OPM Seeks Fiscal 2015 Presidential Rank Award Nominations

The Office of Personnel Management is now seeking nominations for the fiscal 2015 Presidential Rank Awards, the prestigious program created in 1978 to honor the federal government’s top career officials.

Agencies must submit their nominations by March 2, 2015, said the Dec. 30 memorandum from OPM Director Katherine Archuleta. Winners, who ultimately are selected by the White House, receive a bonus between 20 percent and 35 percent of their salary.

“Agency heads should consider the current challenging fiscal conditions and resources needed to meet overall agency mission priorities in determining the number of nominations to submit,” Archuleta said in the memo. “Nominees must meet stringent personal and professional standards, therefore, agencies should expect an extremely rigorous review process.”

In May 2014, the White House reinstated the Presidential Rank Awards after canceling them in 2013 – the first time that has happened since the program was created in the late 1970s. The White House cited budget cuts and furloughs caused by sequestration and the need to belt-tighten across government as the reason for scrapping the awards that year, a move the Senior Executives Association denounced as a morale buster. This past June, the 2013 finalists, who did not receive any bonuses, were honored at a State Department reception. The fiscal 2014 finalists and winners likely will be announced and feted in spring 2015.

Winners of either the Distinguished or Meritorious award cannot receive the same rank award more than once in five years. However, since the 2013 finalists did not receive awards, they were eligible for re-nomination in fiscal 2014.

The number of senior executives receiving the distinguished rank award has decreased over the last few years: There were 66 recipients in 2010, 54 winners in 2011, and 46 honorees in 2012. It’s unclear what will happen to the fiscal 2016 awards. Congress suspended sequestration for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, and unless they act before Sept. 30, 2015, the budget cuts return in fiscal 2016. 

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