Skip to main content

Merit Systems Protection Board: Time-And-Attendance and Personnel Practices Need Attention

GGD-91-104 Published: Aug 08, 1991. Publicly Released: Sep 09, 1991.
Jump To:

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed allegations made against senior officials of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), on: (1) the time-and-attendance (T&A) practices of the three MSPB Board members and their personal staffs; (2) MSPB detailing of certain Schedule-C appointees and the pay level MSPB set for a Schedule-C appointee during a limited emergency Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment; (3) the role and organizational independence of the MSPB Inspector General (IG) in reviewing MSPB activities; and (4) a racially and sexually discriminatory working environment.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Merit Systems Protection Board The Chairman, MSPB, should report as a material internal control weakness, together with proposed or completed corrective actions, the T&A problems discussed above in the MSPB fiscal year (FY) 1991 annual Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act of 1982 (FMFIA) report to the president and Congress and in each succeeding year's annual FMFIA report through the year in which the weaknesses are corrected. Corrective actions should include examining the offices of the Board members and Executive Director in future internal audits of MSPB T&A procedures and internal controls.
Closed – Implemented
MSPB reported the material weakness in its FY 1991 FMFIA report, noting that the problems GAO identified had now been corrected. The MSPB Inspector General undertook reviews of the Board members' T&A practices in late 1991. Reviews in all of the Board Members' and the Executive Director's offices are complete; no T&A internal control problems were reportedly identified.
Merit Systems Protection Board The Director, MSPB, should instruct the MSPB Personnel Director to ensure that Schedule-C appointees employed in MSPB positions requiring a close and confidential working relationship with a key appointed official are not employed or detailed in circumstances where the requisite working relationship no longer exists.
Closed – Implemented
In September 1991, the MSPB Chairman reportedly instructed the MSPB Director of Human Resources (Personnel) to ensure that MSPB complied with the GAO recommendation.
Merit Systems Protection Board The Director, MSPB, should retroactively correct the salary rates of the three MSPB employees whose initial SES appointments violated the published MSPB 1985 pay-setting policy to comply with the policy. MSPB should thereafter adjust these employees' post-appointment pay actions to reflect the corrected (initial SES appointment) salary rates and account for the overpayments received by the employees through recovery or waiver request actions as appropriate.
Closed – Implemented
In September 1991, the MSPB Chairman reportedly instructed the MSPB Director of Human Resources to correct the SES appointees' salary histories. The affected appointees were advised of their respective salary overpayment amounts and their right to seek a recovery waiver from GAO. The appointees filed waiver requests, which were approved by GAO in January 1993.
Merit Systems Protection Board The Director, MSPB, should complete the planned MSPB internal management review to determine the extent and causes of employees' perceptions of a discriminatory work environment and take any corrective actions needed.
Closed – Implemented
A contractor hired by MSPB assessed employees' perceptions of the agency's working environment as part of his work to develop an agencywide "vision statement." MSPB completed an organizational analysis in conjunction with the development of its vision statement in June 1992. MSPB also completed an update of its agencywide EEO policies and provided cultural and diversity training for senior staff.

Full Report

Full Report (43 pages)

GAO Contacts

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Auditing and Financial Management
Attendance recordsEmployment discriminationFederal employeesFederal personnel legislationStaff utilizationInspectors generalInternal controlsInvestigations into federal agenciesPersonnel managementPublic officials