Meanwhile, the administration has said that there will be no cash component to the next set of Presidential Rank Awards, the top form of recognition of SES members and certain others at similar levels in non-executive positions. The top award is worth 35 percent of salary and the lower-level award worth 20 percent; the pay range for eligible persons is roughly $120,000-$180,000. While only a relative few awards are given each year—for 2012, it was only 46 at the top level and 84 at the lower level—the awards are designed as incentives to save costs and improve government operations. OPM recently had asked agencies to submit nominees for the next round of awards, while warning that money might be tight; the White House later announced that the recognition would be non-monetary only. It’s part of general cutbacks on discretionary awards and incentive payments due to the budget situation.
