Evening star., 1950-09-23
Rating System
Revision Awaits
Signature
Measure Affecting
Civil Service Passed
By Both Houses

Only the Presidents expected
signature awaits enactment into
law of a bill to abolish the pres
ent efficiency rating system for
more than 1.3 million Federal
employees and set up new three
point performance-rating system.
The measure was approved in
compromise form by both Senate
and House and sent to the Pres
ident late yesterday.
Characterized as the most i'm
portant and far-reaching civil
service bill of this session Of Con-
gress, the bill was hailed by its
sponsors on Capitol Hill as a ben
eft to employees and an improve
ment in the rating system.
It would become effective 80
days after approval by the Presi-
dent.
Regulations Drafted.
The Civil Service Commission.
it was learned today. already has
written a rough draft Of regula-
tions to put the new measure into
operation.
Abolished would be the present
five-point system Of efficiency
ratings: Excellent" very good,"
good" "fair," and "unsatisfac-.
tory"
Established instead, would be
a three-point system. under which
Federal agencies would rate their
employees as outstanding" "satis-
factory" or unsatisfactory"
This change was characterized
by a spokesman for the Civil
Service Commission as giving the
agencies more latitude" in rating
their employees.
Change In Appeals.
A change also was made in the
present system of appeals by Fed
eral workers who are dissatisfied
with their ratings.
Under the system now, any en-
ploye who dislikes his rating mas
the right to appeal to an independ-
ent board of review from the de-
cision Of a board within his agency,
no matter how many times he
has been considered by his
agency's board.
Under the new bill, an appeal
system was worked out as COM
promise after long controversy
between House and Senate.
The bill provides that an en-
ploye who is rated under the
category Of unsatisfactory" may
appeal to the board within his
agency and, If dissatisfied, may
ask for review by an independent
board Of review. This board
would be the same as the one now
hearing appeals, consisting Of one
person appointed by the Civil
Service Commission. one by the
head of the employees agency, and
a third by employees Of the agency.
In the case of a worker rated as
satisfactory, however, he would be
permitted to appeal either to the
board within his own agency, or
to the independent three-person
board Of review. but not to both.
The measure was estimated by
the Civil Service Commission to
cover about one million three hun
dred thousand Federal workers in
Washington and throughout the
world, out of the total of about 2
million Government workers.
Exemptions Listed.
Exempted from provisions of the
bill would be workers in II cate
gories. Those exempted include
employees of the following:
Field service Of the Post Office
Department the largest group,
about 100000 people; Tennessee
Valley Authority; physicians. den-
fists. nurses ani other employees of
tie Department of Medicine and
Surgery in the Veterans Admin
!stration; Foreign Service. under
the State Department: production
credit corporations, Federal inter-
mediate credit banks. Federal land
banks, banks for co-operatives.
Also officers and employees Of the
District Government not fixed by
the classification act of 1949, the
Atomic Energy Commission, and
employees outside the continental
limits of the United States who are
paid in accordance with local ma