We have recognized the following five key principles for strategic  workforce planning to address these needs:  involve top management, employees, and other stakeholders in  developing, communicating, and implementing the strategic workforce  plan; determine the critical skills and competencies that will be needed to  achieve current and future programmatic results; develop strategies to address gaps in number, deployment, and  alignment of human capital approaches for enabling and sustaining  the contributions of all critical skills and competencies; build the capability needed to address administrative, educational,  and other requirements important to support workforce planning  strategies; and monitor and evaluate progress toward human capital goals and how  human capital results have helped achieve program goals. Direct-hire  authority enables an agency to hire any qualified applicant without regard  to certain federal hiring requirements, such as competitive rating and  ranking and veterans’ preference. USDA and Some Component Agencies Conduct Workforce Planning for Veterinarians, but HHS Has Not Done So Department-Wide

USDA has taken actions to ensure that component agencies include  veterinarians in workforce planning efforts for meeting routine needs, but  HHS has not done so. Direction and guidance from HHS could help  integrate its component agencies’ workforce planning efforts for  veterinarians. USDA Has Provided Direction and Guidance to Component Agencies for Conducting Workforce Planning for Veterinarians

USDA has provided direction to ensure that its component agencies  include veterinarians in workforce planning efforts for meeting routine  needs. The efforts of USDA and its component agencies met the intent of  our recommendation for a department-wide assessment of its veterinarian  workforce. FSIS. In 2009, we recommended that HHS conduct a  department-wide assessment of their veterinarian workforces based on  assessments completed by their component agencies. HHS leadership and direction could help integrate these  component agencies’ workforce planning efforts for veterinarians at the  department-wide level. FDA included veterinarians in its workforce plans, although HHS did not  provide guidance or direction to FDA or other component agencies to do  so. USDA Has Not Identified Reliable Estimates of Veterinarians Needed to Augment Its Workforce for Emergency Response to Animal Disease Outbreaks

USDA’s APHIS has not developed reliable estimates of the number of  veterinarians needed for emergency response to animal disease  outbreaks of various types. Moreover, APHIS’ plans for an emergency response do not  include details on how it will augment its workforce to respond to a large- scale emergency. As a result, even though it may ask or assign agency  employees to participate in a large-scale emergency response, the  agency may not have sufficient veterinarians to respond to an animal  disease outbreak. OPM and Federal Agencies Have Taken Limited Steps to Achieve Government- Wide Goals for Veterinarians

OPM and other federal agencies have taken steps toward achieving the  three goals outlined in OPM’s strategic government-wide workforce plan  for the federal veterinary workforce, primarily through their participation in  TMAC. However, in each of the three goals, TMAC did not follow through  on next steps and made limited progress in achieving its goals in part  because the group did not consistently monitor and evaluate its progress  toward achieving the goals. Without a review of  the use of the authority, OPM cannot determine the overall impact on  recruitment or whether the authority should continue or be modified if  shortages are limited to some agencies, as TMAC reported. As we discussed above, the  study’s estimates of the number of veterinarians needed are not  reliable for purposes of effective emergency response planning  because of several limitations, such as being based on a model that  had not been verified or validated. According to OPM officials, the group did not consistently monitor  progress toward goals in part because the group’s membership did not  have sufficient leadership support from participating agencies. As a result, OPM and federal agencies cannot easily identify all  federal veterinarians. Leadership involvement is among the key principles we have identified for  effective strategic workforce planning, and we have also found that  leadership involvement facilitates collaboration within interagency   Without leadership support from USDA and HHS, TMAC will  groups.likely continue to have difficulty ensuring progress toward group goals,  such as developing a way to identify all federal veterinarians. Accordingly,  we continue to believe that our previous recommendation remains valid. Without leadership support from  TMAC members—including USDA and HHS, the major federal employers  of civilian veterinarians—OPM may have difficulty ensuring progress  toward TMAC goals and taking appropriate actions if progress is limited. To improve government-wide veterinarian workforce planning efforts, we  recommend that the Director of the Office of Personnel Management  initiate efforts to monitor and evaluate TMAC’s progress toward  government-wide goals for the federal veterinary workforce and work  with TMAC members to obtain leadership support, particularly from  USDA and HHS, for making progress toward the goals; and evaluate whether the need for government-wide direct-hire authority  for veterinarians continues to exist and modify or terminate the  authority as appropriate. In  particular, USDA agreed that APHIS could do more to improve its  estimates of veterinarian workforce needs for an emergency response to  an animal disease outbreak, but believes that it has made efforts to  assess its needs.
Why GAO Did This Study

USDA and HHS veterinarians perform crucial work for public and animal health and for emergency response to an economically devastating or highly contagious animal disease—where USDA has a lead role. In 2009, USDA and HHS committed to department-wide efforts to address veterinarian workforce challenges, such as recruitment. In 2010, OPM issued a strategic plan for federal veterinarians to help improve recruiting initiatives and emergency response plans.
GAO was asked to review workforce planning for federal veterinarians. This report examines (1) department-wide efforts USDA and HHS have made for their routine veterinarian workforces, (2) the extent to which USDA has identified the veterinarians needed for emergency response to an animal disease outbreak, and (3) the steps OPM and other federal agencies have taken to achieve the goals of the government-wide strategic plan for the veterinarian workforce. GAO reviewed USDA, HHS, and government-wide workforce plans and interviewed relevant officials.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken actions to ensure that component agencies include veterinarians in workforce planning efforts for meeting routine needs, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not done so. GAO has identified top leadership involvement as a key principle for workforce planning. For example, USDA provided guidance to its component agencies to assess and develop strategies for its workforce. In accordance with this guidance, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)—the agency that inspects slaughter plants—developed a workforce plan that included recruitment incentives and other strategies for veterinarians. HHS's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also included veterinarians in its workforce plans, but HHS did not provide guidance or direction to FDA or other component agencies to do so. GAO recommended in 2009 that USDA and HHS conduct department-wide assessments of their veterinarian workforces. The efforts of USDA and its component agencies met the intent of the recommendation. GAO believes that the recommendation to HHS is still valid. Direction and guidance from HHS could help integrate its component agencies' workforce planning efforts for veterinarians into a department-wide assessment.
USDA participated in a government-wide study to estimate the veterinarians needed to respond to animal disease outbreaks, but because of limitations in the study, the estimates are not reliable for purposes of effective emergency response planning. For example, the estimates were based on a USDA model that had not been verified or validated. Moreover, USDA has not developed a detailed plan to augment or train its workforce to respond to an economically devastating or highly contagious outbreak. Without reliable estimates of the veterinarians needed or how it will augment and train its workforce, USDA cannot ensure it will have enough veterinarians to adequately respond.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other federal agencies have taken steps toward achieving the goals outlined in OPM's government-wide strategic plan for the veterinarian workforce, primarily through an interagency group OPM created. However, in each of the three goals, the interagency group did not follow through on next steps and made limited progress. For example, to improve recruiting, OPM granted government-wide direct-hire authority in 2009 to enable agencies to hire qualified veterinarians without regard to certain federal hiring requirements. However, OPM did not follow through on plans to review agencies' use of the authority. As a result, OPM cannot determine the overall impact on recruitment or whether the authority should continue or be modified. Monitoring and evaluating progress toward human capital goals is among the key principles GAO has identified for effective strategic workforce planning. According to OPM officials, the group did not consistently monitor progress toward goals in part because it did not have sufficient leadership support from participating agencies. OPM and group members, including USDA and HHS, recognize a need for a higher level of leadership but have not identified officials to serve in this capacity. Obtaining leadership support—including from USDA and HHS, the major federal employers of civilian veterinarians—and monitoring and evaluating progress could help emphasize the importance of completing work under these goals and better position OPM to ensure progress or take appropriate actions if progress is limited.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that USDA assess and address veterinarian workforce needs for emergency response to an animal disease outbreak, and that OPM review agencies' use of direct-hire authority for veterinarians and monitor and evaluate progress and obtain leadership support for achieving government-wide veterinary workforce goals. USDA partially agreed, noting that it has taken steps to assess its emergency needs. GAO believes the recommendation remains valid. OPM agreed with both recommendations.