Comment from Austin Corbett

With the elimination of Time and Grade, all civilian and veteran employees can have a better opportunity to prove themselves within the work field. Those who have higher education such as a Masters or Doctorate level education could then use their training and experience at a higher grade, even if already a federal employee of a lower grade. Those that have a combination of experience, education, and the proper training should be at the top of the list, as it proves they are ready for the responsibility of a higher grade, rather than having to wait years to be considered for an interview. Performance of a previous or current job should be proof enough of the work ethic and what the applicant can bring to the organization. Even though Time and Grade was used as a hurdle to ensure that those of a lower grade could not jump to a high or an executive level position, those that have higher level training that can or know how to perform duties of those higher positions are placed in a non-eligible pool. While then someone that has met the time and grade that has no training for said position gets interviewed and picked for the job. That now places an ineligible person in a position/ job that may have to take longer to train, while furthermore, placing the specific department in a set back. This could have a negative impact on future positions as other employees may pick up the slack then more employees leave due to the negative impacts of extra work. The loss of good employees impacts not only other employees, but the organization as a whole. Time and Grade should be eliminated so that those who have worked hard not only see themselves succeed, but to see the organization in which they work for succeed as well. There should not be hurdles when it comes to selecting someone based on performance and work ethic. This would ensure federal employees earn their position, whether it may be a promotion or career change.