The Vuelta used to have Cat.E, Cat.1, Cat.2, Cat.3. These paid large amounts of points. However, they were giving so many points out that people were defending KOM jerseys just by getting in a couple of breaks, then mopping up the leftover points after the break went through.
So they changed it a couple of years ago to something based on the Giro's old classifications - 3, 2, 1 for cat.3, 5, 3, 1 for cat.2, 10, 6, 4, 2, 1 for cat.1. This came with two additional categorisations - 15, 10, 6, 4, 2 for MTFs, and 20, 15, 10, 6, 4, 2 for the highest summit of the race. Bola del Mundo paid this prize in 2010, and Sierra Nevada last year.
However, just as the Giro changed this categorisation last year as it was creating strange paradoxes where Macugnaga would have paid more points than Monte Crostis, Passo Fedaia or Colle delle Finestre, the Vuelta has amended its categorisations this year. After all, they gave no points at all for San Lorenzo de El Escorial last year because it was an uphill finish, therefore they had to give 15 points or none at all, which would have put it level with Angliru for points - ludicrous.
As a result this year, they've trimmed back the "MTF" points, probably because they have so many MTFs, and they can't really give all of them 15 points, because really, how is Lagos de Covadonga or Ancares level with, say, Fuente Dé? As a result they've gone back to cat.E, cat.1, cat.2, cat.3, plus a bonus categorisation for the highest point in the race (Bola del Mundo). But a result of this has been that cat.1 is being awarded to some decidedly not cat.1 climbs (Arrate/Usartza, for example, is what, 7km @ 7%?), but then that's not a new phenomenon at the Vuelta.