The formula for assigning ratings in the VBA’s performance management system may prevent managers from fully acknowledging and rewarding staff for higher levels of performance, GAO said.
It said that while the system aligns individual and organizational performance measures and requires that staff be given feedback throughout the year, nearly all the staff in the offices it visited were placed in just two of five categories even though managers said greater differentiation would more accurately reflect actual performance differences.
GAO called on the VBA to collect and review feedback from staff on the training conducted at the regional offices to determine if the 80-hour annual training requirement is appropriate for all employees, the extend to which regional offices provide relevant training, and whether regional offices find the agency’s online learning tool useful and, if not, what adjustments are needed to make it more useful.
It also said the VBA should use information from its new learning management system to hold individual new and seasoned staff accountable for completing training requirements.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs also needs to examine the distribution of claims processing staff across overall performance categories to determine if its performance appraisal system clearly differentiates between overall performance levels, and make adjustments, GAO said.
The VBA agreed with GAO’s conclusions and recommendations, and said it plans to consult with regional office staff to evaluate its annual 80-hour training requirement and will examine if staff performance ratings clearly differentiate between overall performance levels.
