Audit of VA’s Duty Station Assignments

Report Information

Issue Date
Report Number
11-04081-142
VA Office
Human Resources and Administration Office/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
Acquisitions, Logistics, and Construction (OALC)
General Counsel (OGC)
Information and Technology (OIT)
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Report Author
Office of Audits and Evaluations
Report Type
Audit
Recommendations
9
Questioned Costs
$0
Better Use of Funds
$0
Congressionally Mandated
No

Summary

Summary
On August 11, 2011, Senator Charles Grassley, Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, requested that the OIG conduct a Department-wide audit to determine whether VA has a systemic problem assigning incorrect duty stations and locality pay to employees. The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, United States Senate, also requested notification of our audit results. We determined VA does not have a systemic problem assigning incorrect duty stations and locality pay to employees across all VA organizations. We nonetheless identified 6 of 99 statistically sampled cases where VA assigned incorrect duty stations due to inadequately trained human resources personnel and lack supervisor verification of employee duty assignments. Consequently, VA overpaid a total of about $106,000 in locality pay from the time the errors first occurred. If problems assigning incorrect duty stations are not fixed, we project a total of approximately $1.4 million in potential monetary benefits over the next five years.

Open Recommendation Image, SquareOpenClosed and Implemented Recommendation Image, CheckmarkClosed-ImplementedNot Implemented Recommendation Image, X character'Closed-Not Implemented
No. 1
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration develop training for human resources personnel responsible for coding duty stations in the automated system to ensure they understand how to designate employee duty stations as well as the implications of virtual assignments.
No. 2
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration issue policy requiring that at least annually, managers are notified of their employees' duty station assignments and validate the assignments.
No. 3
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration establish an oversight mechanism to ensure that at least annually, managers are notified of their employees¿ duty station assignments and validate the assignments.
No. 4
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration establish a mechanism to notify all VA employees at least annually of the definition of duty station, as well as the implications of virtual assignments on locality pay.
No. 5
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration establish a control mechanism to provide annual notification to supervisors regarding the requirement to submit a Request for Personnel Action, Standard Form 52, if an employee¿s duty station changes.
No. 6
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)
The Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration provide guidance to human resources personnel regarding processing corrective actions when employees have received inaccurate locality pay, which will help ensure that recoupment efforts are appropriate.
No. 7
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to General Counsel (OGC)
The General Counsel take action to recoup overpayments as appropriate, in accordance with VA guidance.
No. 8
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Information and Technology (OIT)
The Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology take action to recoup overpayments as appropriate, in accordance with VA guidance.
No. 9
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Acquisitions, Logistics, and Construction (OALC)
The Executive Director for the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction take action to recoup overpayments as appropriate, in accordance with VA guidance.
Total Monetary Impact of All Recommendations
Open: $ 0.00
Closed: $ 1,355,355.00