As agreed, my comments today are primarily based on our body of work since 1990 on veterans’ hiring preference and work we did on reductions-in-force (RIF) at selected military installations and at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that occurred in 1991 and 1995, respectively.As requested, we also are providing certain statistics on the percentage of preference-eligible veterans among new federal career employees and in the existing federal workforce from 1990 through 1997. preference-eligible veterans than those without the names of preference-eligible veterans at the top. In three RIFs conducted at military installations in fiscal year 1991, our review showed that those without veterans’ preference were much more likely to have lost their jobs than were preference-eligible veterans. Similarly, during an October 1995 RIF at the USGS, those employees without veterans’ preference were much more likely to have lost their jobs than employees with such preference. At that point, hiring officials returned unused hiring certificates that were headed by the names of preference-eligible veterans more often than they did those headed by the names of individuals lacking such preference. Veterans were properly placed on all but 1 of the 1,136 certificates that we reviewed from OPM and executive agencies. likely to be affected in some manner during the RIF—reassigned, moved to a lower graded position, or laid off—as were employees without veterans’ preference. In summary, Mr. Chairman, preference-eligible veterans remain a larger portion of the federal workforce than veterans overall in the general civilian workforce.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO discussed the work its done on veterans' hiring preference and on reductions-in-force (RIF) at selected military installations and at the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) preference-eligible veterans represent a larger portion of the federal workforce than veterans do of the civilian workforce; (2) from 1993 through 1997, veterans with preference represented about 21 percent of all new career appointments to federal service; (3) the assignment of veterans' preference and the placement of veterans on federal hiring certificates were properly done in nearly all cases GAO reviewed from July 1990 through June 1991; (4) however, hiring officials more frequently returned unused those certificates headed by the names of preference-eligible veterans than those without the names of preference-eligible veterans at the top; (5) in the three RIFs conducted at military installations in fiscal year 1991, GAO's review showed that those without veterans' preference were much more likely to have lost their jobs than were preference-eligible veterans; (6) similarly, during an October 1995 RIF at the USGS, those employees without veterans' preference were much more likely to have lost their jobs than employees with such preference; (7) GAO found that during USGS's 1995 RIF, as required by law and Office of Personnel Management Regulations, employees with veterans' preference were consistently given higher retention standing than competing employees without such preference; and (8) GAO also found that preference-eligible veterans were just as likely to be affected in some manner during the RIF as were employees without veterans' preference.