A provision of the Defense Department budget measure for the current fiscal year ordered use of one standard for asbestos exposure for both white collar and blue collar employees, based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines. While both groups are eligible for differentials, the rules have differed. GS employees get hazardous duty pay differentials when exposure exceeds certain OSHA limits, while wage grade employees get environmental differential pay when asbestos concentrations “may expose employees to potential illness or injury.” DoD asked Congress for a single policy, arguing that the standard for wage grade employees is open to interpretation and allows local arbitrators to determine the amount of asbestos exposure warranting the payment of the differential and has resulted in awards where exposure was well below the standard used for white collar employees. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the change would reduce the amount of back pay federal agencies would be required to pay for environmental differential pay by about $290 million in the first year and $1.5 billion over five years.