VA Has No Standardized Way for Facilities to Record and Calculate Official Time, Which Hampers Its Ability to Accurately Track the Amount of Official Time Used Agency- Wide

		There Is No Standardized Way for VA Facilities to Record the Use of Official Time, but VA Is Implementing a New Time and Attendance System That Could Standardize This Process

There is no standardized way for VA facilities to record the amount of  official time employees use for representational activities because there  are currently two time and attendance systems being used across the  agency that capture this information differently. VA began implementing  its new time and attendance system, the Veterans Affairs Time and  Attendance System (VATAS), at some facilities in 2013 to replace its  older system, the Enhanced Time and Attendance (ETA) System. VA  expects to complete its rollout of VATAS in July 2018. The inconsistent recording of information  raises questions about VA’s ability to monitor the use of official time and  ensure that public resources are being used effectively. VA Has Not Provided Consistent Training on How to Record Official Time in VATAS, but It Has Taken Steps to Provide Better Guidance

VATAS could help standardize the way individual facilities record  information on official time and provide better information on the different  purposes for which official time is used; however, we found that VA has  not provided consistent training to employees on how to record official  time in the new system. VA Allows Facilities to Use a Range of Methods to Calculate Official Time and May Continue to Do So After It Implements VATAS

To provide agency-wide official time data to OPM, which reports on the  use of official time for representational activities government-wide, VA’s  Office of Labor-Management Relations (LMR) annually collects and  compiles data from individual facilities and shares the aggregated data  with OPM. Fiscal year 2015 data collected through the LMR system show that  employees spent approximately 1,057,000 hours on official time for union  representational activities, and according to VA officials, unions  represented almost 290,000 bargaining unit employees across the  agency during this time. Without reliable information from facilities on official time, VA  management does not have what it needs to monitor the use of official  time and manage its resources effectively. Designated Space for Union Representational Activities Comprised Less Than 1 Percent of the Overall Space at Selected Facilities

At the five selected facilities GAO visited, VA provided unions with  designated space for union representational activities. VA does not collect or track data  from individual facilities on the amount of designated space used by  unions, but officials at selected facilities were able to provide us with  information on the amount of designated space for representational  activities. Union officials from three of five groups we interviewed said that limited  space for representational activities was a challenge. A VA official from the Office of  LMR said that, in general, certain VA facilities may have space  constraints depending on where they are located, the types of services  provided, and the number of veterans served. VA Managers and Union Officials at Selected Facilities Cited Similar Benefits of Official Time, but Cited Different Challenges Associated with Its Use

		VA Managers and Union Officials at Most Selected Facilities Said Employees’ Use of Official Time Improves Decision Making and Provides Other Benefits

VA managers and union officials from groups we interviewed at selected  facilities cited similar benefits of employees’ use of official time for  representational activities. In addition, VA has not provided consistent training to  facilities on how to record official time in VATAS, and some facilities are  still not aware of VA’s updated guidance on how to record official time in  the system, despite recent efforts. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve VA’s ability to accurately track employees’ use of official time,  we recommend that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs direct the Assistant  Secretary for Human Resources and Administration to:  1.  increase efforts to ensure timekeepers at all facilities receive training  and consistent guidance on recording official time in VATAS;  2.  standardize the methods used by facilities for determining the amount  of official time used prior to the agency-wide implementation of  VATAS by encouraging facilities to rely on time and attendance  records when calculating the amount of official time used at the facility  level; and  3.  in preparation for the full implementation of VATAS, take steps to  transition from using the LMR system to VATAS to collect and compile  information on the amount of official time used agency-wide. In its written comments, VA agreed with all three of our  recommendations.
Why GAO Did This Study

In fiscal year 2012, there were over 250,000 bargaining unit employees at VA, and these employees spent about 1.1 million hours performing union representational activities on official time, according to an OPM report. The ways in which VA manages its human resources, including the use of official time, have received increased scrutiny in recent years. GAO was asked to review the amount of official time used by VA employees as well as the amount of space designated for representational activities.
This report examines (1) the extent to which VA tracks official time, (2) what is known about the amount of designated space used for union representational activities at selected VA facilities, and (3) the views of VA managers and union officials on the benefits and challenges of employees using official time.
GAO reviewed VA's fiscal year 2014 and 2015 data on official time—the most recent data available; analyzed information on designated union space and held group interviews with VA managers and union officials at a nongeneralizable sample of five VA facilities selected based on the number of bargaining unit employees and other factors; and interviewed officials at VA, OPM, and from national unions.

What GAO Found

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) cannot accurately track the amount of work time employees spend on union representational activities, referred to as official time, agency-wide because it does not have a standardized way for its facilities to record and calculate official time. Specifically:
Recording official time —VA uses two separate time and attendance systems that capture official time differently. VA's new system (VA Time and Attendance System, or VATAS), which VA began rolling out at some facilities in 2013, has specific codes to record official time, but the older system does not. The inconsistent recording of official time raises questions about VA's ability to monitor its use, but VATAS could help to standardize this process. In rolling out the new system, which VA expects to complete agency-wide in 2018, VA has provided inconsistent training and guidance on how to use the codes in VATAS. While VA has taken steps to provide better training and guidance on recording official time, GAO recently found that timekeepers at two of three selected facilities where VATAS has been rolled out were still not using the codes. Without consistent guidance and training, personnel may not know how to properly record official time in the new system.
Calculating official time —VA provides its facilities with a range of options for calculating the amount of official time used. VA annually collects and compiles these data agency-wide using the Labor-Management Relations (LMR) Official Time Tracking System—separate and distinct from VA's time and attendance systems. In calculating official time, facilities may use records, estimates, or other methods, which results in inconsistent data. VA officials told GAO that all facilities will eventually be able to rely on VATAS time and attendance records to calculate official time when submitting data in the LMR system. The full implementation of VATAS will provide VA with an alternative to using the LMR system to collect and compile more reliable official time data. Without reliable data, VA cannot monitor the use of official time agency-wide or share reliable data with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which reports on the government-wide use of official time.
At all five selected VA facilities, designated space for representational activities comprised less than 1 percent of the overall square footage at each location, according to GAO's analysis. VA does not collect or track data from individual facilities on the amount of space designated for representational activities. Union officials at three of the five facilities GAO visited said that limited space for representational activities made it difficult to provide privacy for employees. A VA official said that certain VA facilities may have space constraints depending on where they are located and the number of veterans served, for example.
At most selected VA facilities, VA managers and union officials GAO interviewed cited similar benefits of employees using official time, such as improving decision-making and resolving problems. However, they had differing views on challenges associated with employees' use of official time, such as when and how much official time may be used.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making three recommendations to VA including that it provide consistent guidance and training on how to record official time in VATAS and that it take steps to collect more reliable data from facilities. VA agreed with GAO's recommendations and stated that it would take action to address them.