resellers. 5621 Waste collection. Communications Specialized Industry 33422 Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. 33429 Other communications equipment manufacturing. 334511 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical and nautical system and instrument manufacturing. 334514 Totalizing fluid meter and counting device manufacturing. 334515 Instrument manufacturing for measuring and testing electricity and electrical signals. 335311 Power, distribution, and specialty transformer manufacturing. 48531 Taxi service. 5161 Radio and television broadcasting stations. 5162 Media streaming distribution services, social networks, and other media networks and content providers. 5171 Wired and wireless telecommunications carriers (except Satellite). 5174 Satellite telecommunications. 517121 Telecommunications resellers. Electronics Specialized Industry 333310 Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing. 3341 Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing. 33422 Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. 33429 Other communications equipment manufacturing. 33431 Audio and video equipment manufacturing. 334412 Bare printed circuit board manufacturing. 334413 Semiconductor and related device manufacturing. 334416 Electronic coil, transformer, and other inductor manufacturing. 334417 Electronic connector manufacturing. 334418 Printed circuit assembly (electronic assembly) manufacturing. 334419 Other electronic component manufacturing. 334511 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical and nautical system and instrument manufacturing. 334515 Instrument manufacturing for measuring and testing electricity and electrical signals. 334610 Manufacturing and reproducing magnetic and optical media. 42342 Office equipment merchant wholesalers. 42343 Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software merchant wholesalers. Guided Missiles Specialized Industry 332912 Fluid power valve and hose fitting manufacturing. Sighting and Fire Control Equipment Specialized Industry 333310 Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing. 3341 Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing. 33422 Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. 33429 Other communications equipment manufacturing. 334418 Printed circuit assembly (electronic assembly) manufacturing. 334511 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical and nautical system and instrument manufacturing. 334515 Instrument manufacturing for measuring and testing electricity and electrical signals. 334610 Manufacturing and reproducing magnetic and optical media. 334613 Blank magnetic and optical recording media manufacturing. 3364 Aerospace product and parts manufacturing. 54131 Architectural services. 54133 Engineering services. 54136 Geophysical surveying and mapping services. 54137 Surveying and mapping (except geophysical) services. 541713 Research and development in nanotechnology. 541715 Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences (except nanotechnology and biotechnology). Heavy Duty Equipment Specialized Industry 332439 Other metal container manufacturing. 332999 All other miscellaneous fabricated metal product manufacturing. 33312 Construction machinery manufacturing. 333923 Overhead traveling crane, hoist, and monorail system manufacturing. 333924 Industrial truck, tractor, trailer, and stacker machinery manufacturing. 33651 Railroad rolling stock manufacturing. 42381 Construction and mining (except oil well) machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers. Shipbuilding Specialized Industry 336611 Ship building and repairing. 48839 Other support activities for water transportation. Sighting and Fire Control Equipment Specialized Industry 333314 Optical instrument and lens manufacturing. 333316 Photographic and photocopying equipment manufacturing. 3341 Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing. 33422 Radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing. 33429 Other communications equipment manufacturing. 334418 Printed circuit assembly (electronic assembly) manufacturing. 334511 Search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical and nautical system and instrument manufacturing. 334515 Instrument manufacturing for measuring and testing electricity and electrical signals. 334613 Black magnetic and optical recording media manufacturing. Small Arms Specialized Industry 332994 Small arms manufacturing. (b) For wage surveys involving the specialized Federal industry “Artillery and Combat Vehicles” in paragraph (a) of this section, the lead agency must limit special job coverage for industries in NAICS codes 2211, 2212, 32732, 484, 4862, 5621, 492, 5171, 5172, and 5173 to automotive mechanic, diesel engine mechanic, and heavy mobile equipment mechanic. (c) For nonappropriated fund wage surveys, the lead agency must use NAICS codes 71111, 7221, 7222, 72231, 72232, and 7224 (eating and drinking places) when it determines a wage schedule for a specialized industry. [71 FR 35375, June 20, 2006, as amended at 73 FR 45853, Aug. 7, 2008; 78 FR 58154, Sept. 23, 2013; 79 FR 21121, Apr. 15, 2014; 84 FR 36814, July 30, 2019; 89 FR 4541, Jan. 24, 2024] § 532.315 Additional survey jobs. (a) For appropriated fund surveys, when the lead agency adds to the industries to be surveyed, it shall add to the required survey jobs the specialized survey jobs listed below opposite the industry added: Specialized industry Specialized survey jobs Grade Aircraft Electronics Mechanic WG-11 Aircraft Structures Assembler B WG-7 Aircraft Structures Assembler A WG-9 Aircraft Mechanic WG-10 Aircraft Mechanic includes Aircraft Electrician WG-10 Aircraft Welder WG-10 Aircraft Sheetmetal Worker WG-10 Hydromechanical Fuel Control Repairer WG-10 Aircraft Engine Mechanic WG-10 Aircraft Jet Engine Mechanic WG-10 Flight Line Mechanic WG-10 Aircraft Attendant (ground services) WG-7 Ammunition Munitions Handler WG-4 Munitions Operator WG-4 Munitions Operator WG-6 Munitions Operator WG-8 Munitions Operator WG-9 Explosives Operator WG-9 Artillery and combat vehicles Automotive Mechanic (limited to data obtained in special industries) WG-10 Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic WG-10 Artillery Repairer WG-9 Combat Vehicle Mechanic WG-8 Combat Vehicle Mechanic (Engine) WG-10 Combat Vehicle Mechanic WG-11 Diesel Engine Mechanic (limited to data obtained in special industries WG-10 Communications Telephone Installer-Repairer WG-9 Central Office Repairer WG-11 Electronic Test Equipment Repairer WG-11 Television Station Mechanic WG-11 Electronics Electronics Mechanic WG-11 Industrial Electronic Controls Repairer WG-10 Electronic Test Equipment Repairer WG-11 Electronic Computer Mechanic WG-11 Television Station Mechanic WG-11 Guided missiles Electronic Computer Mechanic WG-11 Guided Missile Mechanical Repairer WG-11 Heavy duty equipment Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic WG-10 Shipbuilding Electronics Mechanic WG-11 Electrician, Ship WG-10 Pipefitter, Ship WG-10 Shipfitter WG-10 Shipwright WG-10 Machinist (Marine) WG-10 Sighting and fire control Electronic Computer Mechanic WG-11 Fire Control Instrument Repairman WG-11 Electronic Fire Control Systems Repairer WG-11 Electronic Fire Control Systems Repairer WG-12 Electronic Fire Control Systems Repairer WG-13 Small arms Small Arms Repairer WG-8 (b) For nonappropriated fund surveys, a lead agency must obtain prior approval of OPM to add a job not listed in § 532.223 of this subpart. [55 FR 46180, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.317 Use of data from the nearest similar area. (a)(1) For prevailing rate employees other than those in the Department of Defense, the lead agency shall, in establishing the regular schedule under the provisions of this subpart, analyze and use the acceptable data from the nearest similar wage area together with the data obtained from inside the local wage survey area. The regular schedule for Department of Defense prevailing rate employees shall be based on local wage data only. (2) The total number of job matches obtained from the nearest similar wage area shall be equal to the number required for adequacy in § 532.309(a) (2) and (3) of this subpart for appropriated fund surveys and § 532.309(b)(2) of this subpart for nonappropriated fund surveys. (3) Data shall be selected for inclusion on the basis of the most populous survey jobs as determined by the weighted job matches found in the dominant industry in the selected reference area. In identifying survey jobs for which reference area samples will be included, the jobs required at limited grade ranges shall be selected before jobs in the unlimited grade range. When there is a tie in the selection procedure, the highest graded job shall be selected first. (4) If there are two dominant industries for which data are obtained from nearest similar areas, the procedure described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall be applied independently for each of the specialized industries. (b)(1) The wage rates established for a grade by using data from the nearest similar area may not exceed the wage rates for the same grade in the nearest similar area. (2) If data are obtained from two nearest similar areas for two dominant industries, the wage rates established for a grade by using these data may not exceed the higher of the wage rates for the same grade in the two nearest similar areas. (c) The wage data obtained from the nearest similar area or areas may not be used to reduce the wage rates for any grade in the local area below the rates that would be established for that grade without the use of the data from the nearest similar area or areas. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 54 FR 38197, Sept. 15, 1989. Redesignated and amended at 55 FR 46179, Nov. 1, 1990] Subpart D—Pay Administration § 532.401 Definitions. In this subpart: Change to lower grade (1) Moves from a position in one grade of a prevailing rate schedule established under this part to a position in a lower grade of the same type prevailing rate schedule, whether in the same or different wage area; (2) Moves from a position under a prevailing rate schedule established under this part to a position under a different prevailing rate schedule (e.g., WL to WG) with a lower representative rate; or (3) Moves from a position not under a prevailing rate schedule to a position with a lower representative rate under a prevailing rate schedule. Equivalent increase Existing scheduled rate of pay Highest previous rate Promotion (1) Moves from a position in one grade of a prevailing rate schedule established under this part to a position in a higher grade of the same type prevailing rate schedule, whether in the same or different wage area; (2) Moves from a position under a prevailing rate schedule established under this part to a position under a different prevailing rate schedule (e.g., WG to WL) with a higher representative rate; or (3) Moves from a position not under a prevailing rate schedule to a position with a higher representative rate under a prevailing rate schedule. Rate of basic pay Reassignment Representative rate i.e., (1) The established rate on a single rate schedule; (2) The second rate on a five-rate regular wage schedule; (3) The fourth rate on the General Schedule; or (4) The fourth rate of a class under the Foreign Service Officer and Foreign Service Staff schedule. Retained rate Scheduled rate of pay [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 55 FR 46180, Nov. 1, 1990; 60 FR 62701, Dec. 7, 1995] § 532.403 New appointments. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a new appointment to a position shall be made at the minimum rate of the appropriate grade. (b) An agency may make a new appointment at a rate above the minimum rate of the appropriate grade in recognition of an appointees' special qualifications. In determining the rate at which to set the appointee's pay: (1) An agency must consider how the step has been set for employees who had similar qualifications (based on the level, type, or quality of the appointee's skills or competencies or other qualities and experiences) and who have been newly appointed to positions that are similar to the appointee's position (based on the position's occupational series, grade level, organization, geographic location, or other job-relevant factors), if applicable; (2) An agency may not consider the appointee's pay history ( i.e., (3) An agency must consider other relevant factors (e.g., the level, type, or quality of the appointee's skills or competencies; or significant disparities between Federal and non-Federal salaries for the skills and competencies required in the position to be filled). (c) An agency shall make a new appointment at a step-rate above the minimum rate of a grade if the lead agency for the wage area has designated, in accordance with § 532.249, a step-rate above the first step-rate of a grade as the minimum step-rate at which a position may be filled. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 58 FR 32274, June 9, 1993; 89 FR 5755, Jan. 30, 2024] § 532.405 Use of highest previous rate. (a)(1) Subject to the provisions of § 532.407 of this subpart and part 536 of this chapter, when an employee is reemployed, reassigned, transferred, promoted, or changed to a lower grade, the agency may fix the pay at any rate of the new grade which does not exceed the employee's highest previous rate. (2) However, if the employee's highest previous rate falls between two step-rates of the new grade, the agency may fix the pay at the higher of the two. (b)(1) When an employee's type of appointment is changed in the same job, an agency may continue to pay the existing scheduled rate or may pay any higher rate of the grade which does not exceed the employee's highest previous rate. (2) However, if the highest previous rate falls between two step rates of the grade, the agency may pay the higher rate. (c)(1) The highest previous rate, if earned in a wage job, is the current rate of the grade and step-rate of the former job on the same type of wage schedule in the wage area in which the employee is being employed, or the actual earned rate, whichever is higher. (2) If earned on a General Schedule or another pay system other than the Federal Wage System, it is the current rate for the same grade and rate of that schedule. (d) The highest previous rate may be based upon a rate of pay received during a temporary promotion, so long as the temporary promotion is for a period of not less than 1 year. This limitation does not apply upon permanent placement in a position at the same or higher grade. (e) Before setting pay under this section, an agency must establish a policy regarding use of employees' highest previous rates. The policy must include the following elements: (1) Designation of officials with the authority to approve and set pay under this section; (2) Any situations in which the agency must use an employee's highest previous rate; (3) Any situations in which the agency may exercise its discretion in using an employee's highest previous rate; (4) Consideration of the step at which pay has been set for other employees performing similar work in the organization (based on the position's occupational series, grade level, types of duties, or other job-relevant factors) and any other factors the designated official(s) may or must consider in determining the step at which to set the employee's pay between the employee's entitlement under any other applicable pay-setting rule and the employee's highest previous rate; and (5) Documentation and recordkeeping requirements sufficient to allow reconstruction of the action. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 60 FR 62701, Dec. 7, 1995; 89 FR 5755, Jan. 30, 2024] § 532.407 Promotion. (a) An employee who is promoted is entitled to be paid at the lowest scheduled rate of the grade to which promoted which exceeds the employee's existing scheduled rate of pay by at least four percent of the representative rate of the grade from which promoted. (b) If there is no rate in the grade to which an employee is promoted which meets the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section the employee shall be entitled to the higher of: (1) the existing scheduled rate of pay in accordance with part 536 of this chapter; or (2) the maximum scheduled rate of the grade to which promoted. (c) If the promotion is to a position in a different wage area, the agency shall determine the employee's pay entitlement as if there were two pay actions—a promotion and a reassignment—and shall process them in the order which gives the employee the maximum benefit. § 532.409 Grading or regrading of positions. Except as provided in § 532.703(b)(10), a change in an employee's rate of basic pay as a result of the grading or regrading of the employee's position shall be effective on the date the grading or regrading action is finally approved by the agency or on a subsequent specifically stated date. § 532.411 Details. An appropriated fund employee detailed to a position other than the position to which appointed shall be paid at the rate of the position to which appointed. § 532.413 Simultaneous action. (a) If an employee becomes entitled to more than one pay change at the same time, the employing agency shall process the pay changes in the order which will provide the maximum benefit, except as required by paragraph (b) of this section. (b) If an employee becomes entitled to an increase in pay and subject to a personnel or appointment change at the same time, the increased rate of pay is deemed to be the employee's existing scheduled rate of pay when the personnel or appointment change is processed. § 532.415 Application of new or revised wage schedules. (a) The head of each installation or activity in a wage area shall place new or revised wage schedules into effect at the beginning of the first full shift on the date specified on the schedule by the lead agency. (b) No agency may retroactively change any personnel or pay actions taken between the effective date of a new or revised wage schedule and the date it is actually put into effect if the personnel or pay actions taken during this period of time are more advantageous to an employee than the same personnel or pay action would have been had the new or revised wage schedule been placed into effect on the date specified by the lead agency. (c) In applying a new or revised wage schedule, the scheduled rate of pay of an employee paid at one of the steps of the employee's grade on an old wage schedule shall be adjusted upward to the newly adjusted rate for the same numerical step of the grade whenever there is an increase in rates. Except when there is a decrease in wage rates because of a statutory reduction in scheduled rates, the employee is entitled to pay retention as provided in 5 CFR 536.301(a)(8). [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 60 FR 62701, Dec. 7, 1995; 70 FR 31305, May 31, 2005] § 532.417 Within-grade increases. (a) An employee paid under a regular Federal Wage System schedule with a work performance rating of satisfactory or better shall advance automatically to the next higher step within the grade in accordance with section 5343(e)(2) of title 5, United States Code. (b) Waiting periods for within-grade increases shall begin: (1) On the first day of a new appointment as an employee subject to this part; (2) On the first day of a period of service after a break in service or time in a nonppay status in excess of 52 weeks; or (3) On receipt of an equivalent increase. (c) Creditable service. The following periods of time shall be considered creditable service for purposes of waiting periods for within-grade increases: (1) Time during which an employee is in receipt of pay, including periods of leave with pay; (2) Time during which an employee with a prearranged regular scheduled tour of duty is in a nonpay status to the extent that the time in a nonpay status does not exceed, in the aggregate: (i) One workweek in the waiting period for step 2; (ii) Three workweeks in the waiting period for step 3; or (iii) Four workweeks in the waiting period for steps 4 and 5; (3) Time during which an employee or former employee is on leave of absence or is separated from Federal service and is entitled to continuation of pay or compensation under subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code. This does not apply to prevailing rate employees within a Department of Defense or Coast Guard nonappropriated fund instrumentality; (4) A period of military service when: (i) An employee is on leave of absence to perform such service and returns to pay status through the exercise of a restoration right provided by law, Executive order, or regulation; or (ii) A former employee is reemployed with the Federal Service not later than 52 calendar weeks after separation from such service or hospitalization continuing thereafter for a period of not more than one year. Military service means honorable active service in the Armed Forces, in the Regular or Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service after June 30, 1960, or as a commissioned officer of the Environmental Science Services Administration after June 30, 1961, but does not include service in the National Guard, except when ordered to active duty in the service of the United States. (5) The time between an employee's separation from an earlier position and the date of the employee's return to a civilian position through the exercise of a reemployment right granted by law, Executive Order, or regulation; (6) Time during which an employee is performing service, which is creditable under section 8332(b) (5) or (7) of title 5, United States Code; (7) The time during which an employee is detailed to a non-Federal position under subchapter VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code; and (8) Nonworkdays intervening between an employee's last regularly scheduled workday in one position and the first regularly scheduled workday in a new position. (9) Time during which an employee is temporarily employed by another agency in a position covered by this subpart. (d) Effective date. A within-grade increase shall be effective at the beginning of the first applicable pay period following the day an employee becomes eligible for the increase. (e) Equivalent increase. (1) Application of a new or revised wage schedule or application of a new pay or evaluation plan; (2) Payment of additional compensation in the form of nonforeign or foreign post differentials or nonforeign cost-of-living allowances; (3) Adjustment of the General Schedule; (4) Premium payment for overtime and holiday duty; (5) Payment of night shift differential; (6) Hazard pay differentials; (7) Payment of rates above the minimum rate of the grade in recognition of specific qualifications, or in jobs in specific hard-to-fill occupations; (8) Correction of an error in a previous demotion or reduction in pay; (9) Temporary limited promotion followed by change to lower grade to the former or a different lower grade; (10) A transfer or reassignment in the same grade and step to another local wage area with a higher wage schedule; (11) Repromotion to a former or intervening grade of any employee whose earlier change to lower grade was not for cause and was not at the employee's request; and (12) An increase resulting from the grant of a quality step increase under the General Schedule. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 49 FR 37055, Sept. 21, 1984; 55 FR 46180, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.419 Grade and pay retention. (a) In accordance with section 9(a)(1) of Public Law 92-392 (86 Stat. 564, 573), an employee's initial rate of pay on conversion to a wage schedule established under the provisions of subchapter IV of chapter 53, title 5, United States Code, shall be determined under conversion rules prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management. (b) Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, an employee's eligibility for grade and/or pay retention shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of part 536 of this title. Subpart E—Premium Pay and Differentials § 532.501 Definitions. In this subpart: Administrative workweek Basic workweek Environmental differential Irregular or occasional overtime work Night shift differential Overtime work Premium pay Sunday work Regular overtime work Regularly scheduled administrative workweek (1) For full-time employees, the period within an administrative workweek within which employees are scheduled to be on duty regularly. (2) For part-time employees, it means the days and hours within an administrative workweek during which these employees are scheduled to be on duty regularly. Tour of duty i.e., i.e., § 532.503 Overtime pay. (a)(1) Employees who are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be paid overtime pay in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5544 and this section. Employees who are nonexempt shall be paid overtime pay in accordance with part 551 of this chapter. (2) Hours of work in excess of eight in a day are not included in computing hours of work in excess of 40 hours in an administrative workweek. (b) Effect of leave on overtime pay. (2) For the purposes of paragraph (b)(1) of this section paid leave includes but is not limited to: (i) Annual or sick leave; (ii) Authorized absence on a day off from duty granted by Executive or administrative order; or (iii) Authorized absence on a legal holiday; (3) Hours during which an employee is absent from duty on leave without pay during a time when he/she otherwise would have been required to be on duty shall not be considered hours of work in determining whether he/she is entitled to overtime pay for work performed in excess of eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. (c) Callback overtime work. (d)(1) An employee regularly assigned to a night shift, who performs overtime work which extends into or falls entirely within a day shift, shall be entitled to overtime pay computed on the night rate. (2) When the overtime is performed on a nonworkday the employee shall be entitled to overtime pay computed on the rate of the employee's last previous regularly scheduled shift. (e)(1) An employee regularly assigned to a rotating schedule involving work on both day and night shifts who performs overtime work which extends or falls entirely within the succeeding shift shall be entitled to overtime pay computed on the rate of the employee's regularly scheduled shift in effect for that calendar day. (2) When the overtime is performed on a nonworkday, the employee shall be entitled to overtime pay computed on the average rate of basic pay for all regularly scheduled shifts worked by the employee during the basic workweek. (f) For an employee covered by 5 U.S.C. 5544, hours in a standby or on-call status or while sleeping or eating shall not be credited for the purpose of determining hours of work in excess of 8 hours in a day. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 56 FR 20341, May 3, 1991; 57 FR 59279, Dec. 15, 1992] § 532.504 Compensatory time off. (a) At the request of an employee, the head of an agency may grant compensatory time off from an employee's tour of duty instead of payment under § 532.503 or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, for an equal amount of irregular or occasional overtime work. (b) At the request of an employee, the head of an agency may grant compensatory time off from an employee's basic work requirement under a flexible work schedule under 5 U.S.C. 6122 instead of payment under § 532.503 or the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, for an equal amount of overtime work, whether or not irregular or occasional in nature. (c) An agency may not require that an employee be compensated for overtime work with an equal amount of compensatory time off from the employee's tour of duty. An employee may not directly or indirectly intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any other employee for the purpose of interfering with such employee's rights to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment for overtime hours. (d) The head of a department may fix a time limit for an employee to request or take compensatory time off and may provide that an employee who fails to take compensatory time earned under paragraph (a) or (b) of this section before the time limit fixed shall lose the right to compensatory time off and to overtime pay unless the failure is due to an exigency of the service beyond the employee's control. [62 FR 28307, May 23, 1997] § 532.505 Night shift differentials. (a) Employees shall be entitled to receive night shift differentials in accordance with section 5343 of title 5, United States Code. (b) Absence on holidays. (c) Travel status. (d) Temporary tour of duty. (2) An employee regularly assigned to a night shift, who is temporarily assigned to another night shift having a higher differential, shall be paid the higher differential if a majority of the employee's regularly scheduled nonovertime hours of work on the temporary shift fall within hours having the higher differential. (3) An employee regularly assigned to a day shift who is temporarily assigned to a night shift shall be paid a night shift differential. (e) Leave with pay. (2) An employee regularly assigned to a day shift who is temporarily assigned to a night shift shall be paid a night shift differential for any leave with pay taken when scheduled to work night shifts. (3) An employee assigned to a regular rotating schedule involving work on both day and night shifts shall be paid a night shift differential only for any leave with pay taken when scheduled to work night shifts. (4) An employee who is not regularly assigned to a day shift or a night shift but whose shift is changed at irregular intervals shall be paid a night shift differential during leave with pay if the employee received a night shift differential for the last shift worked preceding leave with pay. § 532.507 Pay for holiday work. (a) An employee who is entitled to holiday premium pay and who performs work on a holiday which is not overtime work shall be paid the employee's rate of basic pay plus premium pay at a rate equal to the rate of basic pay. (b) An employee shall be paid for overtime work performed on a holiday at the same rate as for overtime on other workdays. (c) An employee who is entitled to holiday premium pay and who is required to report for work on a holiday shall be paid at least two hours of holiday pay whether or not work is actually performed. § 532.509 Pay for Sunday work. A wage employee whose regular work schedule includes a period of service of up to 8 hours which is not overtime work, a part of which is on Sunday, is entitled to additional pay under the provisions of section 5544 of title 5, United States Code. [76 FR 52539, Aug. 23, 2011] § 532.511 Environmental differentials. (a) Entitlements to environmental differential pay. (2) Each installation or activity must evaluate its situations against the guidelines issued by the Office of Personnel Management to determine whether the local situation is covered by one or more of the defined categories. (b) Amount of environmental differential payable. (2) An employee entitled to an environmental differential on an actual exposure basis shall be paid a minimum of one hour's differential pay for the exposure. For exposure beyond one hour, the employee shall be paid in increments of one quarter hour for each 15 minutes or portion thereof in excess of 15 minutes. Entitlement begins with the first instance of exposure and ends one hour later, except that when exposure continues beyond the hour, it shall be considered ended at the end of the quarter hour in which exposure actually terminated. (3) An employee entitled to an environmental differential on the basis of hours in a pay status shall be paid for all hours in a pay status on the day on which he/she is exposed to the situation. (4) An employee may not be paid more than one environmental differential for a particular period of work. (5) The payment of environmental differential pay is computed on the basis of the highest environmental differential rate authorized during the period of entitlement. (6) The number of hours an employee is paid environmental differential shall not exceed the number of hours of duty performed by the employee on the day of exposure except as required by paragraph (b)(3) of this section. (c) Basic pay. (d) The schedule of environmental differentials is set out as appendix A to this subpart and is incorporated in and made a part of this section. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 49 FR 49841, Dec. 24, 1984; 55 FR 46180, Nov. 1, 1990] § 532.513 Flexible and compressed work schedules. Federal Wage System employees who are authorized to work flexible and compressed work schedules under sections 6122 and 6127 of title 5, United States Code, shall be paid premium pay in accordance with subchapter II of chapter 61 of title 5, United States Code. Subpart D of part 610 of this chapter supplements subchapter II and must be read together with it. [62 FR 28307, May 23, 1997] Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 532—Schedule of Environmental Differentials Paid for Exposure to Various Degrees of Hazards, Physical Hardships, and Working Conditions of an Unusual Nature Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 52483, Aug. 14, 2026. This appendix lists the environmental differentials authorized for exposure to various degrees of hazards, physical hardships, and working conditions of an unusual nature. Part I—Payment for Actual Exposure Differential rate (percent) Category for which payable Effective date 100 1. Flying. Nov. 1, 1970. a. Test flights of a new or repaired plane or modified plane when the repair or modification may affect the flight characteristics of the plane; b. Flights for test performance of plane under adverse conditions such as in low altitude or severe weather conditions, maximum load limits, or overload; c. Test missions for the collection of measurement data where two or more aircraft are involved and flight procedures require formation flying and/or rendezvous at various altitudes and aspect angles; d. Flights deliberately undertaken in extreme weather conditions such as flying into a hurricane to secure weather data; e. Flights to deliver aircraft which have been prepared for one-time flight without being test flown prior to delivery flight; f. Flights for pilot proficiency training in aircraft new to the pilot under simulated emergency conditions which parallel conditions encountered in performing flight tests; g. Low-level flights in small aircraft including helicopters at altitude of 150 meters (500 feet) and under in daylight and 300 meters (1,000 feet) and under at night when the flights are over mountainous terrain, or in fixed-wing aircraft involving maneuvering at the heights and times specified above, or in helicopters maneuvering and hovering over water at altitudes of less than 150 meters (500 feet); h. Low-level flights in an aircraft flying at altitudes of 60 meters (200 feet) and under while conducting wildlife surveys and law enforcement activities, animal depredation abatement and making agricultural applications, and conducting or facilitating search and rescue operations; flights in helicopters at low levels involving line inspection, maintenance, erection, or salvage operations; i. Flights involving launch or recovery aboard an aircraft carrier; j. Reduced gravity light testing in an aircraft flying a parabolic flight path and providing a testing environment ranging from weightlessness up through 20 meters per second 2 25 2. High work Nov. 1, 1970. a. Working on any structure of at least 30 meters (100 feet) above the ground, deck, floor or roof, or from the bottom of a tank or pit; b. Working at a lesser height: (1) If the footing is unsure or the structure is unstable; or (2) If safe scaffolding, enclosed ladders or other similar protective facilities are not adequate (for example, working from a swinging stage, boatswain chair, a similar support); or (3) If adverse conditions such as darkness, steady rain, high wind, icing, lightning or similar environmental factors render working at such height(s) hazardous. 15 3. Floating targets. Nov. 1, 1970. 4 4. Dirty work. Nov. 1, 1970. a. Beyond that normally to be expected in performing the duties of the classification; and b. Where the condition is not adequately alleviated by the mechanical equipment or protective devices being used, or which are readily available, or when such devices are not feasible for use due to health considerations (excessive temperature, asthmatic conditions, etc); or c. When the use of mechanical equipment, or protective devices, or protective clothing results in an unusual degree of discomfort. 4 5. Cold work. Nov. 1, 1970. b. Working in cold storage or other climate-controlled areas where the employee is subjected to temperatures at or below freezing (0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit)) where such exposure is not practically eliminated by the mechanical equipment or protective devices being used. Mar. 13, 1977. 4 6. Hot work. Nov. 1, 1970. b. Working in confined spaces wherein the employee is subjected to temperatures in excess of 43 degrees Selsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) where such exposure is not practically eliminated by the mechanical equipment or protective devices being used. Mar. 13, 1977. 4 7. Welding preheated metals. Nov. 1, 1970. 4 8. Micro-soldering or wire welding and assembly. Nov. 1, 1970. 25 9. Exposure to hazardous weather or terrain. July 1, 1972. Examples: —Working on cliffs, narrow ledges, or steep mountainous slopes, with or without mechanical work equipment, where a loss of footing would result in serious injury or death. —Working in areas where there is a danger of rockfalls or avalanches. —Traveling in the secondary or unimproved roads to isolated mountaintop installations at night, or under adverse weather conditions (snow, rain, or fog) which limits visibility to less than 30 meters (100 feet), when there is danger of rock, mud, or snowslides —Traveling in the wintertime, either on foot or by vehicle, over secondary or unimproved roads or snowtrails, in sparsely settled or isolated areas to isolated installations when there is danger of avalanches, or during “whiteout” phenomenon which limits visibility to less than 3 meters (10 feet) —Working or traveling in sparsely settled or isolated areas with exposure to temperatures and/or wind velocity shown to be of considerable or very great danger on the windchill chart (Exhibit 1 of this appendix), and shelter (other than temporary shelter) or assistance is not readily available —Snowplowing or snow and ice removal on primary, secondary or other class of roads, when (a) there is danger of avalanche or (b) there is danger of missing the road and falling down steep mountainous slopes, because of lack of snow-stakes, “whiteout” conditions, or sloping icepack covering the snow 25 10. Unshored work. July 1, 1972. Examples: —Working adjacent to the walls of an unshored excavation at depths greater than 1.8 meters (6 feet) (except when the full depth of the excavation is in stable solid rock, hard slag, or hard shale, or the walls have been graded to the angle of repose; that is, where the danger of slides is practically eliminated), when work is performed at a distance from the wall which is less than the height of the wall —Working within or immediately adjacent to a building or structure which has been severely damaged by earthquake, fire, tornado or similar cause —Working underground in the construction and/or inspection of tunnels and shafts before the necessary lining of the passageway have been installed —Duty underground in abandoned mines where lining of tunnels or shafts is in a deteriorated condition 15 11. Ground work beneath hovering helicopter. July 1, 1972. 15 12. Hazardous boarding or leaving of surface craft. July 1, 1972. Examples: —Boarding or leaving vessels at sea. —Boarding or leaving, or transferring equipment between small boats or rafts and steep, rocky, or coral-surrounded shorelines —Transferring equipment between a small boat and a rudimentary dock by improvised or temporary facility such as an unfastened plank leading from boat to dock —Boarding or leaving, or transferring equipment from or to ice covered floats, rafts, or similar structures when there is danger of capsizing due to the added weight of the ice 8 13. Cargo handling during lightering operations. July 1, 1972. 15 14. Duty aboard surface craft. July 30, 1972. Participating as a member of a water search and rescue team in adverse weather conditions when winds are blowing at 56 km/h (35 m.p.h.) (classified as gale winds) or in water search and rescue operations at night —Participating as a member of a weather projects team when work is performed under adverse weather conditions, when winds are blowing at 56 km/h (35 m.p.h.), and/ or when seas are in excess of 4.3 meters (14 feet), or when working on outside decks when decks are slick and icy when swells are in excess of 0.9 meter (3 feet) —When embarking, disembarking or traveling in small craft (boat) on Lake Ponchartrain when wind direction is from north northeast or northwest, and wind velocity is over 7.7 meters per second (15 knots); or when travel on Lake Ponchartrain is necessary in small craft, without radar equipment, due to emergency or unavoidable conditions and the trip is made in dense fog run procedures —Participating in deep research vessel sea duty wherein the team member is engaged in handling equipment on or over the side of the vessel when the sea state is high (6.2-meter-per-second (12-knot) winds and 0.9 meter (3-foot) waves) and the work is done on relatively unprotected deck areas —Transferring from a ship to another ship via a chair harness hanging from a highline between the ships when both vessels are under way —Duty performed on floating platforms, camels, or rafts, using tools equipment or materials associated with ship repair or construction activities, where swells or wave action are sufficiently severe to cause sudden listing or pitching of the deck surface or dislodgement of equipment which could subject the employee to falls, crushing, or ejection into the water 50 15. Work at extreme heights. Oct. 22, 1972. (1) If the footing is unsure or the structure is unstable; or (2) If safe scaffolding, enclosed ladders or other similar protective facilities are not adequate (for example, working from a swinging stage, boatswain chair, or a similar support); or (3) If adverse conditions such as darkness, steady rain, high wind, icing, lightning, or similar environmental factors render working at such height(s) hazardous 6 16. Fibrous Glass Work. Feb. 28, 1975. 50 17. High Voltage Electrical Energy. Apr. 11, 1977. 6 18. Welding, Cutting or Burning in Confined Spaces. Jan. 18, 1978. Part II—Payment on Basis of Hours in Pay Status Differential rate (percent) Category for which payable Effective date 50 1. Duty aboard submerged vessel. Nov. 1, 1970. 8 2. Explosives and incendiary material—high degree hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. Examples —Working with, or in close proximity to operations involved in research, in testing, manufacturing, inspection, renovation, maintenance and disposal, such as: —Screening, blending, drying, mixing, and pressing of sensitive explosives and pyrotechnic compositions such as lead azide, black powder and photoflash powder —Manufacture and distribution of raw nitroglycerine —Nitration, neutralization, crystallization, purification, screening and drying of high explosives —Manufacture of propellants, high explosives and incendiary materials —Melting, cast loading, pellet loading, drilling, and thread cleaning of high explosives —Manufacture of primary or initiating explosives such as lead azide —Manufacture of primer or detonator mix —Loading and assembling high-energy output flare pellets —All dry-house activities involving propellants or explosives —Demilitarization, modification, renovation, demolition, and maintenance operations on sensitive explosives and incendiary materials —All operations involving fire fighting on an artillery range or at an ammunition manufacturing plant or storage area, including heavy duty equipment operators, truck drivers, etc. —All operations involving regrading and cleaning of artillery ranges —At-sea shock and vibration tests. Arming explosive charges and/or working with, or in close proximity to, explosive-armed charges in connection with at-sea shock and vibration tests of naval vessels, machinery, equipment and supplies —Handling or engaging in destruction operations on an armed (or potentially armed) warhead 4 3. Explosives and incendiary material—low degree hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. b. Working with or in close proximity to explosives and incendiary material which involves potential injury such as laceration of hands, face, or arms of the employee engaged in the operation and possible adjacent employees; minor irritation of the skin; minor burns and the like; minimal damage to immediate or adjacent work area or equipment being used and wherein protective device and/or safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for such injury Mar. 13, 1977. Examples —All operations involving loading, unloading, storage and hauling of explosive and incendiary ordnance material other than small arms ammunition. (Distribution of raw nitroglycerine is covered under high degree hazard—see category 2 above.) —Duties such as weighing, scooping, consolidating and crimping operations incident to the manufacture of stab, percussion, and low energy electric detonators (initiators) utilizing sensitive primary explosives compositions where initiation would be kept to a low order of propagation due to the limited amounts permitted to be present or handled during the operations —Load, assembly and packing of primers, fuses, propellant charges, lead cups, boosters, and time-train rings —Weighing, scooping, loading in bags and sewing of ignitor charges and propellant zone charges —Loading, assembly, and packing of hand-held signals, smoke signals, and colored marker signals —Proof-testing weapons with a known overload of powder or charges —Arming/disarming or the installation/removal of any squib, explosive device, or component thereof, connected to or part of a solid propulsion system, including work situations involving removal, inspection, test and installation of aerospace vehicle egress and jettison systems and other cartridge actuated devices and rocket assisted systems or components thereof, when accidental or inadvertent operation of the system or a component might occur 8 4. Poisons (toxic chemicals)—high degree hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. Examples —Handling and storing toxic chemical agents including monitoring of areas to detect presence of vapor or liquid chemical agents; examining of material for signs of leakage or deteriorated material; decontaminating equipment and work sites; work relating to disposal of deteriorated material (exposure to conjunctivitis, pulmonary edema, blood infection, impairment of the nervous system, possible death) —Renovation, maintenance, and modification of toxic chemicals, guided missiles, and selected munitions —Operating various types of chemical engineering equipment in a restricted area such as reactors, filters, stripping units, fractioning columns, blenders, mixers, pumps, and the like utilized in the development, manufacturing, and processing of toxic or experimental chemical warfare agents —Demilitarizing and neutralizing toxic chemical munitions and chemical agents —Handling or working with toxic chemicals in restricted areas during production operations —Preparing analytical reagents, carrying out colorimetric and photometric techniques, injecting laboratory animals with compounds having toxic, incapacitating or other effects —Recording analytical and biological tests results where subject to above types of exposure —Visually examining chemical agents to determine conditions or detect leaks in storage containers —Transferring chemical agents between containers —Salvaging and disposing of chemical agents 4 5. Poisons (toxic chemicals)—low egress hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. b. Working with or in close proximity to poisons (toxic chemicals other than tear gas or similar irritating substances) in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in as direct contact with, or exposure to, the more toxic agents as in the case with the work described under high hazard for this class of hazardous agents and wherein protective devices and/or safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury Mar. 13, 1977. Example —Handling for shipping, marking, labeling, hauling and storing loaded containers of toxic chemical agents that have been monitored 8 6. Micro-organisms—high degree hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. Examples —Direct contact with primary containers of organisms pathogenic for man such as culture flasks, culture test tubes, hypodermic syringes and similar instruments, and biopsy and autopsy material. Operating or maintaining equipment in biological experimentation or production —Cultivating virulent organisms on artificial media, including embryonated hen's eggs and tissue cultures where inoculation or harvesting of living organisms is involved for production of vaccines, toxides, etc., or for sources of material for research investigations such as antigenic analysis and chemical analysis 4 7. Micro-organisms—low degree hazard. Nov. 1, 1970. b. Working with or in close proximity to micro-organisms in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in direct contact with primary containers of organisms pathogenic for man, such as culture flasks, culture test tubes, hypodermic syringes and similar instruments, and biopsy and autopsy material and wherein the use of safety devices and equipment and other safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury Mar. 13, 1977. 8 8. Pressure chamber and centrifugal stress. July 1, 1972. Examples —Participating as a subject in diving research tests which seek to establish limits for safe pressure profiles by working in a pressure chamber simulating diving or, as an observer to the test or as a technician assembling underwater mock-up components for the test, when the observer or technician is exposed to high pressure gas piping systems, gas cylinders, and pumping devices which are susceptible to explosive ruptures —Participating in altitude chamber studies ranging from 5500 to 45,700 meters (18,000 to 150,000 feet) either as subject or as observer exposed to the same conditions as the subject —Participating as subject in centrifuge studies involving elevated G forces above the level of 49 meters per second 2 —Participating as a subject in a rotational flight simulator in studies involving continuous rotation in one axis through 360° at rotation rates greater than 15 r.p.m. for periods exceeding three minutes 8 9. Work in fuel storage tanks. July 1, 1972. 10. Firefighting. July 1, 1972. 25 High degree —Fighting forest and range fires on the fireline 8 Low degree —All other firefighting 8 11. Experimental landing/recovery equipment tests July 1, 1972. —Participating in tests of experimental or prototype landing and recovery equipment where personnel are required to serve as test subjects in spacecraft being dropped into the sea or laboratory tanks 8 12. Land impact or pad abort of space vehicle. July 1, 1972. 4 13. Mass explosives and/or incendiary material. July 1, 1972. Such an area shall include land and sea areas within which it has been determined that personnel are subject to an unusual degree of exposure or liability to serious injury or death from potential explosive effect A transshipment facility for this purpose is a port or sea terminal established for the marshalling or temporary assembly of explosives prior to shipment where amounts in excess of 113,400 kilograms (250,000 pounds) net explosive weight (NEW) are present on a regular or recurring basis 4 14. Duty aboard aircraft carrier. July 1, 1972. Examples —Participating in carrier suitability trials aboard aircraft carriers when work is performed on the flight deck during launch, recovery and refueling operations —Operating or monitoring camera equipment adjacent to flight deck in the area of maximum hazard during landing sequence while conducting photographic surveys aboard aircraft carriers during periods of heavy aircraft operations Mar. 4, 1974. 8 15. Participating in missile liquid propulsion or solid propulsion situations. Examples —Test stand or track tests, when adequate protective devices and/or safety measures either do not exist or have been developed but have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury, under any of the following conditions: a. Tanks are being pressurized above normal servicing pressure b. Assembly, disassembly, or repair of contaminated plumbing containing inhibited red fuming nitric acid and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine or other hypergolic fuels is required c. Fueling and defeuling —Hoisting hypergolic liquid fueled systems into, or out of, a test stand, where the working area is confined, and external plumbing is present resulting in a situation where the plumbing may be damaged causing a leak —Tests on foreign missiles where technical data is questionable or not available —Manned test firings of small, close support missiles for which safety performance data are not yet available —Removal of a missile, propulsion system or component thereof from a test stand, fixture, or environmental chamber where there is reason to believe that the item may be unusually hazardous due to damage resulting from the test 8 16. Asbestos. Nov. 24, 2003. 8 17. Working at high altitudes. April 2, 1999. Exhibit 1 windchill chart in non-metric units [55 FR 46180, Nov. 1, 1990; 55 FR 52267, Dec. 21, 1990; 55 FR 53608, Dec. 31, 1990, as amended at 58 FR 32274, June 9, 1993; 64 FR 15916, Apr. 2, 1999; 70 FR 21613, Apr. 27, 2005; 71 FR 8922, Feb. 22, 2006] Subpart F—Job Grading System § 532.601 General. The Office of Personnel Management shall establish a job grading system in accordance with section 5346 of title 5, United States Code. Appropriate instructions to agencies on the application of the job grading system shall be published by the Office of Personnel Management. Agencies are required to grade all jobs subject to this part in accordance with such instructions. Subpart G—Job Grading Reviews and Appeals § 532.701 General. A prevailing rate employee may at any time appeal the occupational series, grade, or title to which the employee's job is assigned, but may not appeal under this subpart the standards established for the job, nor other matters such as the accuracy of the job description, the rate of pay, or the propriety of a wage schedule rate. The filing of a job-grading appeal does not negate any other appeal or grievance rights which may be available under applicable law, rule, regulation, or negotiated agreement. [51 FR 18561, May 21, 1986] § 532.703 Agency review. (a) Each agency shall establish a system processing an employee's application for review of the correctness of the series, grade or title of the employee's job. Note: Application for review will be hereafter referred to as an “application”. (b) In establishing the system required by this subpart, an agency, as a minimum, shall provide that the following requisites be met. (1) The provisions of the system shall be published and the agency's employees shall be informed where a published copy is available for review. (2) An application shall be in writing and contain the reasons the employee believes the position is erroneously graded. (3) An application may be filed at any time. However, when the application involves a downgrading or other job-grading action which resulted in a reduction in grade or loss or pay, in order to be entitled to retroactive corrective action, an employee must request a review under the provisions of this subpart within 15 calendar days of the effective date of the change to lower grade. (4) An employee may select a representative, and the employee and the representative, when the representative is also employed by the same agency, shall be granted a reasonable time in presenting the application and shall be assured freedom from restraint, interference, coercion, or reprisal in presenting the application. (5) An employee shall promptly furnish such facts as may be requested by the agency. (6) An application shall be canceled and the employee so notified in the following circumstances: (i) On receipt of a written request by the employee; (ii) Failure of the employee to furnish required information or otherwise fail to proceed with the advancement of his application in a timely manner; however, instead of cancellation for failure by the employee to prosecute, the application may be adjudicated by the agency if the information is sufficient for that purpose; or (iii) On notice that the employee has left the job, except when the employee would be entitled to the retroactive benefits including benefits allowable after the death of an employee appellant. (7) The application shall be processed and decided promptly. No more than one level of review may be established within an agency before a final decision is issued, and that level of review, when possible, must be above the level of classification authority which classified the position. (8) When an employee applies for a review of a downgrading or other job-grading action that resulted in a reduction of pay, and the decision of an agency reverses in whole or in part the downgrading or other job-grading action, the effective date of that decision shall be retroactive to the effective date of the action being reviewed when the initial application to the agency was submitted in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of this section. However, when the agency decision raises the grade or level of the job above its grade or level immediately preceding the downgrading, retroactivity shall apply only to the extent of restoration to the grade or level immediately preceding the downgrading. (9) The right to a retroactive effective date is preserved when an agency finds that an employee was not notified of the applicable time limit for review and was not otherwise aware of the limit or that circumstances beyond the employee's control prevented filing the application within the prescribed time limit. (10) The effective date of a change in the series, title or grade of a job shall be specified in the agency decision and, unless otherwise required by this subpart, may not be earlier than the date of the decision. However, in no case may it be later than the beginning of the first pay period which begins after the 60th calendar day from the date the application was filed. However, when the agency decision will result in a downgrading or other job-grading action that will reduce the pay of the incumbent of the job, the effective date may not be set earlier than the date on which the decision can be effected in accordance with procedures required by applicable law and regulation. The retroactive reclassification may be based only on duties and responsibilities existing at the time of downgrading or loss of pay and not on duties and responsibilities later assigned. (11) When an application has been properly filed and the employee dies before the application has been processed, if a favorable decision would entitle the employee to retroactive corrective action, the application will be processed to completion after the employee's death and any appropriate corrective action made by amending the records of the agency. (12) The decision on an application shall: (i) Be based on the record, (ii) Be in writing, (iii) Inform the employee either in the decision or as an attachment to the decision of the reasons for the decision, including an analysis of the employee's job, i.e., (iv) Inform the employee of the right to appeal the decision to the Office of Personnel Management and of the time limits within which the application must be filed. (c) The agency is responsible for compiling and maintaining a job-grading review file which will constitute the record and which will not contain any document or information which the employee has not been given an opportunity to review. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 51 FR 18561, May 21, 1986] § 532.705 Appeal to the Office of Personnel Management. (a)(1) An employee may appeal the occupation series, grade or title of the job to the appropriate office of the Office of Personnel Management only (i) after the agency has issued a decision under the system established under § 532.703; and (ii) if the employee files the appeal with the Office of Personnel Management within 15 calendar days after receipt of the decision of the agency. (2) The Office of Personnel Management may extend this time limit if it is shown that the employee was not notified of the applicable time limit and was not otherwise aware of the limit, or that circumstances beyond the employee's control prevented filing an appeal within the prescribed time limit. (b) An employee shall make the appeal in writing and shall identify specifically the portions of the decision or job analysis of the agency with which the employee disagrees. (c) The Office of Personnel Management shall base its decision on the record established in the agency, except that when the Office of Personnel Management investigates or audits the job it may take the results of the investigation or audit into consideration. In the event the Office of Personnel Management audits the job, the employee's representative may not be present. (d) The Office of Personnel Management shall notify the employee and the agency in writing of its decision. The effective date of a change in the series, title and grade of a job directed by the Office of Personnel Management shall be specified in the decision of the Office of Personnel Management, computed from the date the employee filed the application with the agency, and determined under § 532.703(b)(10). However, when the decision will result in a downgrading or other job-grading action that will reduce the pay of the incumbent of the job, the effective date may not be set earlier than the date on which the decision can be effected in accordance with procedures required by applicable law and regulation. (e) The appeal of an employee shall be canceled and the employee so notified in the following circumstances: (1) On receipt of the employee's written request; (2) On failure to prosecute, when the employee does not furnish requested information and duly proceed with the advancement of the appeal; however, instead of cancellation for failure to prosecute, an appeal may be adjudicated if the information is sufficient for that purpose. The Office of Personnel Management may reopen a canceled appeal on a showing that circumstances beyond the control of the employee prevented the employee from prosecuting the appeal; or (3) On notice that the employee has left the job, except when entitled to retroactive benefits, including benefits allowable after the death of an appellant. (f) The Office of Personnel Management may, at its discretion, reopen and reconsider any job-grading decision made by the Office when requested by an employee or an agency. This authority may be used under circumstances such as the following: (1) An employee or an agency presents material facts not previously considered by the Office; (2) There is room for reasonable doubt as to the appropriateness of the decision; or (3) The potential impact of a decision on similar jobs is sufficiently significant to make further review of the decision desirable. (g) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management may, at his or her discretion, reopen and reconsider any previous decision when the party requesting reopening submits written argument or evidence which tends to establish that: (1) New and material evidence is available that was not readily available when the previous decision was issued; (2) The previous decision involves an erroneous interpretation of law or regulation or a misapplication of established policy; or (3) The previous decision is of a precedential nature involving a new or unreviewed policy consideration that may have effects beyond the actual case at hand, or is otherwise of such an exceptional nature as to merit the personal attention of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. (h) A final decision by the Office of Personnel Management constitutes a certificate which is mandatory and binding on all administrative, certifying, payroll, disbursing, and accounting officials of the Government. [46 FR 21344, Apr. 10, 1981, as amended at 51 FR 18561, May 21, 1986; 71 FR 37490, June 30, 2006] § 532.707 Availability of information. (a) The Office, upon a request which identifies the individual from whose file the information is sought, shall disclose the following information from an appeal file to a member of the public, except when the disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy: (1) Confirmation of the name of the individual from whose file the information is sought and the names of the other parties concerned; (2) The status of the appeal; (3) The results of the appeal ( i.e., (4) The classification requested ( i.e., (5) With the consent of the parties concerned, other reasonably identified information from the file. (b) The Office will disclose to the parties concerned the information contained in an appeal file in proceedings under this part. For the purposes of this section, the parties concerned [50 FR 3313, Jan. 24, 1985] Subpart H—Payment of Unrestricted Rates for Recruitment or Retention Purposes § 532.801 Payment of unrestricted rates for recruitment or retention purposes. (a) When authorized by specific statutory authority providing for exceptions to pay limitations imposed by statute, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may approve exceptions to the pay limitations if OPM determines that such exceptions are necessary to ensure the recruitment or retention of qualified employees. (b) Requests for payment of unrestricted rates under this subpart shall be submitted by employing agencies' headquarters to the appropriate lead agency. The lead agency shall coordinate each request with other agencies, as necessary, and submit a consolidated request to OPM. The consolidated request shall include any available supporting wage survey data and a formal recommendation by the lead agency to approve or disapprove the request. (c) Rates authorized under paragraph (a) of this section shall be equal to the regular or special schedule unrestricted (uncapped) rates and may be authorized for use within all or part of a wage area for a designated occupation or occupational specialization and grade. (d) In approving rates under this subpart, OPM shall consider the factors specified in § 532.251(b) of this part. (e) The unrestricted rates authorized under this subpart shall be shown on the appropriate regular or special schedule or as an amendment to the schedule and shall indicate the wage area (or part thereof) and each occupation or occupational specialization and grade for which the rates are authorized. These rates shall be paid by all agencies having such positions in the wage area (or part thereof) specified. [57 FR 57876, Dec. 8, 1992]

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