New York, April 28, 2017: A Federal Protective Service vehicle is parked in the street in downtown Manhattan Image: Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffAn IG report done at the request of the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate found that the Federal Protective Service correctly classified the overtime eligibility of inspectors but the amounts of overtime that some of them received raise “significant concerns.”
“Specifically, 11 of the 19 inspectors reviewed frequently worked multiple 17- to 21-hour shifts with no days off in between. This kind of extensive overtime allowed seven inspectors to earn more than the most senior executives in the federal government, with three earning more than the Vice President of the United States,” its report says.
Those three earned more in overtime than they received in basic pay plus other differentials such as night and Sunday pay; two of them logged more than 3,000 overtime hours in calendar year 2017 on top of–and exceeding by half–the standard federal work year of 2,087 hours. “Such overtime use and earnings can be an indicator of time and attendance fraud, unless there is a reasonable justification for the work,” it added.
The additional cost “contributed to a projected budget shortfall for fiscal year 2018, potentially putting the FPS mission at risk. The inspectors were able to accumulate the extensive overtime because of poor internal controls, such as management not monitoring the use of overtime. Additionally, inspectors and supervisors did not follow NPPD and FPS guidance on submitting and approving overtime,” it said.
Management agreed with recommendations that it determine the propriety of overtime payments and issue additional guidance.
