**GAO-09-669R**                      Published: May 18, 2009. Publicly Released: May 18, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

This letter provides answers to questions for the record. Questions from Chairman Ortiz include: (1) What steps could have been taken to roll out NSPS in a more orderly and fair fashion and if NSPS continues, what steps should now be taken to move forward? (2) As DOD and OPM leadership hold discussions to determine the overall framework, scope, and timeline of the review, what guidance or suggestions would you give to DOD and OPM to include in the methodology of this study? (3) Under the GS system, an employee steadily moves up through the various grades and can actually monitor actual career progression. There appears to be no such similar movement in NSPS; an employee, while receiving pay increases and bonuses, may remain in the same pay band for his/her entire career. If this is a valid concern, how can it be addressed, if NSPS continues? Questions from Representative Forbes include: (1) Based on the GAO testimony, one safeguard GAO believes needs to be implemented to increase employee confidence in the pay for performance system is for DOD to have a third party analyze the pay-pool recommendations for "anomalies" before any final decision is made to determine whether an employee's rating accurately reflects the employee's performance and whether any non-merit based factors contributed to the "anomaly." Explain how GAO sees this third party analysis working. (2) In GAO's view, who would the third party be, a DOD entity or a non-DOD entity? (3) What criteria does GAO see as constituting an anomaly? (4) In investigating "blatant discrimination" or "egregious decisions" would the employee be contacted and interviewed? (5) Would a single third party be evaluating all 1,600 pay pools across DOD to get a DOD wide view of anomalies, or would 1,600 third-party reviews be conducted at each pay pool without regard for a comprehensive DOD look? (6) What effect would the third-party analyses have on the timeliness of the pay-pool process? (7) Would the pay pool decisions on all the other employees in the pay pool be held up until the "anomaly" was resolved? (8) How would GAO see the anomaly being corrected - a directive to the rater to change the rating, or some disciplinary action against the rater, or some other form of corrective action? (9) Does GAO see any appeal rights for the manager or employee involved in the "anomaly"?

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## Topics

National Defense

AccountabilityAppealsCivilian employeesEmployeesHuman capitalHuman capital planningInternal controlsPayPay for performancePerformance appraisalPerformance managementSafeguardsSystems analysis