	While Policies on Compensation Are Generally Comparable, Some Policy and Implementation Issues Affect the Amount, Accuracy, and Completeness of Compensation

Although policies concerning compensation for deployed civilians are  generally comparable across agencies, we found some issues that affect  the amount of compensation they receive—depending on such things as  the agency’s pay system or the civilian’s grade/band level—and the  accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of this compensation. However, some variations in compensation available to deployed civilians  result directly from the employing agency’s pay system and the employee’s  pay grade/band level. But, at the time of our review, OPM had not developed  such a package or provided legislative recommendations. For example, we project that  approximately 40 percent of the estimated 2,100 civilians deployed from  January 1, 2006, to April 30, 2008, experienced problems with  compensation—including not receiving danger pay or receiving it late, for  instance—in part because they were unaware of their eligibility or did not  know where to go for assistance to start and stop these deployment- related pays. We therefore recommended that (1) OPM oversee an executive agency  working group on compensation for deployed civilians to address any  differences and if necessary make legislative recommendations; (2) the  agencies included in our review establish ombudsman programs or, for  agencies deploying small numbers of civilians, focal points to help ensure  that deployed civilians receive the compensation to which they are  entitled; and (3) Labor set a time frame for issuing implementing guidance  for the death gratuity. While Policies on Medical Benefits Are Generally Comparable, Some Issues Exist in Both Policies and Implementation

Although agency policies on medical benefits are similar, we found some  issues with policies related to medical treatment following deployment  and with the implementation of workers’ compensation and post- deployment medical screening that affect the medical benefits of these  civilians. DOD and State guidance provides for medical care of all civilians  during their deployments—regardless of the employing agency. Without clear information on what documentation to submit in  support of their claims, applicants may continue to experience delays in  the process. Additionally, DOD requires deploying civilians to be medically screened  both before and following their deployments. Our prior work has found that documenting  the medical condition of deployed civilians both before and following  deployment is critical to identifying conditions that may have resulted  from deployment, such as traumatic brain injury. To address these matters, we recommended that (1) DOD clarify its  guidance concerning the circumstances under which civilians are entitled  to treatment at military treatment facilities following deployment and  formally advise other agencies that deploy civilians of its policy governing  treatment at these facilities; (2) Labor revise the application materials for  workers’ compensation claims to make clear what documentation  applicants must submit with their claims; (3) the agencies included in our  review establish ombudsman programs or, for agencies deploying small  numbers of civilians, focal points to help ensure that deployed civilians get  timely responses to their applications and receive the medical benefits to  which they are entitled; (4) DOD establish standard procedures to ensure  that returning civilians complete required post-deployment medical  screenings; and (5) State develop post-deployment medical screening  requirements for civilians deployed under its purview. Executive Agencies’ Ability to Track Deployed Civilians Is Limited

While each of the agencies we reviewed was able to provide a list of  deployed civilians, none of these agencies has fully implemented policies  and procedures to identify and track its civilians who have deployed to  Iraq and Afghanistan. DOD, for example, issued guidance and established  procedures for identifying and tracking deployed civilians in 2006 but  concluded in 2008 that its guidance and associated procedures were not  being consistently implemented across the agency. Lack of such information may hamper these agencies’ ability to intervene  quickly to address any future health issues that may result from  deployments in support of contingency operations. We therefore  recommended that (1) DOD establish mechanisms to ensure that its  policies to identify and track deployed civilians are implemented and   (2) the five other executive agencies included in our review develop  policies and procedures to accurately identify and track standardized  information on deployed civilians.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Department of Defense (DOD) and other executive agencies increasingly deploy civilians in support of contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior GAO reports show that the use of deployed civilians has raised questions about the potential for differences in policies on compensation and medical benefits. When these civilians are deployed and serve side by side, differences in compensation or medical benefits may become more apparent and could adversely impact morale. This statement is based on GAO's June 2009 congressionally requested report, which compared agency policies and identified any issues in policy or implementation regarding (1) compensation, (2) medical benefits, and (3) identification and tracking of deployed civilians. GAO reviewed laws, agency policies and guidance; interviewed responsible officials at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the six selected agencies, including DOD and State; reviewed workers' compensation claims filed by deployed civilians with the Department of Labor from January 1, 2006 through April 30, 2008; and conducted a survey of deployed civilians. GAO made ten recommendations for agencies to take actions such as reviewing compensation laws and policies, establishing medical screening requirements, and creating mechanisms to assist and track deployed civilians. At the time of this testimony, the agencies were in various stages of taking action.

What GAO Found

While policies concerning compensation for deployed civilians are generally comparable, GAO found some issues that affect the amount of compensation--depending on such things as the pay system--and the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of this compensation. For example, two comparable civilian supervisors who deploy under different pay systems may receive different rates of overtime pay because this rate is set by the employee's pay system and grade/band. While a congressional subcommittee asked OPM to develop a benefits package for all civilians deployed to war zones and recommend enabling legislation, at the time of GAO's review, OPM had not yet done so. Also, implementation of some policies may not always be accurate or timely. For example, GAO estimates that about 40 percent of the deployed civilians in its survey reported experiencing problems with compensation, including danger pay. GAO recommended, among other things, that OPM oversee an agency working group on compensation to address differences and, if necessary, make legislative recommendations. OPM generally concurred with this recommendation. Although agency policies on medical benefits are similar, GAO found some issues with medical care following deployment, workers' compensation, and post deployment medical screenings that affect the benefits of deployed civilians. Specifically, while DOD allows its treatment facilities to care for non-DOD civilians following deployment in some cases, the circumstances are not clearly defined and some agencies were unaware of DOD's policy. Civilians who deploy also may be eligible for benefits through workers' compensation. GAO's analysis of 188 such claims revealed some significant delays resulting in part from a lack of clarity about the documentation required. Without clear information on what documents to submit, applicants may continue to experience delays. Further, while DOD requires medical screening of civilians before and following deployment, State requires screenings only before deployment. Prior GAO work found that documenting the medical condition of deployed personnel before and following deployment was critical to identifying conditions that may have resulted from deployment. In June 2009, GAO recommended, among other things, that State establish post-deployment screening requirements and that DOD establish procedures to ensure its post-deployment screenings requirements are completed. Each agency provided GAO with a list of deployed civilians, but none had fully implemented policies to identify and track these civilians. DOD, for example, had procedures to identify and track civilians but concluded that its guidance was not consistently implemented. While the other agencies had some ability to identify and track civilians, some had to manually search their systems. Thus, agencies may lack critical information on the location and movement of personnel, which may hamper their ability to intervene promptly to address emerging health issues. GAO recommended that DOD enforce its tracking requirements and the other five agencies establish tracking procedures. DOD and four agencies concurred with the recommendations; one agency did not.