John James, Director of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) Transition Office, told interviewers that the first transitions from the NSPS to General Schedule (GS) will begin in May.  By that time, it is expected that offices will have implemented the necessary changes to their IT systems to process the transition.  Mr. James stated that while the goal was to transition 50% to 75% of the 250,000 NSPS employees, he hoped that the actual number would be closer to 75%.  In February (See “DoD accelerates NSPS transition schedule,” February 26, 2010 Highlights), Mr. James said the goal was to transition a “majority” of NSPS employees between May and September.  The final 25% are NSPS employees that will transition to other than GS systems.  The Director also discussed the potential lower future pay raises for employees whose current pay levels exceed their new GS level.  As reported before, these employees will be placed in pay retention, which means that they will get half of future annual GS pay raises.  James said he won’t know how many employees are affected until offices have determined the new corresponding GS pay grades.