DISASTER 

ASSISTANCE 

WORKFORCE

FEMA Could Enhance 

Human Capital 

Management and 

Training 

Report to Congressional Requesters

May 2012

GAO-12-538

United States Government Accountability Office

GAO
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-12-538, a report to 

congressional requesters

May 2012

DISASTER ASSISTANCE WORKFORCE

FEMA Could Enhance Human Capital Management 

and Training 

Why GAO Did This Study

Since fiscal year 2007 FEMA has 

obligated $33 billion in disaster 

assistance payments. FEMA relies 

heavily upon its cadre of DAEs, a 

reserve workforce who interact with 

disaster survivors. GAO was asked to 

review the management and training of 

DAEs. Specifically, this report 

addresses the extent to which (1)

FEMA has policies and procedures in 

place to govern the DAE program; (2) 

FEMA’s human capital controls over 

the DAE workforce are consistent with 

internal control standards; and (3) 

FEMA’s DAE training incorporates key 

attributes of effective training and 

development programs. In addition, 

GAO describes FEMA’s initiative to 

transform the DAE program

announced in April 2012. GAO 

reviewed management documents

such as program-specific and human 

capital-related guidance, interviewed

FEMA officials, and conducted 16 

focus group sessions with DAEs in four

selected joint field offices chosen to 

provide geographic dispersion, among 

other factors. The results of the focus 

groups are not generalizable, but

provide valuable insight into DAE 

experiences. 

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends, among other 

things, that FEMA establish a 

mechanism to monitor both its regions’ 

implementation of DAE policies and

DAEs’ implementation of disaster 

policies; criteria for hiring and 

compensating DAEs; and a plan to 

train DAEs within a set time frame. 

DHS concurred with the 

recommendations. 

What GAO Found

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken steps to 

enhance its management of the Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) program, 

such as through the establishment of a credentialing program, the FEMA 

Qualification System (FQS); however, management controls and training could 

be strengthened. For example, FEMA does not monitor how the regions 

implement DAE policies and how DAEs implement disaster policies across 

regions to ensure consistency. FEMA’s Administrator noted that due to 

differences in how regions operate, it is problematic to deploy someone based in 

one region to another during a disaster. Establishing a mechanism to monitor

both the regional implementation of DAE policies and procedures and DAE’s 

implementation of disaster policies could help provide FEMA with reasonable 

assurance that disaster assistance is conducted in accordance with policy and 

implemented consistently.

FEMA’s human capital controls could be strengthened. FEMA’s regional DAE

managers are responsible for hiring DAEs, but FEMA has not established hiring

criteria and has limited salary criteria. By establishing standardized criteria for 

making hiring and salary decisions, FEMA would be better positioned to hire 

people with requisite skills and better ensure consistency across regions. 

Likewise, FEMA’s performance appraisal system for DAEs is not consistent with 

internal control standards. FEMA does not have criteria for supervisors to assign

DAEs satisfactory or unsatisfactory ratings. Thirteen of 16 regional DAE

managers GAO interviewed stated that the appraisal process could be improved, 

such as implementing a rating scale instead of a pass/fail rating. FEMA officials 

noted that performance management is a critical component in DAE supervision

and must be improved in fiscal year 2012. Establishing a more rigorous 

performance management system that includes criteria for given performance 

elements as well as guidance could help FEMA ensure that DAEs’ performance

appraisals more accurately reflect performance and provide needed information 

to managers. 

FEMA’s DAE training is not consistent with key attributes of effective training and 

development programs, such as a plan for training staff. FEMA does not have a 

plan to ensure DAEs receive necessary training such as FQS requirements. 

Further, 13 of 16 regional DAE managers GAO spoke to said that they would like 

more opportunities for DAEs to receive training. A plan to ensure that all DAEs 

have opportunities for training and completing FQS requirements with related 

milestones would provide FEMA with a roadmap and ensure accountability for 

qualifying DAEs under FQS. In addition, FEMA does not track how much of the 

Disaster Relief Fund is spent on training for DAEs. Developing a systematic 

process to track training costs could provide FEMA with information to help it

determine whether it is allocating its resources effectively. 

In an April 2012 memo, FEMA announced plans to transform the DAE program 

beginning in June 2012; however, this effort is still in the early stages and as a 

result, it is too soon to evaluate the effectiveness of FEMA’s planned actions. 

View GAO-12-538. For more information, 

contact William O. Jenkins at (202) 512-8757 

or jenkinswo@gao.gov. 
Page i GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Letter 1 

Background 5

Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Policies and Procedures That 

Govern the DAE Program 12

FEMA Could Strengthen Human Capital Management Controls 20

FEMA’s DAE Training Is Not Consistent with Key Attributes of 

Effective Training and Development Programs 29

FEMA Announced Impending Transformation of DAE Program, but 

It Is Too Soon to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Agency’s 

Planned Actions 33

Conclusions 34

Recommendations for Executive Action 35

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 36

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 40

Appendix II Categories of Disaster Workforce Employees 44

Appendix III Cadre List and Descriptions 45

Appendix IV FEMA Organizational Chart—Highlight of Response Directorate’s 

Incident Workforce Management Office 51

Appendix V Disaster Assistance Employee Program Office Reorganization Timeline, 

April 2008 through May 2012 52

Appendix VI Incident Workforce Management Office Organizational Structure and 

Proposed Roles 53

Appendix VII FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee Pay Scale, Calendar Year 2011 54

Contents
Page ii GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Appendix VIII Comments from the Department of Homeland Security 55

Appendix IX GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 58

Tables

Table 1: FEMA Regional Office, Joint Field Office, and Emergency 

Management Agencies 42

Table 2: Cadre List and Descriptions 45

Figures

Figure 1: Map of FEMA Regions and the Number of Disaster 

Declarations and Disaster Assistance Employees Per 

Region in 2011 9

Figure 2: Disaster Assistance Employee Performance Appraisal 

Elements 26
Page iii GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Abbreviations

CORE Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee

CR Community Relations

DAE Disaster Assistance Employee

DFTO Disaster Field Training Office

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DRS Disaster Readiness and Support

EMI Emergency Management Institute

FCO Federal Coordinating Officer

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FQS FEMA Qualification System

HR Human Resources

HSIN Homeland Security Information Network

IA Individual Assistance

IWMO Incident Workforce Management Office 

JFO Joint Field Office

OCCHCO Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer 

OCIO Office of the Chief Information Officer

OIG Office of Inspector General

OPPA Office of Program and Policy Analysis 

PA Public Assistance

PFT Permanent Full Time

TED Training, Exercise and Doctrine Office

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
Page 1 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548

May 25, 2012

The Honorable Daniel K. Akaka

Chairman

Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, 

 the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

United States Senate

The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives

The annual number of federal major disaster declarations has grown 44 

percent from fiscal years 2007 to 2011.1 Since fiscal year 2007, there 

have been 376 federal major disaster declarations in which the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has obligated $33 billion in 

major disaster assistance payments.2 FEMA is tasked with leading the 

nation in mitigating, responding to, and recovering from major disasters, 

both natural and manmade. To meet its mission, FEMA relies heavily 

upon its cadre of Disaster Assistance Employees (DAE), a reserve 

workforce that interacts with disaster survivors.3 There were 9,981 DAEs, 

which comprised 57 percent of FEMA’s workforce, as of February 2012.4

 

1

The number of major disasters increased each year, except for fiscal year 2009. FEMA 

has two main types of disaster declarations: major disaster declarations and emergency 

declarations. Major disaster declarations can be declared for any natural catastrophe, or 

regardless of cause, any fire, flood or explosion, in any part of the United States, that the 

President believes has caused damage of such severity and magnitude that warrants 

major disaster assistance to supplement the efforts and available resources of states, 

local governments, and disaster relief organizations. Emergency declarations can be 

declared for any occasion or instance when the President determines federal assistance is 

needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect 

property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in 

any part of the United States. 42 U.S.C. § 5122.

2

This includes obligations for Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard 

Mitigation, only for Major Disaster declarations declared from fiscal years 2007 to 2011. 

3

FEMA’s disaster workforce uses the cadre structure to identify employees who perform a 

specific operational program or function in support of agency-wide disaster operations.

4

We considered the FEMA workforce to include the following: DAEs, Cadre of On-Call 

Response/Recovery Employees (2,573), Temporary Full-Time (231) and Permanent FullTime employees (4,784). 

 
 

Page 2 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

DAEs support joint field office (JFO) leadership that administers FEMA’s 

disaster assistance programs, such as Individual Assistance (IA) and 

Public Assistance (PA). These programs provide financial assistance to 

individuals and local governments, respectively, after a disaster.

We and others have identified challenges related to FEMA’s training and 

human capital management practices. For example, our prior work on 

FEMA’s human capital efforts identified shortages of staff with the right 

skills, abilities, experience, and training. Specifically, in 2007 we reported 

that FEMA needed data, plans, and systems to effectively manage 

resources for its day-to-day operations and recommended that FEMA 

establish training and development requirements and tracking systems to 

ensure that staff had the necessary training to carry out their day-to-day 

and disaster response functions.5 The Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) did not provide comments on GAO’s recommendations; however, 

in 2008 FEMA issued its Strategic Human Capital Plan, 2008-2012, 

intended to address this recommendation. Moreover, the DHS Office of 

Inspector General (OIG) reported that, in the aftermath of Hurricane 

Katrina in 2005, FEMA new hires did not receive adequate training during 

FEMA’s accelerated orientation process and FEMA did not have a central 

training records management system.6 Further, the DHS OIG noted that 

the shortage of qualified staff for key positions responding to Hurricane 

Katrina negatively impacted the effectiveness of FEMA’s response and 

recovery operations.7

1. To what extent does FEMA have policies and procedures in place to 

govern the DAE program?

FEMA has taken a number of steps to address 

recommendations made by us and the DHS OIG, but key 

recommendations remain unaddressed as discussed later in this report. 

You asked us to review FEMA’s management and training of DAEs. 

Specifically, this report addresses the following questions:

2. To what extent are FEMA’s human capital controls over the DAE 

workforce consistent with internal control standards?

 

5

GAO, Budget Issues: FEMA Needs Adequate Data, Plans, and Systems to Effectively 

Manage Resources for Day-to-Day Operations, GAO-07-139 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 19, 

2007).

6

Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, FEMA’s Preparedness for 

the Next Catastrophic Disaster-An Update, OIG-10-123 (September 2010). 

7

OIG-10-123.
 

Page 3 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

3. To what extent does FEMA’s DAE training incorporate key attributes 

of effective training and development programs?

In addition, we describe FEMA’s initiative to transform the DAE program 

announced in April 2012 as it relates to the three questions above.

To determine the extent to which FEMA has policies and procedures in 

place to govern the DAE program, and to determine the extent to which 

FEMA’s human capital controls over the DAE workforce are consistent 

with internal controls, we analyzed both program-specific and human 

capital-related guidance, policies, and procedures produced by FEMA 

headquarters and regional offices. We also compared FEMA’s human 

capital management controls with Standards for Internal Control in the 

Federal Government.

8

To determine the extent to which FEMA’s training of DAEs incorporates 

key attributes of effective federal training and development programs, we 

reviewed FEMA’s data from fiscal 2007 to 2011 on training requirements, 

the location and frequency of training courses, course schedules, and the 

amount of training funds used from the Disaster Relief Fund, which funds 

disaster assistance operations. We determined that the data were 

sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report based on interviews with 

officials responsible for the data. We also reviewed policies and 

procedures on training requirements, FEMA’s learning management 

systems, JFO operations, and FEMA’s new credentialing program, the 

FEMA Qualification System (FQS).9

 

8

GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, 

In addition, we observed training 

GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1

(Washington, D.C.: November 1999). Internal control is an integral component of an 

organization’s management that provides reasonable assurance that the following 

objectives are being achieved: effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of 

financial reporting, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. These standards, 

issued pursuant to the requirements of the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 

1982 (FMFIA), provide the overall framework for establishing and maintaining internal 

control in the federal government. Also pursuant to FMFIA, the Office of Management and 

Budget issued Circular A-123, revised December 21, 2004, to provide the specific 

requirements for assessing the reporting on internal controls. Internal control standards 

and the definition of internal control in Circular A-123 are based on GAO’s Standards for 

Internal Control in the Federal Government. 

9

Credentialing involves the objective evaluation and documentation of an individual’s 

current certification, license, or degree; training and experience; and competence or 

proficiency to meet nationally accepted standards, provide particular services and/or 

functions, or perform specific tasks under specific conditions during an incident.
 

Page 4 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

attended by DAEs in a JFO. We compared FEMA’s DAE training efforts 

with key attributes of effective training and development programs to 

determine the extent to which they were aligned.10

To address all three objectives, we reviewed previous DHS OIG reports, 

and a FEMA-sponsored study conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton on 

FEMA’s disaster workforce.11 We interviewed officials from various FEMA 

offices at its headquarters, including the Incident Workforce Management 

Office (IWMO), Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer 

(OCCHCO), and the Emergency Management Institute. In addition to 

interviews with officials in FEMA headquarters, we conducted site visits to 

four FEMA regions. We selected these regions because they were 

geographically dispersed and had a JFO with both Individual Assistance 

(IA) and Public Assistance (PA) programs operating as of September 

2011.12

To obtain the views of DAEs on issues related to all three of our 

objectives, we conducted 16 focus group sessions with a total of 125 

DAEs across the four selected JFOs. These sessions involved facilitated 

small-group discussions designed to gain more in-depth information 

about issues that DAEs face. Each focus group involved 5 to 12 DAE 

participants. DAE participants were chosen by the management at each 

JFO. There were four types of focus groups based on DAE job titles: IA 

and PA supervisors, IA and PA non-supervisors, and supervisors and 

In each of these four regions, we interviewed the Regional 

Administrator and Regional Cadre Managers. In addition, we visited one 

JFO in each of the selected regions, where we interviewed the Federal 

Coordinating Officer and Branch Chiefs. While the information we 

obtained on these site visits is not generalizable, it provided important 

insights into the structure and management of the DAE program.

 

10GAO, Human Capital: A Guide for Assessing Strategic Training and Development 

Efforts for the Federal Government, GAO-04-546G (Washington, D.C.: March 2004). 

11The Booz Allen Hamilton report we reviewed was preliminary and FEMA could not 

locate the final report. FEMA stated that they are addressing the observations from this 

review. 

12Individual Assistance provides the necessary expenses and serious needs of disaster 

victims that cannot be met through insurance or low-interest Small Business 

Administration loans. FEMA provides temporary housing assistance to individuals whose 

homes are unlivable because of a disaster. Public Assistance provides aid to state 

government agencies; local governments; and private nonprofit organizations or 

institutions that provide certain services otherwise performed by a government agency.
 

Page 5 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

non-supervisors from other cadres other than IA and PA. Specifically, 

discussion topics included the hiring process, training, policies and 

procedures, including FQS, and communication by regional managers; 

however, not all focus group participants had observations about all 

topics discussed. While the results of the focus groups are not 

generalizable, the views we obtained from the focus groups provided us 

with valuable examples of DAE experiences. In addition, we conducted 

follow-up interviews with 16 regional cadre managers we previously

interviewed during our site visits to obtain further perspectives from 

regional management on hiring, training, deployments, and policies and 

procedures. In addition, we reviewed FEMA’s April 2012 memorandum 

announcing the transformation of the DAE program, but did not assess its 

planned actions to transform the DAE program because the agency is in 

the early planning stages. For more information on our scope and 

methodology see appendix I.

We conducted this performance audit from April 2011 through May 2012 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 

1988 (Stafford Act) generally defines the federal government’s role during 

the response and recovery after a major disaster. It establishes the 

programs and processes through which the federal government provides 

disaster assistance to state and local governments, tribes, certain 

nonprofit organizations, and individuals.13

 

1342 U.S.C. § 5121 et seq.

FEMA has steady-state and 

emergency organizational structures. Under a steady-state when FEMA is 

not in active response to a disaster, FEMA employees conduct activities 

Background 

FEMA’s Disaster 

Assistance Authority and 

Declaration Process
 

Page 6 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

that “strengthen the Homeland Security Enterprise”14 and perform 

functions that align with the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review 

(QHSR) goals15, which include strengthening capacity to withstand 

hazards, and improving preparedness in all levels and segments of 

society.16

The Stafford Act establishes the process for states to request a 

presidential major disaster declaration.

However, when a disaster declaration is requested by a 

Governor and approved by the President, FEMA executes its emergency 

organizational structure as discussed below.

17 Once a declaration has been 

declared by the President, FEMA may provide disaster assistance 

pursuant to the authorities in the Stafford Act. In order to request that the 

President issue a major disaster declaration, a Governor submits a 

declaration request certifying that the damage requires resources beyond 

the state’s capability. The request must also include an estimate of the 

amount and severity of damage and losses and preliminary estimates of 

the types and amount of disaster assistance needed, among other 

things.18 Once a disaster is declared, FEMA provides assistance primarily 

through one or more of the following three assistance programs: 

Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation.19

 

14The Homeland Security Enterprise is a partnership among DHS, other federal agencies, 

the public and private sectors, and communities across the country and around the world, 

who since 9/11 have worked to better mitigate and defend against dynamic threats, 

minimize risks, and maximize the ability to respond and recover from attacks and 

disasters of all kinds. 

Not all 

programs are activated for every disaster. The determination to activate a 

program is based on the needs identified during the assessment 

conducted as part of the declaration request. The Disaster Relief Fund is 

the major source of federal disaster recovery assistance when a disaster 

15QHSR outlines a strategic framework to guide the activities of homeland security 

participants. It outlines a vision, specifies mission priorities, and outlines goals for each of 

the mission areas.

16Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute: Federal Emergency Management 

Agency Workforce Baseline Assessment, Final Report, March 31, 2010.

1742 U.S.C. § 5170.

1844 C.F.R. § 206.36.

19Hazard Mitigation provides additional funding to states to assist communities in 

implementing long-term measures to help reduce the potential risk of future damages to 

facilities.
 

Page 7 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

is declared. The Disaster Relief Fund is appropriated no-year funding 

which allows FEMA to direct, coordinate, manage and fund response and 

recovery efforts associated with domestic major disasters and 

emergencies.20

Under the Stafford Act, FEMA has the authority to augment its permanent 

full-time staff with temporary personnel when needed, without regard to 

the appointment and compensation provisions governing Title 5 

appointments of permanent full-time staff.21 Permanent full-time 

employees manage FEMA’s day-to-day activities, and a portion of these 

employees are expected to deploy when a disaster is declared. The DAE 

is one type of temporary, on-call employee. See appendix II for a detailed 

description of categories of disaster workforce employees. DAEs 

comprise the largest portion of the disaster workforce employed under 

FEMA’s emergency organizational structure. As of February 2012, there 

were 9,981 DAEs. DAEs are activated to perform disaster activities 

directly related to specific disasters, emergencies, projects, or activities of 

a non-continuous nature.22

FEMA’s organizational structure is decentralized and comprised of 

headquarters and ten regional offices. FEMA’s Administrator, in 

accordance with the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 

2006 (Post-Katrina Act), appoints a Regional Administrator to head each 

DAEs serve two-year appointments, are only 

paid when they are deployed (including per-diem), and do not receive any 

Federal benefits with the exception of sick leave, holiday pay, and 

administrative leave. They are assigned to one of 23 functional disaster 

cadres. For example, the Individual Assistance cadre provides referrals 

and guides individuals through the FEMA assistance process, while the 

Hazard Mitigation cadre assists in educating the public and local 

governments on methods to reduce the risk of loss of property and life 

from a future disaster. See appendix III for a description of each cadre 

and their primary duties.

 

20No-year funds are available for obligation for an indefinite period of time. 

2142 U.S.C. § 5149(b)(1). Under the provisions of Title 5 governing appointments in 

competitive service, recruitment of candidates is based on merit where selection is made 

after a fair and open competition assuring equal opportunity. The candidates are selected 

based on an application, interview process, and/or examination. 

22FEMA Instruction 8600.1 Disaster Assistance Employee Program.

FEMA’s Disaster Reserve 

Workforce and 

Organizational Structure
 

Page 8 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

regional office.23

 

236 U.S.C. § 317.

Regional Administrators—in partnership with state, local, 

tribal governments, and other nongovernmental organizations—provide 

emergency management within their respective geographical area. See 

appendix IV, FEMA’s organizational chart, and figure 1 for a map of 

FEMA’s regions.
 

Page 9 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Figure 1: Map of FEMA Regions and the Number of Disaster Declarations and Disaster Assistance Employees Per Region in 

2011

JFOs are temporary FEMA offices established to respond to declared 

disasters. JFOs are led by Federal Coordinating Officers and an incident 

management team that coordinates the activities of the functional disaster 

cadres deployed for a particular disaster. Once a disaster is declared, 

FEMA is to deploy DAEs and other FEMA employees as needed, and is 

to use the Automated Deployment Database to track deployments, 

training, the initial disaster site location (duty station), as well as monitor 

overall cadre readiness.
 

Page 10 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Each cadre has a national cadre manager based in headquarters in 

addition to a regional cadre manager, except for headquarters-based 

cadres such as the Comptroller and Alternative Dispute Resolution 

cadres. With respect to the management of DAEs, national and regional 

cadre managers are responsible for implementing recruitment, hiring, 

training, development and other administrative policies and procedures 

developed by the DAE program office.24 Management of the DAE 

program has undergone structural changes over the last four years. See 

appendix V for a timeline of management changes. The Incident 

Workforce Management Office (IWMO) was established in June 2011, 

and is currently responsible for the operational elements of the DAE 

program. The office is organized into four functional units: Deployment, 

Readiness, FEMA Qualification System (FQS), and Cadre Coordination. 

See appendix VI for a description of its roles and responsibilities.

FEMA is undertaking efforts to credential DAEs and the rest of its 

workforce. Under the Post-Katrina Act, FEMA is responsible for 

developing standards for deployment capabilities including credentialing 

of personnel likely to respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and 

other man-made disasters.25

 

24FEMA Instruction 8600.1

FQS is FEMA’s recent effort to credential all 

employees in incident management or support positions, including the 

256 U.S.C. § 320.

FEMA Qualification 

System and DAE Training
 

Page 11 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

DAE workforce, and began development in July 2010.26 According to 

FEMA, FQS is a performance-based system whereby employees are 

determined to be either in Trainee or Qualified status in one of 322 job 

titles, each of which has a related Position Task Book. Position Task 

Books outline required activities, tasks, and behaviors, and serve as a 

record for task completion. According to the Draft FQS Guide, under 

Trainee status employees meet minimum experience requirements 

outlined in Position Task Books. Employees can achieve qualified status, 

or certified, once they complete all the eligibility requirements in the 

Position Task Book outlined for the specified incident management or 

incident support positions.27

DAEs currently receive almost all of their mandatory and cadre-specific 

training while deployed to JFOs. Mandatory courses include courses such 

as Ethics, Sexual Harassment, and Computer Security. In addition to 

mandatory courses, there are cadre-specific courses offered by FEMA’s 

Emergency Management Institute. These courses are directly related to 

the DAE cadres. For example, DAEs in the Public Assistance Cadre have 

courses in cost estimates and public assistance eligibility. These courses 

can be delivered at the JFO, or can be taken at one of the Emergency 

Management Institute campuses; however, the majority of DAEs receive 

the courses at the JFO.

FQS seeks to establish standardized position 

titles, improve job performance, and enable employees to pursue a 

specified career track. In June 2011, FEMA began the initial qualification 

determinations for DAEs and began notifying DAEs of their new job titles 

and status in December 2011.

 

26Incident management and support positions are categories of disaster-related work 

performed in the field, in FEMA Regional Offices, and at FEMA headquarters related to 

specific incidents. Specifically, incident management positions involve the delivery of 

federal assistance in the field, operations, and the direct control and employment of 

resources. The responsibilities of support positions include the deployment of nationallevel assets, support of national programs affected during the disaster, and support of 

incident operations. 

27FEMA will begin developing Position Task Books for incident support positions in 2012.
 

Page 12 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

FEMA has taken steps to enhance its management of the program, but 

has not developed or updated policies and procedures that align with the 

day-to-day management of the DAE program. FEMA has not provided 

guidance for how regional cadre managers should undertake their duties 

in the management of DAEs. Furthermore, FEMA could better monitor 

both its regions’ implementation of DAE policies and DAEs’ 

implementation of FEMA’s disaster policies and procedures in order to 

reduce the risk of inconsistent application. In addition, FEMA does not 

have policies and procedures for how it communicates with DAEs when 

they are not deployed.

FEMA has not yet developed guidance for cadre managers that outlines 

how they should manage DAEs in their cadre such as guidance for 

understanding and handling reserve pay and benefits, the deployment 

process, training procedures, and evaluation techniques. Specifically, 14 

of 16 regional cadre managers we interviewed said that they have not 

seen or are not aware of documented guidance for their duties as cadre 

manager such as hiring, training, and developing DAEs from 

headquarters, and 10 of 16 stated that having written guidance would be 

beneficial to their job.28 For example, one regional cadre manager said 

that there are inconsistencies across regions with how cadre managers 

hire, train, and utilize their DAEs. Another cadre manager added that 

inconsistent hiring processes affect morale among DAEs. Instructions on 

how to manage are handed down from experienced colleagues, but are 

not documented for consistent use, according to another cadre manager. 

FEMA stated in 1999 that it planned to establish guidelines and 

requirements for cadre management functions and intended this guidance 

to be applied consistently at headquarters and in the regions, but this 

effort was not completed.29

 

28Of the other 2 regional cadre managers, 1 said that he has not received guidance from 

headquarters, but has received guidance from the Individual Assistance national cadre 

manager. The other manager did not provide a response. Regarding the issue of whether 

having written guidance would be beneficial, the remaining 6 cadre managers did not 

mention this issue. 

In 2008, FEMA officials drafted a cadre 

manager’s handbook; however, the handbook was not finalized or 

officially adopted across FEMA. The director of IWMO stated that he did 

not know why the cadre manager’s handbook had not been completed 

since 2008. In February 2012, during the course of our review, FEMA 

29FEMA Director’s Policy No. 1-99.

Opportunities Exist to 

Strengthen Policies 

and Procedures That 

Govern the DAE 

Program 

FEMA Has Not Yet 

Provided Guidance to 

Cadre Managers Related to 

DAE Management
 

Page 13 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

began its Disaster Workforce Transformation.30

In the absence of cadre manager guidance, IWMO officials stated that 

FEMA Instruction 8600.1, issued in 1991, is the best source for 

information and guidance on the roles and responsibilities of cadre 

managers. The document outlines DAE policy for recruitment and hiring, 

reappointment, appraisals, and benefit eligibility. However, many of its 

sections are obsolete or inoperative. For example, FEMA Instruction 

8600.1 states that the office directors are responsible for the recruitment, 

selection, training, use, and management of their DAE cadres. According 

to FEMA, the regional cadre managers currently have these 

responsibilities; however the 8600.1 policy is not updated to reflect this 

change in responsibility. In addition, 9 of 16 regional cadre managers we 

interviewed stated that FEMA Instruction 8600.1 was either outdated, in 

need of revision, or not applied consistently across the organization.

According to FEMA, this 

effort includes creating a National Disaster Reservist Program intended to

overhaul the current DAE program and examine issues such as cadre 

management. Further, IWMO officials stated that in fiscal year 2012, they 

intend to develop a new cadre management handbook, revise FEMA 

DAE policy, conduct regularly scheduled meetings and conference calls 

with cadre managers, and conduct a national conference designed to 

educate cadre managers on their roles. However, FEMA does not have 

time frames or milestones for completing and disseminating cadre 

manager guidance as part of its Disaster Workforce Transformation and 

related activities.

31

 

30FEMA’s Disaster Workforce Transformation initiative is intended to improve how FEMA 

prepares, trains, informs, and engages its disaster workforce.

One regional cadre manager said that he would like anything from 

headquarters with respect to guidance, but all that he has seen is FEMA 

Instruction 8600.1, which is outdated. This manager added that it was 

unclear whether any steps have been taken to ensure that FEMA 

Instruction 8600.1 is applied consistently across regions. Another regional 

manager said when they have to give new hires a copy of FEMA 

Instruction 8600.1, they amend the document to reflect recent policy 

changes.

31Of the remaining cadre managers we interviewed, 2 said that they were not sure 

whether FEMA Instruction 8600.1 was applied consistently across regions, and 5 did not 

mention the issue. 
 

Page 14 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

A 2010 DHS OIG report recommended that FEMA review and update key 

DAE program benefit policies, procedures, and guidance to eliminate 

conflicts and inconsistencies between interim policies and permanent 

overall guidance.32 In response to the IG’s report, FEMA officials stated 

that FEMA Instruction 8600.1 was under revision. In March 2012 during 

the course of our review, FEMA officials stated that the revision of FEMA 

Instruction 8600.1 has been placed on hold pending the results of 

FEMA’s fiscal year 2012 workforce transformation initiative to ensure all 

issues that result from the transformation effort are identified. According 

to standard practices for program management, an organization should 

develop a program schedule that establishes the timeline for program 

milestones and deliverables.33 Given that FEMA has not completed 

previous efforts to create guidance for cadre managers, establishing time 

frames and milestones could help FEMA ensure accountability for 

completing and disseminating the cadre manager handbook and a 

revised FEMA Instruction 8600.1.

FEMA’s decentralized structure allows for flexibility in responding to 

disasters; however, FEMA does not monitor how the regions implement 

DAE policies, and how DAEs implement disaster policies and procedures.

Without such a mechanism, it will be difficult for FEMA to provide 

assurance that both its regions and DAEs implement DAE policies and 

disaster policies and procedures consistently. For example, DAEs in 

focus groups we conducted and regional cadre managers we interviewed 

expressed concerns about the inconsistency across regions in 

interpreting FEMA policy. Specifically, they raised concerns about 

inconsistencies across regions or cadres in how supervisors interpret 

both DAE administrative policies and/or cadre-specific disaster policies. 

For example, one focus group participant said that although there are 

standard policies and procedures, each disaster is different, with different 

supervisors that interpret these policies differently. Another focus group 

participant reiterated this point, stating that the regions and cadres direct 

their DAEs on how to approach disaster tasks differently, which lead to 

inefficiencies in providing disaster assistance. Participants in the public 

assistance cadre, for example, raised concerns about the variability that 

 

32DHS-OIG, FEMA’s Management of Disaster Assistance Employee Deployment and 

Payroll Processes, OIG-10-115 (September 2010).

33Project Management Institute, The Standard for Program Management, 2006.

FEMA Could Better 

Monitor Implementation of 

Policies and Procedures
 

Page 15 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

exists in how supervisors and managers interpret public assistance policy 

on documenting damage assessments, leading to differences in how well 

the worksheets are prepared. One participant stated that there are 

inconsistencies across regions when preparing the project worksheets

used to document disaster damage and provide cost estimates and plans 

for repair. Specifically, this focus group participant stated that in certain 

regions DAEs are instructed to focus on the number of worksheets 

passed through the system. Although it is not referred to as a quota, the 

participant stated that if a DAE does not achieve this number, he or she 

will be sent home before completing his deployment. Conversely, in other 

regions, supervisors and other managers do not apply a goal for the 

number of worksheets to be completed and are concerned with quality 

rather than quantity. These variations can lead to inconsistencies in how 

the worksheets are completed. Another focus group participant stated 

that the inefficiencies and inconsistencies that run across the board were 

problematic adding that when determining eligibility for public assistance, 

sometimes things are made eligible in one state that are not eligible in 

another state. Moreover, a 2007 Booz Allen Hamilton preliminary report 

entitled Restructuring and Enhancement of the Intermittent Disaster 

Workforce System also identified inconsistencies in the application of 

policies and standard operating procedures across regions and cadres.34

In March 2012 during the course of our review, FEMA officials stated that 

the agency intends to establish a centralized management structure 

responsible for the development of FEMA disaster assistance policies 

and procedures. FEMA policy states that headquarters is responsible for 

developing the agency’s policies and procedures for disaster assistance 

and the regional offices are responsible for the implementation of these 

policies and procedures. We recognize that FEMA’s decentralized 

structure allows for flexibility in handling disasters as each region can 

encounter different types of disasters and the regional structure can 

facilitate disaster assistance. In a February 2012 FEMA town hall 

meeting, FEMA’s Administrator acknowledged that there are 

inconsistencies across the FEMA regions, and noted that due to 

differences in how regions operate, it is problematic to deploy someone 

 

34Booz Allen Hamilton, Restructuring and Enhancement of the Intermittent Disaster 

Workforce System: Preliminary Findings Report (Herndon, Va.: Booz Allen Hamilton, 

2007). The Booz Allen Hamilton report we reviewed was preliminary and FEMA could not 

locate the final report. FEMA stated that they are addressing the observations from this 

review. 
 

Page 16 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

based in one region to another during a disaster.35

Standards for Internal Controls in the Federal Government call for an 

organization’s controls to be designed to assure that ongoing monitoring 

occurs in the course of normal operations and that it includes regular 

management and supervisory activities, comparisons and 

reconciliations.

Moreover, a regional 

cadre manager we interviewed cited inconsistency in policy application 

saying, “there is an ongoing problem of the right hand not knowing what 

the left hand is doing with respect to when policies are implemented or 

are in conflict with one another”. Without routinely monitoring how 

disaster policies and procedures are being implemented across regions 

by DAEs and how the regions implement DAE policies, FEMA lacks 

reasonable assurance that it is administering its disaster assistance 

consistently across regions in accordance with its mission.

36 Moreover, according to FEMA’s Capstone Doctrine, 

which describes FEMA’s mission, purpose, and defines the agency’s 

principles, FEMA advocates the practice of consistent decision making by 

those with authority to act.37 Establishing a mechanism to ensure routine 

monitoring of the regional implementation of DAE policies and 

procedures, as well as how DAEs implement disaster policies, could help 

provide FEMA with reasonable assurance that disaster assistance is 

being implemented by DAEs in accordance with policy and consistently 

across regions.

FEMA does not have policies and procedures for how it will communicate 

cadre-specific information to DAEs when not deployed. Most DAEs do not 

have access to cadre-specific information when not deployed, although 

FEMA has recently taken steps to increase communication. The majority 

of the cadre-specific information for DAEs is housed on FEMA’s internal 

website and is not accessible by DAEs when they are not deployed. This 

is because when DAEs are not deployed, they do not have access to their 

FEMA-issued equipment such as laptops, as well as their FEMA e-mail 

accounts. As a result, DAEs are not able to access information directly, 

including changes in policies and procedures that may occur while they 

 

35In February 2012, FEMA conducted a series of town hall meetings for all FEMA 

employees, including DAEs, in all 10 FEMA regions and headquarters.

36GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1. 

37The Federal Emergency Management Agency Publication 1, November 2010.

Opportunities Exist to 

Communicate CadreSpecific Information More 

Consistently with DAEs 

When Not Deployed
 

Page 17 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

are not deployed, and may not immediately be prepared to provide 

assistance to survivors during a disaster. Once DAEs are deployed to a 

disaster, they are typically provided equipment, such as laptops, and 

FEMA e-mail addresses, which are used to receive policy and procedural 

updates. However, DAEs in the focus groups we conducted raised 

concerns about their inability to access this type of information prior to 

being deployed to a disaster. For example, one focus group participant 

told us that it is difficult to keep up with changes as they happen when 

they are not deployed because they receive very little information when 

they are not deployed. Another focus group participant told us that they 

cannot access policy changes because they do not have access to 

information behind FEMA’s firewall. We also heard from one DAE that 

because she was not provided program information related to her job, it 

was difficult for her to feel comfortable representing FEMA to disaster 

victims without access to information such as materials related to 

applicant services.

Thirteen of 16 regional cadre managers we interviewed said that they 

communicate policy and procedural updates to DAEs when they are not 

deployed via personal e-mail accounts, however, not all cadre managers 

believe that it is their responsibility to convey policy updates to their DAEs 

when they are not deployed. For example, one cadre manager who is 

responsible for 180 DAEs told us she believes that policy changes should 

come from FEMA headquarters and should be posted on FEMA.gov. 

Consequently, this cadre manager does not forward policy changes to 

personal e-mail accounts.

According to another cadre manager, communicating policies and 

procedures to DAEs when they are not deployed is difficult because 

DAEs are completely disconnected from the mechanisms typically used 

to share information with FEMA staff during non-deployment. Further, he 

added that this proved to be a problem during disasters in 2010 where 

DAEs that had not been deployed for a while were unfamiliar with FEMA’s 

recent policy updates. The manager said this situation was problematic 

because management did not always have the time to walk these DAEs 

through policy changes. Ultimately, this lack of access to information 

among DAEs had an impact on DAE readiness because it extended their 

learning curve and potentially created delays in providing service in some 

cases. 

According to an official from FEMA’s Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, cadre managers have developed their own strategy for 

communicating with DAEs when they are not deployed. In addition, 
 

Page 18 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

officials from IWMO told us that cadre managers are best suited to 

determine the precise information and content that will meet the needs of 

their respective cadre. Therefore, cadre managers are encouraged by 

IWMO to develop informative resource pages for their DAEs. For 

example, we found that the Hazard Mitigation cadre has developed a 

platform to communicate and share a vast array of resources with DAEs 

without access to FEMA’s internal website. Specifically, Hazard 

Mitigation’s disaster workforce resources are available on both FEMA’s 

internal website as well as the Hazard Mitigation Disaster Workforce 

portal on the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), which can 

be accessed via any Internet connection with a login and password. The 

portal provides resources for each of the different functional areas of 

Hazard Mitigation, including web links, contact information, tasks books, 

job aids, policies, publications, and training materials for the Hazard 

Mitigation workforce. However, as of March 2012, these tools were limited 

to the Hazard Mitigation Cadre. According to IWMO, other cadres, 

including Alternate Dispute Resolution, Community Relations, Individual 

Assistance, and Environmental & Historic Preservation have internal 

websites that contain programmatic policies and procedures. However, 

these sites are not readily available to DAEs who do not have access to 

FEMA’s internal website. In a budget-constrained environment, 

leveraging existing mechanisms can help agencies achieve efficiencies. 

While our prior work has identified issues with the HSIN platform, it could 

be used to provide DAEs greater access to FEMA resources.38

 

38In April 2007, we reported that when coordinating efforts between HSIN and other state 

and local information-sharing initiatives, DHS did not fully adhere to key practices aimed at 

enhancing information sharing, collaboration, and avoiding duplication nor did it develop 

compatible policies, procedures, and other means to operate across organizational 

boundaries. We recommended, among other things, that DHS assess whether there are 

opportunities for HSIN to improve information sharing and avoid duplication of effort; and 

where there are opportunities, implement effective coordination and collaboration 

practices. DHS largely agreed with our recommendations and initiated actions to 

implement them including creating the HSIN Advisory Council—a HSIN user group 

composed of representatives from state, tribal, and local governments and the private 

sector—which met to discuss HSIN information-sharing activities and provided strategiclevel recommendations. DHS also created the HSIN Mission Coordinating Committee—a 

user group composed of representatives from DHS’s components (e.g., the Office of 

Infrastructure Protection, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency)—to address their respective users’ requirements for HSIN. GAO, Information 

Technology: Numerous Federal Networks Used to Support Homeland Security Need to Be 

Better Coordinated with Key State and Local Information-Sharing Initiatives, 

According 

to FEMA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, HSIN would be an 

GAO-07-455 

(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 16, 2007).
 

Page 19 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

appropriate tool for DAEs to use to stay connected to FEMA because it 

would allow them access to pertinent information from anywhere and 

would not represent an additional cost to FEMA.

Inconsistent access to information among non-deployed DAEs, in addition 

to inconsistent communication strategies with DAEs among regional 

cadre managers, may hinder FEMA’s mission of providing assistance to 

disaster survivors, by extending the amount of time it takes DAEs to 

familiarize themselves with the most current cadre-specific policies and 

procedures when they are deployed. However, FEMA has taken some 

steps to improve DAEs’ access to information when they are not 

deployed. For example, part of FEMA’s Disaster Workforce 

Transformation includes plans intended to increase communication to 

DAEs. FEMA stated that it plans to have consistent, two-way 

communication with DAEs even when they are not deployed. According 

to FEMA, this communication will include sending weekly e-mails about 

agency activities to each of the personal e-mail addresses it has on file 

for its entire workforce and developing a dedicated employee-focused 

website accessible to all of its employees. However, the employeefocused website contains a minimal amount of cadre-specific information. 

Since FEMA will rely on its cadres to provide their own content, the extent 

to which FEMA’s new centralized employee-focused website will include 

cadre-specific policies and procedures that DAEs need to perform their 

duties while deployed, such as those provided by the Hazard Mitigation 

cadre via its HSIN portal, is not clear. For example, as of March 2012, 

FEMA’s publicly available website for its employees included an 

Employee Information and Resource Center that houses general 

information such as travel policies, newsletters, and information related to 

the FEMA’s Disaster Workforce Transformation and FQS. Unlike the 

Hazard Mitigation portal on HSIN, FEMA’s employee website did not 

include cadre-specific information such as Concept of Operations 

documents that describe how specific cadre efforts are conducted in the 

pre- and post-disaster environment, or field office guides and Go Kits 

which contain cadre-specific guidance, which are resources that DAEs 

can access to better prepare themselves for future disasters while they 

are not deployed.

As part of FEMA’s Disaster Workforce Transformation efforts, it 

developed an employee-focused website; however, according to FEMA, 

the new employee website was not intended to be a long-term solution, 

nor was it intended to replace FEMA’s internal website used to 

communicate with its workforce. FEMA has not developed a plan with 

milestones for how it will communicate not only general information but 
 

Page 20 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

cadre-specific information to DAEs when they are not deployed. 

According to FEMA, the agency is examining other solutions that would 

allow the agency’s entire workforce to have access to all information, but 

a specific time frame has not been determined. According to standard 

practices for program management, an organization should develop a 

program schedule that establishes the timeline for program milestones 

and deliverables.39 As FEMA implements its Disaster Workforce 

Transformation, developing a plan with time frames and milestones for 

how it will better communicate cadre-specific policies, procedures, and 

other information to DAEs when they are not deployed would provide 

FEMA with a roadmap to help ensure that it is providing DAEs the tools 

they need to be prepared for disaster deployments.

FEMA has not established standardized hiring or salary criteria to help 

ensure that basic qualifications are met by prospective DAEs, and that 

regional managers consistently determine initial DAE salaries and award 

promotions. Moreover, FEMA’s performance appraisal system for DAEs 

does not adhere to internal control standards, which would help ensure 

that managers have information to better inform performance 

management decisions.

FEMA has not established standardized hiring criteria for prospective 

DAEs, and FEMA headquarters provides limited guidance to regions on 

which to base DAE salary determinations.

According to FEMA Instruction 8600.1 of 1991, the primary document 

outlining DAE program policies, regional cadre managers are responsible 

for the recruitment, selection, use, and management of their respective 

DAE cadres. Our review of policies and interviews with regional cadre 

managers as well as officials in FEMA headquarters indicate that DAEs 

are hired by regional cadre managers without being assessed against 

established criteria to determine their qualification for the position. 

Regional cadre managers make the initial hiring selection, and then send 

a hiring package with the individual’s qualifications and a proposed salary 

to the Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer (OCCHCO). 

OCCHCO officials stated that they then review the individual’s package to 

 

39Project Management Institute, The Standard for Program Management, 2006.

FEMA Could 

Strengthen Human 

Capital Management 

Controls 

FEMA Has Not Established 

Standardized Hiring and 

Salary Criteria for DAEs

Hiring Criteria
 

Page 21 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

verify that the selected individual is qualified for the position and that the 

proposed salary is appropriate based on experience and skills described 

in the individual’s resume. However, criteria used by OCCHCO officials in 

assessing the qualifications and pay of a DAE applicant are not 

documented; rather, OCCHCO officials stated that these decisions are 

based on general knowledge. An OCCHCO official who reviews the hiring 

package containing the applicant’s paperwork said that she believes that 

regional cadre managers do not always use the same criteria for 

evaluating qualifications and selecting a DAE candidate as the OCCHCO 

official uses in approving the proposal. In addition, a regional cadre 

manager from Hazard Mitigation said that the national cadre manager at 

headquarters provides guidance for hiring. In contrast, another regional 

manager said that there is no written guidance available, and that 

regional cadre managers are on their own in making hiring decisions.

According to OCCHCO, the agency’s hiring criteria for DAEs is contained 

within FEMA Instruction 8600.1.40

 

40In addition, FEMA officials stated that the Position Task Books created for the 

credentialing process prior to FQS are being used to provide guidance and direction to the 

regions regarding hiring DAEs. FEMA officials said that as the agency implements the 

FEMA Disaster Workforce Transformation, meetings will be held between OCCHCO, 

IWMO, and the cadre managers to discuss how the FQS Position Task Books will be used 

to determine qualifications and set salaries. However, as of April 2012 there was no 

written policy or guidance instructing the regions to use the Position Task Books for hiring 

purposes. 

This policy states that “consideration 

should be given to the specific job functions, the qualifications required to 

perform those jobs, and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements.” 

However, the policy does not provide explicit information on the 

qualifications for different cadres or positions, such as the relevant 

experience, education, or skills. For example, there is no FEMA-wide 

guidance on the preferred skills and experience of prospective DAEs for a

given position in the IA cadre or the PA cadre, which focus on different 

aspects of assistance, and thus, require different expertise. OCCHCO 

officials agreed that it would be useful to have a list of bulleted skills and 

qualifications that are desired by each cadre for making hiring decisions. 

An OCCHCO official who reviews hiring and salary recommendations 

said there is no specific guidance provided to regions related to hiring

criteria, other than FEMA Instruction 8600.1, because they believe that 

the regions have competent people hiring DAEs.
 

Page 22 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

The 2007 preliminary report by Booz Allen Hamilton on FEMA’s disaster 

workforce stated that the lack of standardization in recruitment standards, 

interviewing processes, and hiring practices led to a wide disparity in the 

qualifications of DAEs across the regions, which the report noted may 

impair FEMA’s ability to effectively respond to a disaster.41

Standards for Internal Controls in the Federal Government call for 

agencies to identify appropriate knowledge and skills needed for various 

jobs. According to FEMA, when FQS is implemented in 2012, positionspecific training and position task requirements will be defined for each of 

the 322 positions to provide more specificity; however, FEMA could not 

provide details about how or if this will translate into better hiring criteria 

for prospective DAEs.

Moreover, one 

regional cadre manager said that morale is lowered when unqualified 

DAEs are hired, and another said that many DAEs complain that there is 

significant variation across regions in terms of the skills required for 

different positions. In addition, a DAE who participated in our focus group 

stated that if FEMA had asked the right questions, he would not have 

been hired, since he did not have the necessary technological skills to 

use the laptop, GPS, and digital camera that FEMA provided to him.

42

In addition, FEMA headquarters provides limited guidance for regions to 

use to make DAE salary determinations. According to a FEMA official, in 

addition to FEMA Instruction 8600.1, the “Grant C. Peterson Memo” 

(Peterson Memo) of 1992 put forth guidance for pay levels and 

promotions.

By standardizing hiring criteria, FEMA would be 

better positioned to hire people with the requisite skills and have 

reasonable assurance that hiring decisions are being made consistently 

across regions.

43 This guidance outlines five pay grades (A through E), as 

well as the three levels within each pay grade and relates these pay 

grades to their approximate GS or GM federal grade level.44

 

41Booz Allen Hamilton, Preliminary Findings Report, 27. 

The 

42FEMA could not provide details about how FQS will translate into better hiring criteria for 

prospective DAEs in addition to identifying the requisite training and skills needed by 

newly hired DAEs to become qualified under FQS.

43See appendix VII for DAE pay scale. 

44The General Schedule (GS) system is a graded pay system established under the 

Classification Act of 1949. GM (General Manager) employees were formerly paid under 

the Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS). GM employees are now 

paid under the GS system. 

Guidance for Salary 

Determinations
 

Page 23 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Peterson Memo states that all DAEs will be given a tentative pay grade at 

the time of the initial appointment, and within 90 days a decision will be 

made as to whether or not that tentative grade is appropriate or should be 

changed to a different grade. The Peterson Memo lists position titles that 

would be assigned to Grades A through E, but it does not clarify how a 

DAE is to be assigned to one of the three levels within each grade.45

An OCCHCO official stated that it is possible that cadre managers have 

developed their own criteria for placing DAE hires in certain pay 

categories. For example, the OCCHCO official noted that some cadre 

managers bring everyone in on a C-1 level (approximately $21/hour) until 

they are able to “learn about the organization,” a process which is not 

quantified or measured. We noted variation among regional cadre 

managers with respect to pay determinations, with some managers 

proposing pay according to the candidate’s experience, and others basing 

pay determinations solely on the job title. For example, six regional cadre 

managers said that pay determinations depend on the candidate’s 

experience, education, and background and one added that individuals 

with the same job title could be paid differently depending on their 

experience. In contrast, three different regional cadre managers said that 

pay is based on the job title or position the DAE is hired to fill; for 

example, one said that a data entry DAE would start in the A or B pay 

grade, while construction managers would be assigned to the C pay

grade. Variation in salaries across regions and cadres can lower morale 

among DAEs who are deployed in multiple regions and notice DAEs that 

are paid more despite having less responsibility, according to two regional 

cadre managers. A senior FEMA official in a recent “town hall meeting” 

acknowledged that there have been issues with the pay and promotion 

system for DAEs for many years, and that leadership will be looking at the 

issue. In addition, the Assistant Administrator for Response said that 

there is currently no consistency with pay determinations or raises, and 

that changes to the pay system will be a part of FEMA’s Disaster 

Workforce Transformation. Additionally, 8 of 16 regional cadre managers 

we interviewed stated that they do not receive guidance or would like to 

In 

addition, the memo does not establish criteria on which to base initial 

salary decisions or reconsiderations within the 90-day window.

 

45For example, the Peterson Memo states that a Data Entry Clerk is to be considered a 

Grade A; a Program Assistant (PA) is to be considered a Grade B; a PA Inspector is to be 

considered a Grade C; a Program Officer (IA) is to be considered a Grade D; and an Audit 

Manager is to be considered a Grade E. 
 

Page 24 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

receive more guidance related to salary determinations, including the 

criteria used by headquarters.46 FEMA headquarters could clarify what 

kind of professional experience gained prior to joining FEMA is 

considered relevant for different positions and cadres or to what extent 

disaster-specific responsibilities may factor into salary determinations. 

Ten of 16 regional cadre managers said that headquarters has previously

denied pay determinations proposed by the region, and two of these 

regional cadre managers responded by asking the applicant to revise his 

or her resume and re-send it to headquarters.47

During recent town hall meetings between agency leadership and 

employees, a FEMA official acknowledged that pay grade distribution and 

pay raise inconsistencies are an issue in the DAE program. The Assistant 

Administrator for Response noted that more than 90 percent of DAEs are 

in the C category or above, and as a result there are DAEs in higher pay 

grades performing work that should be done by lower-paid DAEs. 

According to FEMA officials, they will be looking into these issues as part 

of FEMA’s Disaster Workforce Transformation. In addition, FEMA officials 

noted that FQS will institutionalize pay determinations for DAEs based on 

job title, but as of March 2012, they could not provide details regarding 

this effort. Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government state 

that good human capital policies and practices should include 

establishing appropriate practices for compensating and promoting 

personnel. We have reported that agencies may abide by these 

standards by basing compensation on achievements and performance. 

By establishing standardized criteria for making DAE salary and 

promotion determinations, FEMA could increase transparency around 

salary determinations and reduce unnecessary variation across regions. 

One of these regional 

cadre managers noted that he did not know what headquarters was 

looking for when making decisions regarding whether to place a 

candidate in pay Grade B or C.

 

46Of the other 8 cadre managers, 3 had received some guidance related to salary 

determinations, and the remainder did not indicate whether or not they had received 

guidance. 

47Of the other 6 cadre managers, 3 said that they had not received any denials from 

headquarters and 3 did not mention whether they had received any denials or their 

response was inconclusive. 
 

Page 25 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

FEMA’s performance appraisal system for DAEs is not consistent with 

internal control standards, which would help ensure that managers have 

information to better inform performance management decisions.48

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government state that 

agencies should establish appropriate practices for evaluating, 

counseling, and disciplining personnel.49

• promotions and compensation of employees are based on periodic 

performance appraisals;

In addition, these standards 

state that effective management of an organization’s workforce include 

identifying appropriate knowledge and skills needed for various jobs and 

providing candid and constructive counseling, and performance 

appraisals. We have previously reported that agencies could adhere to 

these internal control standards through a number of actions, such as 

ensuring that:

• employees are provided with appropriate feedback and given 

suggestions for improvement; or that

• employment is terminated when performance is consistently below 

standards.50

Performance appraisal systems are intended to provide agencies with 

information related to the effectiveness of employees and serve as a 

mechanism to identify and improve performance deficiencies. FEMA’s 

performance management system for DAEs is based on a performance 

appraisal form that is not consistent with internal control standards, which 

state that counseling should be candid and constructive. According to 

FEMA Instruction 8600.1, supervisors are required to complete a 

performance appraisal form for DAEs at the end of each DAE’s 

deployment. As shown in figure 2, all DAE reservists are rated on seven 

 

48According to FEMA, the DAE performance process is not an OPM-approved program. 

However, we have reported in GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1 that implementing effective internal 

controls is a key factor in achieving agencies’ missions and program results. 

49GAO/AMID-00-21.3.1. 

50GAO, Internal Control Management and Evaluation Tool, GAO-01-1008G, August 2001. 

This is a guide that GAO produced to assist agencies in maintaining or implementing 

effective internal controls. This tool is not required to be used, but it is intended to provide 

a systematic and structured approach to assessing the internal control structure.

Performance Appraisals 

for DAEs Do Not Adhere 

to Internal Control 

Standards 
 

Page 26 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

elements, and supervisors are rated on an additional seven elements.51

Figure 2: Disaster Assistance Employee Performance Appraisal Elements

In 

addition, there is a narrative portion of the performance appraisal form 

where supervisors are required to include written comments.

 

51FEMA Form 90-106, the Performance Appraisal for the Disaster Assistance Program, 

may be used to evaluate the performance of any FEMA employee deployed to a disaster, 

including Permanent Full-Time, Cadre of On-Call Response/Recover Employees and 

DAEs. 
 

Page 27 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

For each element, a DAE may be given an “S” for Satisfactory, “U” for 

Unsatisfactory, or “N/A” if a supervisor had no opportunity to observe the 

DAE’s performance; these ratings are essentially a pass/fail system. 

However, it is unclear what constitutes successful completion of each

element, and FEMA headquarters has not provided any written guidance 

to regions for assigning ratings. For example, FEMA lacks criteria that 

can be used to make the determination that a DAE should receive an S or 

a U for a given element. FEMA Instruction 8600.1 addresses what cadre 

managers should do with the appraisal form, but not specifically how to 

assign a rating and what content managers should include in the narrative 

portion. Eleven of 16 regional cadre managers we interviewed stated that 

DAEs are not given honest appraisals.52

In addition, the performance appraisal system could be more transparent 

by providing managers with additional information to use when making 

performance management decisions. For example, because the appraisal 

form usually provides little information to managers regarding a DAE’s 

performance during a disaster, one regional cadre manager noted that 

branch directors contact the regions and let them know of any problems 

with their cadre members. The manager added that instead of or in 

addition to reviewing the performance appraisal forms, supervisors and 

managers must make phone calls and send e-mails to give a picture of a 

DAE’s performance and areas for improvement. In addition, it is not clear 

These regional cadre managers 

stated that ratings are not always an accurate reflection of performance 

because currently there is a conflict of interest because supervisors (who 

are also DAEs) must evaluate subordinate DAEs who could be their 

supervisors in the next deployment. According to the Director of IWMO, 

when FQS is implemented in fiscal year 2012, DAEs will continue to 

supervise other DAEs in the field. This official said that the qualification 

requirements under FQS will help ensure that the supervising DAEs have 

the professionalism to manage other DAEs. However, given the fact that 

DAEs may continue to serve at levels below the one for which they are 

qualified, the conflict of interest could continue. While we recognize that 

ensuring supervisors provide candid ratings can be challenging for 

agencies, strengthening the controls in place for developing performance 

ratings could help FEMA provide both managers and DAEs more 

meaningful performance information.

 

52Of the other 4 regional cadre managers, 2 said that they had given unsatisfactory ratings 

or that ratings were honest, and 2 did not mention this issue. 
 

Page 28 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

how performance appraisals are utilized in decisions related to 

reappointment, performance deficiencies, pay, and promotions for DAEs. 

FEMA headquarters has not provided guidance to regions to clarify these 

issues, according to 13 of 16 regional cadre managers and OCCHCO.53

According to an IWMO official, the office previously known as Disaster 

Reserve Workforce Division had been actively involved in redesigning the 

performance appraisal process, including improving the appraisal form 

and maintenance of performance records. However, he said that when 

the office was revamped and realigned into IWMO, the effort languished. 

IWMO and OCCHCO officials noted in March 2012 that performance 

management is a critical component of the supervision of DAEs and 

stated that it must be improved in fiscal year 2012 during FEMA’s 

Disaster Workforce Transformation effort. However, FEMA does not 

currently have specific plans to revamp the performance appraisal 

system.54

We have previously reported that one of the key practices for effective 

performance management is making meaningful distinctions in 

performance, including providing management with the objective and factbased information it needs to recognize top performers and providing the 

necessary information and documentation to deal with poor performers.55

Similarly, we have previously reported that performance appraisals 

should provide meaningful distinctions in performance for staff, which is 

difficult to accomplish with a pass/fail system.56 We also reported that a 

limited number of performance categories may not provide managers with 

the information they need to reward top performers and address 

performance issues, as well as deprive staff of the feedback they need to 

improve.57

 

53Of the other 3 regional cadre managers, 2 said that FEMA had provided guidance and 1 

did not mention this issue. 

In addition, 13 of 16 regional cadre managers stated that the 

54According to FEMA, FQS will not replace performance appraisals, and the system being 

identified to support FQS does not store performance appraisal documentation. 

55GAO, Results-Oriented Cultures, Creating a Clear Linkage between Individual 

Performance and Organizational Success, GAO-03-488 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 14, 

2003).

56GAO, Financial Regulators: Agencies Have Implemented Key Performance 

Management Practices, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist, GAO-07-678 

(Washington, D.C.: June 18, 2007).

57GAO, Veterans’ Benefits: Improvements Needed in VA’s Training and Performance 

Management Systems, GAO-08-1126T (Washington, D.C.: Sept.18, 2008).
 

Page 29 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

appraisal process could be improved in various ways, such as 

implementing a rating scale instead of a pass/fail rating.58 Specifically, 

using multiple rating levels provides a useful framework for making 

distinctions in performance by allowing an agency to differentiate, at a 

minimum, between poor, acceptable, and outstanding performance. We 

have reported that two-level rating systems by definition will generally not 

provide meaningful distinctions in performance ratings, with possible 

exceptions for employees in entry-level or developmental bands.59

Similarly, a 2007 preliminary report by Booz Allen Hamilton on the DAE 

program found that there was a lack of standardization and fairness in the 

performance review system, specifically that the system was not 

managed evenly and did not distinguish between levels of performance.60

The report noted that an inadequate performance review system affects 

the development and assignment of DAEs, as well as their contribution to 

FEMA’s overall response to disasters. Taking steps to establish a more 

rigorous performance management system that addresses the 

weaknesses we identified could help provide FEMA with more information 

regarding how effectively DAEs are performing and a mechanism to 

identify and improve any performance deficiencies. By providing clear 

criteria and guidance for assigning ratings, as well as how the ratings are 

to be used, FEMA could help to ensure that DAEs’ performance 

appraisals better reflect actual performance and provide managers with 

information to better inform performance management decisions.

FEMA’s DAE training is not consistent with key attributes of effective 

training and development programs that could help to ensure that its 

training and development investments are targeted strategically. FEMA 

does not have a plan to ensure that all DAEs receive required training 

under FQS, which would ensure accountability for qualifying DAEs. In 

addition, FEMA does not track how much it spends on DAE training, 

which hinders FEMA’s ability to plan for future training.

 

58The other 3 regional cadre managers did not provide a response regarding how the 

performance appraisal process could be improved. 

59GAO-07-678. 

60Booz Allen Hamilton, Preliminary Findings Report, 7. 

FEMA’s DAE Training 

Is Not Consistent with 

Key Attributes of 

Effective Training and 

Development 

Programs
 

Page 30 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

FEMA does not have a plan with time frames and milestones to ensure 

DAEs receive training, including required training for its new credentialing 

program, FQS. FEMA provides the majority of its training to DAEs in the 

field during disasters. Under FQS, DAEs must complete required training 

and demonstrate successful performance in specific areas in order to be 

qualified in their job title. Therefore, DAEs’ career track will be aligned to 

their deployments, and subsequently tied to their opportunities to 

participate in field training. Regional cadre managers and DAEs we spoke 

with had concerns about the amount of training DAEs received during 

disasters as well as FEMA’s reliance upon on-the-job training for new 

DAEs due to limited training opportunities. Thirteen of 16 regional cadre 

managers said that they would like more opportunities for DAEs to 

receive training.61

Under FQS, DAEs will be assigned job titles, and each DAE will either be 

designated as a trainee or qualified for that job title. For a DAE to become 

qualified, they must complete required training and meet the minimum 

number of deployments and various deployment experiences. According 

to FEMA, approximately 20 percent of the current DAEs (2,005 of 9,981) 

are considered trainees and will need training and future deployments to 

become qualified. However, according to FEMA, as of March 2012, 136 

courses were not available because they were being revised or not yet 

For example, one Human Resource cadre manager 

said that required training courses were not available the past year, and 

that some courses, such as those developed for human resource 

managers, had not been offered for 3 or 4 years. In addition, one DAE 

said that the amount of training they received was insufficient and added 

that it was a disservice to the applicants for FEMA assistance because 

DAEs may not know how to properly assist the public. Another DAE, who 

also holds a management position, told us that half of the DAEs deployed 

in Community Relations in his current disaster did not have any training 

other than on-the-job training. Furthermore, IWMO officials said some 

regions provide general pre-deployment orientation materials, such as 

instructions on completing certain administrative tasks; otherwise, it is up 

to the cadre manager to provide DAEs information pertinent to their 

assignment prior to their deployment. Therefore, the extent to which a 

DAE receives orientation depends on the cadre, the region, and the 

timing of deployments.

 

61None of the remaining 3 cadre managers provided a response concerning the topic of 

providing more opportunities for DAEs to receive training. 

FEMA Does Not Have a 

Plan to Ensure DAEs 

Receive Required Training
 

Page 31 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

developed. In addition, FEMA stated that of the 136 courses, 83 are in 

various stages of pilot testing and they have developed a schedule to 

revise or develop courses through the end of fiscal year 2012. Officials 

said that if a course will not be developed in the foreseeable future, 

exemptions can be made for the DAE to be fully qualified if they have 

completed the remaining requirements.

According to key attributes for federal training programs, agencies should 

have agency planning documents such as training plans, and training and 

development design and evaluation documents, which focus on 

identifying targeted performance improvements and report on progress in 

achieving results.62 As previously mentioned, successful organizations 

should also establish timelines for program milestones and deliverables.63

According to FEMA officials, the agency has begun an initiative intended 

to identify the number of personnel, by position, needed to respond to and 

manage various incidents. It is also intended to determine the number of 

training courses they will need based on the number of open position task 

books. In fiscal year 2012 FEMA plans to implement this initiative as well 

as FQS in order to develop a plan to train DAEs, according to the agency. 

However, FEMA officials also said that qualifying all DAEs under FQS will 

depend on each DAE’s commitment to making themselves available for 

deployments and the level of disaster activity. DAEs are required to 

update their availability for deployments at least every 30 days, and must 

be available for deployments for at least 60 days a year. FEMA does not 

have a plan or time frames in place to ensure that all DAEs are qualified 

under FQS and receive required training; instead, FEMA is depending on 

DAEs to commit to be deployed. A plan with time frames and milestones 

for how and when it will train all of its DAEs will provide FEMA with a 

roadmap and ensure accountability for qualifying DAEs under FQS.

FEMA does not track how much of the Disaster Relief Fund is spent on 

training for DAEs while deployed to JFOs. As a result, FEMA does not 

have a comprehensive picture of costs and expenses, and other financial 

information related to training and development activities. All expenses 

incurred at a JFO, including training costs, are funded by the Disaster 

Relief Fund. Comptrollers at the JFO are responsible for approving and 

 

62GAO-04-546G. 

63Project Management Institute.

Systematically Tracking 

Training Cost Could Allow 

FEMA to Better Plan for 

Future Training Expenses
 

Page 32 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

monitoring all the funds used at a JFO; however, they are not required to 

track the training costs. The Disaster Field Training Operations cadre is 

responsible for developing a training plan based on the training needs of 

the DAEs deployed to a particular JFO. The training plan then must be 

approved by the Federal Coordinating Officer. FEMA’s Deputy Director 

for Field Operations said the plan does not include the costs associated 

with the recommended courses unless the training is being provided by a 

contractor. Costs associated with training—such as travel expenses, per 

diem for the instructors, and copy materials—are all included in the 

administrative costs of the JFO. FEMA’s Deputy Director for Field 

Operations further stated that there is no accounting code specific to 

training costs, therefore, the agency does not currently have the needed 

information to identify those costs specific to completed courses. The 

official added that FEMA maintains a few codes that have some 

relationship to training, such as a code for training-related office supplies 

and printing costs. The official noted that it may be possible to 

accumulate all of the training-related codes that are currently in existence 

and come up with an estimate of the total cost associated with training; 

however, this figure would not provide a complete picture of training 

costs. 

FEMA’s Disaster Readiness and Support account is part of the Disaster 

Relief Fund. It funds generalized, non-disaster specific initiatives such as 

training that provides disaster readiness and preparedness support 

across FEMA. In fiscal year 2011, the Disaster Readiness and Support 

account totaled $304.7 million, of which $9 million was dedicated to 

disaster-related training for all FEMA employees, including DAEs. Of the 

$9 million, $3 million of this is dedicated to pay for the salaries and 

benefits of DAEs while they are deployed solely for training. According to 

FEMA, the amount of the Disaster Readiness and Support account is 

determined by working with FEMA offices annually to review their 

requirements. A spend plan is created and then reviewed and approved 

by FEMA’s Deputy Administrator, DHS and the Office of Management 

and Budget before transmittal to Congress.

Prior to fiscal year 2012, the Emergency Management Institute was 

responsible for managing the $9 million in disaster specific training funds. 

This responsibility is now with IWMO; however, according to IWMO 

officials, they are still coordinating their efforts with the Emergency 

Management Institute. According to the Emergency Management 

Institute, it cannot separate how much of the Disaster Readiness and 

Support account is spent on DAE training, except for the $3 million 

allocated for salaries and benefits. According to IWMO officials, in fiscal 
 

Page 33 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

year 2013 they will begin funding the majority of training courses in JFOs 

using the Disaster Readiness and Support account rather than the more 

general Disaster Relief Fund. As of March 2012, the fiscal year 2012 

spend plan and projected future costs had not been finalized. However, 

IWMO officials said that the proposed fiscal year 2012 budget for FQS is 

$7.8 million, which was based on the training budget of prior years’ 

training as well as future needs. According to key practices for training 

management, agencies should have accounting, financial, and 

performance reporting systems that produce credible, reliable and 

consistent data on agency activities, including training and development 

programs.64 Since FEMA does not know how much money it historically 

has spent on training at the JFOs using the Disaster Relief Fund, it does 

not have a complete picture of the total cost to train DAEs both at the 

Emergency Management Institute and at the JFOs each year. Further, 

FEMA does not have reasonable assurances that the proposed fiscal 

year 2013 FQS budget is at an appropriate level to cover the total training 

costs. Without a systematic process to track training costs, FEMA does 

not have a complete picture of training, including its total costs. 

Developing a systematic process to track such training costs would 

provide FEMA with additional information to inform decisions about 

allocating future funding for training and assist it in doing so effectively.

On April 17, 2012 FEMA announced plans to transform the DAE program. 

Among the changes, FEMA will change the name to the FEMA Reservist 

Program. According to FEMA, as of June 1, 2012, the agency will begin 

offering DAEs the opportunity to seek new appointments in the Reservist 

Program by applying for specific incident management positions within 

FQS. The Reservists selected at the end of the application process will be 

assigned to nationally managed cadres, which will replace all regionallybased cadres by the end of 2012. FEMA announced that as of July 1, 

2012, DAEs who transition to the Reservist Program before the end of 

2012 will have their pay “grandfathered” into the new program and 

therefore be exempt from the new rules regarding having pay determined 

based on their FQS position. In addition, FEMA stated it will establish a 

goal and policy to deploy all Reservists at least once per year with the 

length of the deployment depending on operational needs, which is 

intended to ensure that all Reservists have the current incident response 

 

64GAO-04-546G. 

FEMA Announced 

Impending 

Transformation of 

DAE Program, but It 

Is Too Soon to 

Evaluate the 

Effectiveness of the 

Agency’s Planned 

Actions 
 

Page 34 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

experience and demonstrated performance required by FQS. 

Furthermore, FEMA stated that it will begin providing Reservists required 

FQS training by utilizing a portion of annual deployment days and 

allowing Reservists to complete some mandatory training from home. 

Moreover, FEMA announced that it would be issuing Reservists mobile 

communication and computing equipment upon their first deployment, to 

ensure that they are mission ready immediately upon checking into a 

disaster and that they have continuous access to the FEMA network and 

FEMA e-mail, if they choose, regardless of deployment status. These 

efforts, if implemented effectively should address a number of the 

challenges we identified with FEMA’s management of the DAE program. 

However, FEMA has not identified specifics to these broad plans that 

allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of its planned actions. Therefore, 

it is too soon to determine whether the planned actions will be 

implemented as stated and whether they will fully address the problems 

we identified.

FEMA relies heavily upon DAEs to respond to disasters. The agency has 

taken steps to improve the program, such as establishment of a 

credentialing program, FQS, and a planned transformation of the DAE 

program; however, it is too soon to assess the extent to which these 

efforts will address the challenges we identified with FEMA’s 

management of the DAE program, the workforce, and training. For 

example, while FEMA intends to provide guidance to cadre managers, 

including a revised FEMA Instruction 8600.1 by the end of 2012, FEMA 

has experienced difficulty in the past in completing similar efforts, such as 

the 2008 cadre management handbook that was never finalized. Thus, 

establishing time frames for completing deliverables such as the revised 

FEMA Instruction 8600.1 and a cadre manager handbook for DAE 

management would help ensure accountability for completing initiatives. 

Furthermore, FEMA’s decentralized structure allows for flexibility; 

however, establishing a mechanism to ensure ongoing monitoring of 

regional implementation of DAE policies and procedures and DAEs’ 

implementation of FEMA’s disaster policies and procedures can assist 

management in ensuring that disaster assistance is conducted in 

accordance with policy and consistently applied across regions. In 

addition, establishing policies and procedures for how FEMA will 

communicate with DAEs and developing a plan with time frames and 

milestones for how it will better communicate policies and procedures and 

cadre-specific information to DAEs when not deployed would help ensure 

that it is providing DAEs with the tools they need to be prepared for 

disaster deployments.

Conclusions 
 

Page 35 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Further, FEMA’s human capital controls do not adhere to internal control 

standards for hiring, compensation, and performance appraisals. By 

standardizing criteria for hiring and salary determinations, FEMA would 

have greater assurance that DAEs have the necessary skills and 

qualifications, as well as ensure consistency across regions. In addition, 

taking steps to establish a more rigorous performance management 

system would provide FEMA with more information regarding how 

effectively DAEs are performing and provide a mechanism to identify and 

improve any performance deficiencies.

Moreover, FEMA’s management of DAE training is not consistent with 

training key practices for planning and tracking training costs. 

Establishing a plan with milestones for training DAEs would provide 

FEMA with a roadmap to train its DAE workforce and ensure 

accountability for qualifying DAEs under FQS. Finally, developing a 

systematic process for capturing training costs would provide FEMA with 

additional information to inform its decisions about allocating future 

funding for training and assist it in doing so effectively.

To help DHS improve the management of DAEs and build on some of the 

actions taken to date, we recommend that the Secretary of Homeland 

Security direct the Administrator of FEMA to take the following seven 

actions:

1. Establish timelines for development and dissemination of DAE cadre 

management guidance and revisions to FEMA Instruction 8600.1;

2. Establish a mechanism to monitor both its regions’ implementation of 

DAE policies and procedures and DAEs’ implementation of FEMA’s 

disaster policies and procedures to ensure consistency.

3. Develop a plan with time frames and milestones for how it will better 

communicate policies and procedures and cadre-specific information 

to DAEs when they are not deployed;

4. Establish standardized criteria for hiring DAEs that include defined 

qualifications and skill sets to make hiring decisions and salary 

determinations;

5. Establish a more rigorous performance appraisal system that includes 

criteria and guidance to serve as a basis for performance ratings, as 

well as how ratings could be used, and a process to address 

performance deficiencies;

6. Establish a plan with milestones to ensure all DAEs have 

opportunities to participate in training and are qualified; and

7. Develop a systematic process to track training costs.

Recommendations for 

Executive Action
 

Page 36 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

We provided a draft of this report to DHS for comment. We received 

written comments from DHS on the draft report, which are summarized 

below and reproduced in full in appendix VIII. DHS concurred with the

recommendations and indicated that FEMA has taken or is taking steps to 

address them. The actions DHS reported are important first steps; 

however, FEMA’s implementation plans do not fully address one of the 

seven recommendations, as discussed below. Moreover, insufficient 

detail is provided related to FEMA’s plans for three of the 

recommendations; thus it is not clear to what extent these plans will fully 

address the three recommendations. 

In regards to the first recommendation, that FEMA establish time frames 

for development and dissemination of DAE cadre management guidance 

and revisions to FEMA Instruction 8600.1, DHS agreed and stated that 

FEMA Instruction 8600.1, which is now called the FEMA Reservist 

Program Directive, was revised and, as of May 11, 2012, is in FEMA’s 

Office of the Chief Counsel for final review. Furthermore, DHS stated that 

the estimated timeline for approval and publishing of this instruction is 

June 1, 2012. In addition, DHS stated that the Cadre Manager’s 

Handbook, the FEMA Reservist Program Manual, the Reservist Pay 

Directive, and the Reservist Handbook are being developed with an 

estimated timeline for development, approval, and dissemination 

approximately 90 days after the signing of the FEMA Reservist Program 

Directive. It will be important that the FEMA Reservist Program Directive 

align with the planned Disaster Workforce Transformation. These actions, 

if implemented effectively, would address the intent of the

recommendation.

In reviewing the draft of the second recommendation that FEMA establish 

a mechanism to monitor disaster policies and procedures to ensure 

consistency, FEMA officials requested clarification, stating that the

recommendation was too broad as it focused on FEMA’s disaster policies 

rather than DAEs. We agreed and modified the recommendation to more 

clearly state that FEMA should monitor how the regions implement DAE 

policies and procedures and how DAEs implement disaster policies and 

procedures. DHS agreed with our revised recommendation and 

discussed several actions it has taken or has underway to address the 

recommendation. Specifically, it stated that (1) in December 2011, the 

FEMA Administrator directed the agency to identify, review, and centrally 

post all agency doctrine, policies, and directives, (2) all documents were 

posted to their respective locations on April 13, 2012, and (3) the 

agency’s policies guiding DAEs are now available on the FEMA intranet. 

Moreover, FEMA stated that it has also established and is working to 

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation
 

Page 37 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

improve a number of mechanisms through which it validates compliance 

with the agency policies and standards. FEMA also stated that 

communication with reservists on disaster policies and procedures will be 

initiated from FEMA headquarters to ensure consistency. FEMA has 

taken actions to make policies and procedures readily available to 

reservists; however, FEMA did not provide details about the mechanisms 

it has established for its regions to monitor DAE policies and procedures

or DAEs’ implementation of FEMA’s disaster policies. Thus, it is not clear 

to what extent these actions will fully address the recommendation. 

In regards to the third recommendation, that FEMA develop a plan with 

time frames and milestones for how it will better communicate policies 

and procedures and cadre-specific information to DAEs when they are 

not deployed, DHS agreed and stated that the FEMA Reservist Program 

Directive requires Headquarters, Regional, and National Cadre 

Management leadership to provide consistent two-way messaging to all 

Reservists, deployed or not, through e-mail, websites, webinars, and 

other outreach, and estimates that these efforts will be completed by 

September 30, 2012. However, DHS did not provide details on the types 

of information that it will be providing DAEs. Thus, it is not clear to what 

extent FEMA’s planned actions will fully address the recommendation. To 

fully meet the intent of the recommendation, FEMA needs to ensure that it 

is communicating both cadre-specific and administrative information to 

DAEs.

In regards to the fourth recommendation, that FEMA establish 

standardized criteria for hiring DAEs that include defined qualifications 

and skill sets to make hiring decisions and salary determinations, DHS 

agreed and stated that the FEMA Qualification System (FQS) Position 

Task Books define specific qualifications and skills for each required 

position and will be the basis for establishing standardized criteria for 

hiring Reservists, including pay. Currently, Position Task Books are used 

to document and record tasks performed by the trainees, in order to 

become qualified under FQS. It will be important for FEMA to define skills 

and/or necessary experience applicants must have prior to being hired for 

each position, and how if at all, any prior experience will impact salary 

determinations. Without doing so, DHS will not fully address the intent of 

the recommendation. 

In regards to the fifth recommendation, that FEMA establish a more 

rigorous performance appraisal system that includes criteria and 

guidance to serve as a basis for performance ratings, as well as how 

ratings could be used, and a process to address performance 
 

Page 38 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

deficiencies, DHS agreed. DHS stated that upon implementation of the 

FEMA Reservist Program Directive and the publishing of various 

supporting directives and handbooks, FEMA’s Incident Workforce 

Management Office will coordinate with FEMA’s Office of the Chief 

Component Human Capital Office to develop a more robust Reservist 

performance appraisal system that will, among other things, establish 

performance standards, identify successful task completion, and improve 

performance deficiencies. These actions, if implemented effectively, 

would address the intent of the recommendation.

In regards to the sixth recommendation, that FEMA establish a plan with 

milestones to ensure all DAEs have opportunities to participate in training 

and are qualified, DHS agreed and stated that as part of the changes in 

the DAE program through the Disaster Reservist Program, FEMA will 

ensure that all DAEs have opportunities to participate in training and are 

qualified to serve in a primary disaster-specific job title on the basis of 

FEMA’s Force Structure requirements. Furthermore, FEMA plans to 

complete this by September 30, 2013. However, DHS did not provide 

details on how it plans to ensure that DAEs will become qualified by 

September 2013, including when it will complete the FEMA Force 

Structure which had not been finalized as of April 2012. It will be 

important for FEMA to develop intermediate milestones to provide a 

roadmap for how it will qualify its workforce. Thus, it is not clear to what 

extent FEMA’s plans will fully address the intent of the recommendation. 

In regards to the seventh recommendation, that FEMA develop a 

systematic process to track training costs, DHS agreed and stated that 

FEMA has combined all funding for FQS supportive training into a single 

account to ensure a process for tracking training costs, course offerings, 

and force structure requirements. DHS also stated that it will include all of 

this information in the Incident Qualification Certification System—

intended to be the primary FQS tracking system—to track all FQS-related 

training costs. In addition, DHS stated that it should be completed by 

October 1, 2012. These actions, if implemented effectively, would 

address the intent of the recommendation.

DHS also provided technical comments that we incorporated, where 

appropriate.

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents of 

this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from the 

report date. At that time, we will send copies to the appropriate 
 

Page 39 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

congressional committees, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland 

Security and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency. The report will also be available at no charge on the GAO 

website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff members have any questions about this report, please 

contact me at (202) 512-8777 or jenkinswo@gao.gov. Contact points for 

our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found 

on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to 

this report are listed in appendix IX.

William O. Jenkins, Director

Homeland Security and Justice Issues
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 40 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

The objectives of this report were to determine (1) to what extent does the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have policies and 

procedures in place to govern the Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) 

program; (2) to what extent are FEMA’s human capital controls over the

DAE workforce consistent with internal control standards; and (3) to what 

extent does FEMA’s DAE training incorporate key attributes of effective 

training and development programs. In addition, we describe FEMA’s 

initiative to transform the DAE program announced in April 2012 as it 

relates to the three questions above.

We addressed each objective by reviewing relevant FEMA documents. 

To determine the extent to which FEMA has policies and procedures in 

place to govern its DAE program; and to determine the extent to which 

FEMA’s human capital management controls over the DAE workforce are 

consistent with internal control standards, we analyzed relevant 

documents on FEMA’s organizational structure as well as both programspecific and human capital-related guidance, policies, and procedures 

produced by FEMA headquarters and regional offices. We also compared 

FEMA’s human capital controls with criteria in Standards for Internal 

Control in the Federal Government.1

To determine the extent to which FEMA’s management of DAE training 

incorporates key attributes of effective training and development 

programs, we reviewed data on the following: training requirements, the 

location and frequency of training courses, course schedules, and the 

amount of funding dedicated to training from the Disaster Readiness and 

Support account (2009-2011) and the Disaster Relief Fund (2007-2011).2

 

1

GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, 

We determined that the data was sufficiently reliable for the purposes of 

this report based on interviews with responsible officials about the 

integrity and reliability of the data to include controls FEMA has in place. 

We also reviewed policies and procedures on training requirements, 

FEMA’s Learning Management Systems, Joint Field Office (JFO) 

operations, and FEMA’s new credentialing program, the FEMA 

Qualification System (FQS). In addition, we observed Public Assistance 

GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1

(Washington, D.C.: November 1999). 

2

The Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act required 

FEMA to submit a report of quarterly obligations of funds against the Disaster Readiness 

and Support (DRS). 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 41 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

training attended by DAEs in a JFO. We compared FEMA’s management 

of DAE training with key attributes of effective training and development 

programs to determine the extent to which they are aligned.3

To address all three objectives, we reviewed previous Department of 

Homeland Security Inspector General Reports, and a FEMA sponsored 

study conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton on FEMA’s disaster workforce.4

 

3

GAO, Human Capital: A Guide for Assessing Strategic Training and Development Efforts 

for the Federal Government: 

We found the conclusions and recommendations drawn in each report to 

be sufficient based on the methodologies used. In addition, we conducted 

interviews with FEMA officials in headquarters and in the regions. We

interviewed officials in the following offices in FEMA headquarters: Office 

of Response and Recovery, Incident Workforce Management Office 

(IWMO), Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer 

(OCCHCO), Emergency Management Institute, Office of Policy, Planning, 

and Analysis (OPPA), Field Based Operations, Training Exercise and 

Doctrine (TED), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and 

national cadre managers. In addition to interviews with officials in FEMA 

headquarters, we conducted site visits to four FEMA regions. We 

selected regions that were geographically dispersed and had a Joint Field 

Office with Individual and Public Assistance programs operating as of 

September 2011. In each of the four selected regions, we interviewed the 

Regional Administrator and Regional Cadre Managers. In addition, we 

visited one JFO in each of the selected regions. In each selected JFO, we 

interviewed the Federal Coordinating Officer and Branch Chiefs from 

selected cadres. We focused our interviews on the following DAE cadres: 

(1) Individual Assistance (IA); (2) Public Assistance (PA); (3) Hazard 

Mitigation; (4) Disaster Field Training Operations; (5) Human Resources 

(HR); and (6) Community Relations. We focused on IA, PA, Hazard 

Mitigation, and CR because these cadres are responsible for 

administrating the disaster assistance program and interacting with the 

public. In addition, we chose HR and Disaster Field Training Operations 

because they are responsible for the management and training of DAEs. 

In addition, we interviewed officials from the state emergency 

management agency, for the state in which the JFO was located. Table 1 

GAO-04-546G (Washington, D.C.: March 2004). 

4

The Booz Allen Hamilton report was preliminary and FEMA could not locate the final 

report. FEMA stated that the report drew accurate conclusions and they are currently 

addressing the observations from the report. 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 42 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

lists the FEMA regions, JFO locations, and State Emergency 

Management Agencies we visited.

Table 1: FEMA Regional Office, Joint Field Office, and Emergency Management 

Agencies

FEMA Region JFO Location

State Emergency 

Management Agency

Region 1, Boston, 

Massachusetts

Springfield, 

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Emergency 

Management Agency

Region 4, Atlanta, Georgia Birmingham, Alabama Alabama Emergency 

Management Agency

Region 7, Kansas City, 

Missouri

Lincoln, Nebraska Nebraska Emergency 

Management Agency

Region 8, Denver, Colorado Bismarck, North Dakota North Dakota Department 

of Emergency Services

Source: GAO.

To obtain the views of DAEs on issues related to all three of our 

objectives, we conducted 16 focus group sessions with a total of 125 

DAEs at the four selected JFOs. These sessions involved structured 

small-group discussions designed to gain more in-depth information 

about issues DAEs face. Discussions were guided by a moderator who 

used a list of discussion topics to encourage participants to share their 

thoughts and experiences as DAEs. Specifically, discussion topics 

included the hiring process, training, policies and procedures, FQS and 

communication by regional managers; however, not all topics were 

discussed in each group. Each focus group involved 5 to 12 DAE 

participants. There were four types of focus groups based on job titles: IA 

and PA supervisors, IA and PA non-supervisors, and supervisors and 

non-supervisors from other cadres other than IA and PA. We completed 

written summaries of each focus group, and used content analysis 

software to categorize responses and identify common themes across the 

focus groups, using appropriate checks to ensure accuracy. The results 

of the focus groups are not generalizable. However, the views we 

obtained from them provided us with valuable examples of DAE 

experiences. In addition, to obtain further perspectives from regional 

management on hiring, training, deployments, policies and procedures 

and FQS, we conducted follow-up interviews with 16 regional cadre 

managers we interviewed during our site visits. In addition, we reviewed 

FEMA’s April 2012 memorandum announcing the transformation of the 

DAE program, but did not assess its planned actions to transform the 

DAE program because the agency is in the early planning stages.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 43 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

We conducted this performance audit from April 2011 through May 2012 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Appendix II: Categories of Disaster Workforce 

Employees 

Page 44 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Source: FEMA.

a

Terms of employment, http://www.fema.gov/about/career/terms.shtm. 

b

OIG: FEMA’s Management of Disaster Assistance Employee Deployment and Payroll Processes, 

Appendix C Director’s Policy 1-99, March 1999.

Appendix II: Categories of Disaster 

Workforce Employees

Name Description

Disaster assistance employee (DAE) Stafford Act federal employees who work on an on-call intermittent basis “forming the major 

workforce for FEMA in times of emergency or disaster.”a

Cadre of on-call response/recovery 

employees (CORE)

They are also known as reservists. 

DAEs are temporary personnel appointed and compensated without regard to the 

provisions of Title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in competitive service. 

They are activated in direct response to a disaster declaration to support the work of FEMA 

at the disaster site. FEMA appoints DAEs in 2-year cycles, as intermittent employees who 

are deployed as needed for emergencies and/or disasters. 

Federal employees hired under the authority of the Stafford Act on a temporary full-time 

basis for 2- and 4-year terms. These terms are renewable if there is ongoing disaster work 

and funding available. Similar to DAEs, COREs are temporary personnel appointed and 

compensated without regard to the provisions of Title 5, United States Code, governing 

appointments in competitive service. 

Temporary full-time (TFT) Temporary federal employees covered by Title 5 provisions. They do not have specified 

appointment periods. Federal Coordinating Officers (FCO) are included in this employment 

group. 

Permanent full-time (PFT) Permanent federal employees hired in accordance with Title 5, United States Code. 

Local hire Staff locally hired under the authority of the Stafford Act for an initial period of 120 days. 

This period of time is renewable. Local hires augment the reservist workforce. They are 

hired for positions that “do not require FEMA-specific expertise, or when limited advance 

training or minimal on-the-job orientation or training is sufficient.”b In certain instances local 

hires may convert to DAEs. 
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 45 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

There are 23 functional disaster cadres excluding the Disaster Generalist 

Group, which was created to augment the External Affairs, Individual 

Assistance, and Public Assistance cadres and provide surge staff when 

required.

Table 2: Cadre List and Descriptions 

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Alternative Dispute 

Resolution (ADR)

Office of Chief 

Counsel

Helps to foster collaborative 

and effective disaster 

operations. Seeks to quickly 

resolve situations that may 

distract disaster assistance 

workers from carrying out 

their mission.

• Provides services including 

consultation, dispute resolution and 

prevention, conflict resolution training, 

and meeting facilitation.

√

Attorney Office of Chief 

Counsel

Serves as the primary legal 

advisor to the FCO/Director 

and senior staff.

• Provides legal advice, instruction, and 

communication.

• Provides guidance and interpretation 

of FEMA statute and regulations.

√

Community 

Relations (CR)

Office of External 

Affairs 

Provides outreach to 

community-based 

organizations and disaster 

victims about federal and 

state recovery programs.

• Provides field outreach to disaster 

victims and community leaders about 

federal and state recovery programs.

• Provides multilingual capabilities to 

help reach out to communities that 

may not be in the traditional 

information chain.

Comptroller Mission 

Support/Office of 

Chief Financial 

Officer

Serves as the Finance and 

Administration Section Chief 

at a Joint Field Office (JFO), 

National Response 

Coordination Center 

(NRCC), or Regional 

Response Coordination 

Center (RRCC). 

• Advises the FCO and the Senior staff 

at JFO.

• Manages the funding process to 

ensure timely and sufficient funding to 

execute Stafford Act Programs and 

cover administrative costs at their 

assigned JFO.

√

Congressional 

Affairs 

Office of External 

Affairs 

Coordinates dialogue 

between Federal efforts and 

the Congressional 

delegation of the affected 

area.

• Coordinates the exchange of 

information between DHS, FEMA, 

Members of Congress, and their staff.

• Responds to congressional inquiries 

and casework.

• Arranges site visits to help Members 

of Congress to understand the 

Federal/state/local response and 

recovery process.

• Develops a Congressional Affairs 

strategy for outreach and incidentspecific objectives.

Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions 
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 46 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Contracting/

Acquisition

Office of Chief 

Procurement 

Officer

Deployed to support JFO 

operational acquisitions 

requirements. Can also 

support disaster acquisition 

operations requiring closeout in an effort to return 

funding to the Disaster Relief 

Fund. 

• Initiates acquisitions. Plans for source 

selection.

• Prepares solicitation offers. Evaluates 

bids and proposals in accordance with 

the terms and conditions for the 

solicitation.

• Implements the contract and monitors 

contractor performance. Monitors 

payments to contractors. 

√

Disaster Field 

Training Operations 

(DFTO)

Emergency 

Management 

Institute

Delivers response and 

recovery program-related 

training courses in a variety 

of training venues. Supports 

the Training Unit within the 

Finance and Administrative 

Section at a JFO.

• Coordinates disaster training.

• Delivers a wide range of trainingrelated services.

• Assesses and evaluates the training 

needs of a JFO.

Disaster Generalist 

Group

Office of Response 

and Recovery

Supports Community 

Relations, Individual 

Assistance, and Public 

Assistance cadres during a 

disaster declaration. 

• Establishes and maintains positive 

working relationships with the disasteraffected community by collecting and 

disseminating disaster-related 

materials.

• Identifies and reports potential issues 

within the community.

• Supplements other program areas as 

the scope of the disaster increases.

√

Environmental/

Historical 

Preservation

Federal Insurance 

and Mitigation 

Administration

Ensures that FEMA’s 

activities related to disaster 

response and recovery, 

hazard mitigation, and 

emergency preparedness 

comply with federal 

environmental and historic 

preservation law and 

executive orders.

• Preserves historic, cultural and natural 

aspects of national heritage.

• Supports activities that achieve a 

balance between resource use and 

development.

Equal Rights Office of Equal 

Rights

Possesses a background in 

Equal Employment 

Opportunity (EEO), Civil 

Rights, human resource 

management, conflict 

resolution, and community 

organization.

• Civil Rights Resolution – works with 

Community Relations, Public Affairs, 

Human Services, and other 

components to resolve Civil Rights 

issues.

• Provides advice and guidance to the 

FCO on EEO and Civil Rights matters.

• Assists FEMA employees, 

employment applicants, and managers 

to resolve problems quickly, guide 

supervisors through downsizing, and 

process complaints that cannot be 

resolved informally. 

√
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 47 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Federal Coordinating 

Officer (FCO)

Office of Response 

and Recovery

Presidentially appointed. 

Ensures the integration of 

Federal emergency 

management, resource 

allocation, and the 

integration of Federal 

activities in coordination with 

State, tribal and local 

government requirements.

• Leads FEMA staff in field operations.

• Responsible for executing Stafford Act 

programs in a timely and cost effective 

manner.

Financial 

Management

Office of Chief 

Financial Officer

I Unit Leads, Funds Control 

Specialists/Managers, and 

Travel Specialist/Manager in 

the Cost Unit in the Finance 

and Administration Section.

• Manages the funding process.

• Maintains the accounting records of 

the Disaster Declaration.

• Assists FEMA personnel with 

preparation of Travel Vouchers.

Human Resources 

(HR)

Office of the Chief 

Component Human 

Capital Officer

Focuses on recruitment, 

management, and the 

direction of the people in the 

organization.

• Handles recruitment, staffing, and 

payroll & time/attendance.

Individual Assistance 

(IA) 

Office of Response 

and Recovery

Provides direct assistance to 

individuals and families. 

Members work at JFOs, 

Disaster Recovery Centers 

(DRC), shelter facilities, and 

the National Processing 

Services Centers. Supports 

state Mass Care operations, 

administers funds to assist 

survivors to rebuild and 

recover, coordinates 

assistance with Voluntary 

Agencies, and supports 

direct housing operations.

• Applicant Services: Program 

Specialists perform registration intake, 

referrals, and guide applicants through 

the FEMA assistance process. 

• Mass Care Specialists: support state, 

local and tribal sheltering, feeding, and 

commodities distribution operations in 

coordination with Voluntary Agencies. 

• Voluntary Agency Liaisons: transfer 

information between the Voluntary 

Agencies and the governmental 

assistance organizations, and also 

provide applicant referrals, assistance 

with special needs cases, and support 

for donations management.

• Direct Housing Operations: Specialists 

support the installation of temporary 

housing units. 

Information 

Technology (IT)

Office of Chief 

Information Officer

Maintains all forms of data 

and telecommunications. 

• Installs, tests, and sets up IT 

communications equipment.

• Acquires required equipment, 

supplies, or services.

• Networks access capabilities for all 

personnel.

• Maintains and repairs IT 

communications equipment. 
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 48 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Logistics Logistics 

Management 

Directorate

Provides logistics capability 

for the procurement and 

delivery of life-sustaining 

goods and services to an 

impacted population.

• Develops, advises, and executes 

logistics support course of action for 

field operations.

• Provides management of agency 

personal property accountability.

• Manages supply chain, warehouse, 

and transportation operation to source, 

order, transport, track, and distribute 

supplies, equipment, and services to 

support domestic emergencies.

Long Term 

Community 

Recovery

Office of Response 

and Recovery

Works with federal, state, 

and local governments as 

well as the nonprofit and 

private sectors to enable 

disaster-impacted 

communities to identify 

opportunities, creating 

partnerships and maximizing 

resources for recovery.

• Helps communities identify long-term 

recovery plan.

• Helps communities identify and 

coordinate resources and funding 

sources for the implementation of the 

LTCR projects, programs, and 

initiatives.

Mitigation Federal Insurance 

and Mitigation 

Administration

Identifies measures to 

protect lives and prevent or 

reduce the loss of property 

from hazardous events.

• Identifies risk reduction opportunities.

• Educates the public and local 

government officials in methods to 

reduce future risks.

• Promotes hazard mitigation 

community planning and project 

development that will result in 

sustainable community development.

• Provides grants to fund hazard 

mitigation projects. 

• Assists communities in marketing the 

National Flood Insurance Program 

(NFIP). 

Operations (OPS) Office of Response 

and Recovery

Coordinates support to all 

emergency management 

efforts and program 

implementation for 

Environmental and Historic 

Preservation, Mitigation, 

Public Assistance, and 

Individual Assistance. 

• Develops and implements strategy 

and tactics to carry out incident 

objectives. 

• Organizes, assigns, and supervises 

response resources.
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 49 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Planning Office of Response 

and Recovery

Provides support to planning 

and information for disaster 

operations.

• Manages joint federal-state disaster 

plan development.

• Oversees disaster information 

management such as situational 

awareness, record retention and 

dissemination and resource tracking.

• Provides geospatial expertise in the 

development of Geospatial Information 

System data, graphical displays, 

remote sensing, and map production.

• Facilitates meetings integral to 

incident action planning and 

operational decision making.

Public Affairs Office of External 

Affairs 

Provides information to the 

public that would help them 

prepare for, prevent, 

respond to, and recover from 

disasters.

• Establishes and maintains ongoing 

relationships with the media to 

promote the agency’s programs, 

goals, and core values.

• Provides disaster survivors with timely 

and accurate information, and manage 

communication.

Public Assistance 

(PA) 

Office of Response 

and Recovery

Authorized by the Stafford 

Act. Provides supplemental 

financial assistance to state, 

local and tribal governments 

and certain private non-profit 

organizations for response 

and recovery activities 

resulting from a declared 

disaster.

• Provides grant assistance for debris 

removal, emergency protective 

measures and permanent restoration 

of infrastructure.

Safety Office of Chief 

Administrative 

Officer

Serves as technical advisor 

to the Federal Coordinating 

Officer (FCO) on 

occupational safety and 

health matters.

• Oversees safety and health activities 

throughout disaster operations for all 

FEMA employees and personnel in 

FEMA-managed facilities.

• Provides safety and health training to 

all FEMA employees deployed to 

disaster operations.

• Serves as a technical resource on 

occupational safety and health matters 

for the FCO.
Appendix III: Cadre List and Descriptions

Page 50 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Cadre

Managing 

organization Description Primary duties

Headquarters 

only

Security Office of the Chief 

Security Officer

Maintains responsibility for 

all internal security 

processes at disaster 

facilities and special event 

assignments.

• Serves as the Agency Technical 

Representative for contract guard 

services, as well as conduct facility 

vulnerability assessments on all FEMA

disaster facilities.

• Serves as law enforcement liaison.

• Conducts preliminary inquiries on 

criminal and administrative actions.

• Conducts background status checks, 

complete fingerprinting, badge 

operations, and coordinate the 

installation of alarm and closed-circuit 

television equipment.

Source: FEMA.
Appendix IV: FEMA Organizational Chart—

Highlight of Response Directorate’s Incident 

Workforce Management Office

Page 51 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Appendix IV: FEMA Organizational Chart—

Highlight of Response Directorate’s Incident 

Workforce Management Office
Appendix V: Disaster Assistance Employee 

Program Office Reorganization Timeline, April 

2008 through May 2012

Page 52 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Appendix V: Disaster Assistance Employee 

Program Office Reorganization Timeline, 

April 2008 through May 2012
Appendix VI: Incident Workforce Management 

Office Organizational Structure and Proposed 

Roles

Page 53 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Appendix VI: Incident Workforce 

Management Office Organizational Structure 

and Proposed Roles
Appendix VII: FEMA Disaster Assistance 

Employee Pay Scale, Calendar Year 2011

Page 54 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Grade A B C D E 

Level 1 $23,555 $29,627 $44,887 $65,093 $77,408

Per hour $11.29 $14.20 $21.51 $31.19 $37.09

Overtime $16.94 $21.30 $32.27 $32.91 $37.09

Level 2 $25,162 $33,021 $49,436 $69,433 $82,567

Per hour $12.06 $15.82 $23.69 $33.27 $39.57

Overtime $18.09 $23.73 $32.91 $33.27 $39.57

Level 3 $27,361 $36,699 $54,313 $73,773 $87,728

Per hour $13.11 $17.58 $26.03 $35.35 $42.03

Overtime $19.67 $26.37 $32.91 $35.35 $42.03

Source: FEMA.

Appendix VII: FEMA Disaster Assistance 

Employee Pay Scale, Calendar Year 2011
Appendix VIII: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security

Page 55 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

Appendix VIII: Comments from the 

Department of Homeland Security
Appendix VIII: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security

Page 56 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees
Appendix VIII: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security

Page 57 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees
Appendix IX: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 58 GAO-12-538 Disaster Assistance Employees

William O. Jenkins, Jr. (202) 512- 8777 or jenkinswo@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, Leyla Kazaz, Assistant Director, 

managed this assignment. Martene Bryan, Landis Lindsey, Lauren 

Membreno, Aku Pappoe and Michelle Su made significant contributions 

to the work. Cynthia Saunders assisted with design and methodology. 

Tracey King provided legal support and analysis. Linda Miller and Debbie 

Sebastian provided assistance in report preparation. Robert Robinson 

developed the report graphics.

Appendix IX: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments 

GAO Contact

Acknowledgments 

(440966)
The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and 

investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and 

accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO 

examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and 

policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance 

to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. 

GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of 

accountability, integrity, and reliability.

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no 

cost is through GAO’s website (www.gao.gov). Each weekday afternoon, 

GAO posts on its website newly released reports, testimony, and 

correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products, 

go to www.gao.gov and select “E-mail Updates.”

The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of 

production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the 

publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and 

white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO’s website, 

http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm. 

Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or 

TDD (202) 512-2537. 

Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, 

MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information.

Connect with GAO on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E-mail Updates. Listen to our Podcasts. 

Visit GAO on the web at www.gao.gov. 

Contact:

Website: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470

Katherine Siggerud, Managing Director, siggerudk@gao.gov, (202) 512-

4400, U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 

7125, Washington, DC 20548

Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov, (202) 512-4800

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, DC 20548

GAO’s Mission

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony 

Order by Phone

Connect with GAO

To Report Fraud, 

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs

Congressional 

Relations 

Public Affairs

Please Print on Recycled Paper.