41 Op. O.L.C. - : Who Qualifies as a “Very Senior” Employee Under 18 U.S.C. § 207(d)(1)(B)

Section 207(d)(1)(B) of title 18 encompasses any Executive Branch employee who receives a rate of basic pay of exactly the amount payable for level I of the Executive Schedule, regardless of whether the employee’s pay is required to be set at level I by law or is set at level I by administrative action. An employee’s “rate of pay” in section 207(d)(1)(B) refers to the employee’s rate of basic pay, exclusive of any other forms of compensation such as bonuses, awards, allowances, or locality-based comparability payments.

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