OPM Seal U.S. Office of Personnel Management

FY 2000
Budget Justification/Performance Plan

(OMSOE continued)

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OPM STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL II:  protect and promote the merit-based civil service and the employee earned benefit programs through an effective oversight and evaluation program.

FY 2000 Resource Summary:

Obligations (000): $11,670

Full-Time Equivalents: 117

[Includes 9 FTE and $600,000 for increased oversight presence and technical assistance and to implement enhanced oversight authority over non-title 5 agencies.]

  • By the year 2000, complete evaluations of agency-level human resources management effectiveness in all major Federal agencies.
OMSOE Goal 3A:
FY 1999/2000		 Agencies, Governmentwide, adhere to the merit system principles and the laws, rules, and regulations governing Federal human resources management.

To enhance the oversight program in FY 2000, this budget request includes $600,000 and 9 FTE to (a) increase the number of review sites from 120 to 134 annually (a 12 percent increase) and (b) augment technical assistance and non-title 5 oversight coverage. These enhancements will make oversight more visible and encourage voluntary compliance with merit requirements.

Means Blue Arrow Head  Evaluate the HRM effectiveness and compliance of 24 major agencies at the rate of 6 per year over a 4-year period and of the 35 small agencies at the rate of 7 per year over a 5-year cycle.
Blue Arrow Head  Administer the Merit System Principles Questionnaire (MSPQ) to a random sample of employees in each agency reviewed and Governmentwide to assess employee perceptions of how well merit principles are being observed
Blue Arrow Head  Recommend improvement or direct correction of agency HRM programs and practices.
Blue Arrow Head  Report areas of HRM compliance that need attention to OPM program offices for action.
Blue Arrow Head  Participate in agency-led reviews to assess and assist self-evaluation programs.
Blue Arrow Head  Promote OPM’s merit system oversight role to Federal officials, professional organizations, and other interested groups.
Blue Arrow Head  Monitor current and emerging HR issues, trends, and stakeholder interests as reflected in the CPDF, the Merit System Principles Questionnaire (MSPQ) responses, and oversight reports.

In FY 1998, Trip-Wire Indicators identified potentially serious abuses of the Outstanding Scholar appointing authority in a number of agencies and possible misuse of the FLSA exemption criteria in an agency. The Trip-Wire Indicators are a pre-identified list of certain personnel actions which are most subject to abuse or misuse. These actions are monitored quarterly to identify possible trouble-spots for further review or investigation.
Blue Arrow Head  Continually improve the methodology and quality of the MSPQ and other data tools.
Blue Arrow Head  Supply data and technical assistance to OPM and agency clients for the collection, research, design, sampling, and use of data.
    
Indicators/Performance Results Blue Arrow Head   HRM improvements and correction of abuses that result from oversight reviews. OMSOE found that, for the most part, agencies are in compliance with law and regulation and identified several examples of excellent practices to share with agencies. Corrective action was ordered in those cases requiring it.

Scores of regulatory violations were found, and fortunately, few were serious. All violations were satisfactorily resolved. Numerous program improvements were adopted in all of the agencies reviewed in FY 1998.
Blue Arrow Head   Agencies score their satisfaction with our evaluations at least at least 4.25 on a scale of 5 as follows:
   

1 Poor

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Excellent

5 Outstanding

The cumulative response averages from FY 96 and FY 97 rate the quality of reviews as 4.55 out of a possible 5.0.

OMSOE’s stakeholders--the White House, Congress, OPM program offices, agencies, Federal employees, and the public--reported in FY 1998, and continue to report in FY 1999, that they are highly satisfied with its work. Stakeholders reported that OMSOE’s reviews, data, and reports are accurate and helpful.

For example, the Merit Systems Protection Board said in a July 1998 report to Congress that "OPM’s oversight program is much improved since our 1992 review, and that OPM is providing constructive leadership to departments and independent agencies in the development of agencies’ self-assessment capabilities."

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Web Page Created 14 May 1999