A quality step increase shall not be required but may be granted only to--
(a) An employee who receives a rating of record at Level 5 (``Outstanding'' or equivalent), as defined in part 430, subpart B, of this chapter; or
(b) An employee who, when covered by a performance appraisal program that does not use a Level 5 summary--
(1) Receives a rating of record at the highest summary level used by the program; and
(2) Demonstrates sustained performance of high quality significantly above that expected at the ``Fully Successful'' level in the type of position concerned, as determined under performance-related criteria established by the agency. [60 FR 43948, Aug. 23, 1995]