General
Questions and answers
Federal employees who call our offices to get information about filing a classification appeal frequently ask how long will it take to get a decision and what are their chances of receiving a favorable decision. Because of the investigative work and analysis that we must do in each case, we cannot answer that question in individual cases. However, we can provide an historical perspective.
In about 85 percent of cases, the classification or grading of the job does not change. Of the remaining 15 percent, recent trends show more positions or jobs are downgraded or result in another unrequested change than are upgraded.
Although the OPM-certified grade may be higher or lower than the grade assigned by the agency, this does not necessarily mean that the grade of the employee in the position will automatically go up or down. An agency has a number of options available to it when complying with an OPM appeal decision.