OPM Proposes Eliminating Time-in-Grade Rule

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed a rule that would eliminate the federal government’s time-in-grade (TIG) requirement, which forces many General Schedule federal employees to wait 52 weeks before becoming eligible for promotion.

The recently proposed rule would “shift federal advancement away from time served and toward merit, performance, skills and demonstrated readiness for higher-level work,” according to an OPM statement. Employees would still be required to meet OPM qualification standards and any additional job-related agency requirements, the agency said.

Since the early 1950s, federal employees in General Schedule competitive service positions at grade 5 and above have qualified for promotions to higher grades if they met two criteria, according to OPM.

In addition to having service of at least 52 weeks at their current grade, these workers must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty to the next lower grade level or, in some cases, the equivalent education.

Eliminating the TIG restriction would help federal agencies better compete for talent and retain high performers while ensuring that promotions are based on job-related qualifications and performance,” not an arbitrary waiting period,” according to OPM.

“Federal employees should be rewarded for what they can do, not how long they have waited,” said OPM Director Scott Kupor, in a statement. “This proposed rule strengthens merit, gives managers more flexibility to recognize high performers and helps agencies move talented people into mission-critical roles faster.”