Summary of Significant OIG Activity

HUMAN RESOURCES

FALSIFIED TIME AND ATTENDANCE RECORDS

The Office of Inspector General completed an investigation of a FEMA employee who falsified her personal Time and Attendance records by claiming time that she was not actually present for work. As a result of the investigation, the FEMA employee submitted a letter of resignation.

FALSIFIED APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT

A FEMA employee was recently indicted on several counts of false statements and mail fraud. We determined that the employee falsified his Application for Federal Employment by not disclosing a felony conviction for forging postal money orders. The FEMA employee stated on his application that he had never been convicted or imprisoned for any crime. When he was notified he was being released as a result of the false statements, he attempted to order computer equipment by mail and charge the costs to FEMA.

REVIEW OF ALLEGATIONS OF IMPROPER PERSONNEL PRACTICES AT MT. WEATHER

Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia asked the Office of Inspector General to determine whether improper adverse personnel actions had been taken against six intermittent FEMA employees who contacted him protesting the proposed move of certain processing functions from FEMA's Mount Weather facility in Berryville, Virginia, to Hyattsville, Maryland. We found no evidence of any improper adverse actions against the employees. Four of the employees mentioned in Congressman Wolf's letter have been called at least once (three were called twice) to come back to work. One employee was given a one-year appointment.

Although the allegations were not supported, we found other problems that may have contributed to mistrust between employees and management. These include poor communication of changes in plans, a lack of published policies and procedures on matters affecting employment, and perceived inconsistencies in treatment of employees.