{"data":{"id":"us/5-cfr-531.502","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"5 CFR 531.502","heading":"Definitions.","body":"Agency means an agency defined in section 5102 of title 5, United States Code.\nEmployee means an employee of an agency.\nQuality step increase is synonymous with the term “step increase” used in section 5336 of title 5, United States Code, and means an increase in an employee's rate of basic pay from one step or rate of the grade of his or her position to the next higher step of that grade or next higher rate within the grade (as defined in § 531.403) in accordance with section 5336 of title 5, United States Code, section 4 of the Performance Management and Recognition System Termination Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-89), and this subpart.","path":["Title 5—Administrative Personnel","CHAPTER I—OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT","SUBCHAPTER B—CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS","PART 531—PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE","Subpart E—Quality Step Increases"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-5.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:23:53Z","sha256":"841c3d8a22a981bc0c089ab1bfbe80b93996023f780e5a3e77634b55c4ad942c","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/5-cfr-531.501","next":"us/5-cfr-531.503"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}