A career appointee who was appointed from a civil service position held under a career or career-conditional appointment (or an appointment of equivalent tenure, as determined by the Office of Personnel Management) and who, for reasons other than misconduct, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, is removed from the Senior Executive Service during the probationary period under section 3393(d) of this title, shall be entitled to be placed in a civil service position (other than a Senior Executive Service position) in any agency.

A career appointee who has completed the probationary period under section 3393(d) of this title, and who—

(1) is removed from the Senior Executive Service for less than fully successful executive performance as determined under subchapter II of chapter 43 of this title; or

(2) is removed from the Senior Executive Service under paragraph (4) or (5) of section 3595(b) of this title;

For purposes of subsections (a) and (b) of this section—

For purposes of subsections (a) and (b) of this section—

(A) the position in which any career appointee is placed under such subsections shall be a continuing position at GS–15 of the General Schedule or classified above GS–15 pursuant to section 5108, or an equivalent position, and, in the case of a career appointee referred to in subsection (a) of this section, the career appointee shall be entitled to an appointment of a tenure equivalent to the tenure of the appointment held in the position from which the career appointee was appointed;

(B) any career appointee placed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be entitled to receive basic pay at the highest of— (i) the rate of basic pay in effect for the position in which placed; (ii) the rate of basic pay in effect at the time of the placement for the position the career appointee held in the civil service immediately before being appointed to the Senior Executive Service; or (iii) the rate of basic pay in effect for the career appointee immediately before being placed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section; and

(C) the placement of any career appointee under subsection (a) or (b) of this section may not be made to a position which would cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other employee.

(2) An employee who is receiving basic pay under paragraph (1)(B)(ii) or (iii) of this subsection is entitled to have the basic pay rate of the employee increased by 50 percent of the amount of each increase in the maximum rate of basic pay for the grade of the position in which the employee is placed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section until the rate is equal to the rate in effect under paragraph (1)(B)(i) of this subsection for the position in which the employee is placed.

(Added Pub. L. 95–454, title IV, § 404(b), Oct. 13, 1978, 92 Stat. 1166; amended Pub. L. 98–615, title III, § 303(b), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3217; Pub. L. 101–194, title V, § 506(b)(5), Nov. 30, 1989, 103 Stat. 1758; Pub. L. 101–509, title V, § 529 [title I, § 101(b)(9)(E)], Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1427, 1441; Pub. L. 102–378, § 2(16), Oct. 2, 1992, 106 Stat. 1347; Pub. L. 107–296, title XIII, § 1321(a)(2)(C), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2297.)