PAY and OTHER COMPENSATION
Updated Thursday, January 31, 2008 08:25 PM
This page is about the financial aspects of
Presidential appointments.
Compensation for federal employees is generally statutory and clearly established. But having said that, it is important to understand that the actual pay can be impacted by prior government service, including military service, the years of service involved and similar factors. Whether benefits are included and to what extent they are included is always tricky and needs to be clearly established when accepting an appointment is being considered. An example of how subjective and changeable this issue can be is illustrated by an Executive Order of the Bush Administration which limited income for many appointees to a certain percentage beyond the appointee's civilian income prior to being appointed. As you can guess, that order has been shot full of holes with countless exceptions. The point is to be careful to understand what the pay and benefits will be prior to accepting an appointment. More than one prospective appointee has gotten lost in the excitement of the Presidential game and ended up not really understanding what pay was due, and more than one has had to leave the office in order to survive because the pay was less than expected.
Per diem and travel expenses are usually compensated, but be sure to understand how and to what extent if that money is important to make it possible for you to accept the appointment.
The amount of pay to senior appointees is a matter of substantial concern and serious controversy to many individuals and organizations. Often strong possible appointments are lost because the nominee cannot afford to leave a private sector position to take a lesser paying position in government. The Brookings Institution has conducted a study on the depth and nature of the compensation problem.
Contact: Director@Presidential-Appointments.org
John Isaacson 617 504 3699
Copyright 2002-2008 John Isaacson