OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL

Mr. BENJAMIN. Page D-1 of justifications. Requesting $386,000 and 12 average positions for fiscal year 1980, an increase of $8,000. No additional staffing requested. For what purpose or purposes is the $8,000 requested?

Mr. KELLER. $8,000, Mr. Chairman, is for annulization of fiscal year 1979 salaries as well as within-grade increases, and increases in overtime. There is no increase in staff.

Mr. BENJAMIN. What part of the present $378,000 will be overtime?

Mr. KELLER. I will have to supply that figure.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Would you please?

Mr. STAATS. This would be overtime for secretaries.

Mr. BENJAMIN. Not for professionals?

Mr. STAATS. No.

[The information follows:]

OFFICE OF COMPTROLLER GENERAL

In fiscal year 1979, the Office of the Comptroller General will require $378,000 for personnel compensation. The amount includes $7,000 for overtime to be used by the secretarial and clerical staff.

LAPSE RATE REQUESTED

Mr. BENJAMIN. For the record, please provide your lapse rate in fiscal year 1978, what lapse rate you would be using in determining personnel costs, or are any funds which become available because of this lapse rate being used to fund nonpermanent positions? Mr. KELLER. For this particular office sir?

Mr. BENJAMIN. Yes, and provide the actual expenditures here by quarter for fiscal year 1978.

[The information follows:]

LAPSE RATE

In

In planning our staffing targets for any fiscal year, we estimate the amount of attrition that would occur in that year based on historical experience. The recruiting plan arranges incoming personnel in sufficient number at various times throughout the year in such a way that our authorized staff years are utilized. FY 1978, for example, we were authorized and spent 5,144 staff years for permanent and consultant personnel. Our actual experience is closely monitored and the staffing plans are frequently revised and new recruiting targets developed to accommodate deviations from planned attrition. "On board" strengths vary throughout the year as a result of these recruiting targets. Non-permanent personnel (i.e., those appointed for less than one year who work part-time or full time) are not included as part of this process. Allocations made available to our divisions and offices for personnel compensation for permanent staff are not available to fund non-permanent personnel.

GRADE LEVELS OF REQUESTED EMPLOYEES

We have shown on separate schedules the current grade levels of our staff for each division and office. If our supplemental request for FY 1979 and our request for FY 1980 were approved, this would make available to us 250 staff years above our current operating level of 5,100 staff Replacement of attrition and growth of 250 in order to staff up

years.

to our 5,350 requested for FY 1980, would require a recruiting target of about 450 employees during the second half of FY 1979. The grade mix of the 450 new employees would vary depending on the needs of our divisions and offices, but the majority would be entry-level employees. Our past experience indicates that the average grade (and average salary) of the divisions and offices do change from time to time depending on the grades of incoming personnel, but over a year's time does not materially change, because of the occurrence of promotions and within grades.