Data Could Renew Compensation Debate

Although the GAO report (GAO-05-798) focused mainly on the gaps between perception and reality among uniformed personnel regarding the value of their benefits, the report could renew an aspect of the long-running debate over federal pay setting—the perception among some in Congress and elsewhere that the “pay gap” with the private sector is overstated and that taking benefits into account would present a different picture regarding the government’s generosity as an employer. Last year the House Appropriations Committee ordered the Office of Personnel Management to produce a report calculating the value of federal benefits. However, although that report was due five months ago, OPM still has not produced it.