Employees are entitled to hazardous duty pay or environmental
differential pay when assigned to duty for which a
differential is authorized, according to the second addendum.
It said however that GS employees are not eligible for HDP
regarding duties already classified as part of their
positions, but that employees that have been approved to
volunteer at another agency, such as the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, are entitled to HDP or EDP, as applicable.
Agencies do not need prior OPM approval to pay HDP or EDP, but
they may not pay either unless an employee’s duties meet one
or more of those described in OPM’s schedule of pay
differentials authorized for HDP or EDP.
OPM said that in an emergency situation it would respond quickly
to a “fully documented request for a new differential category
submitted by an agency headquarters office,” needed to authorize
a new duty and rate for payment.
