Air Traffic Control: Impact of Revised Personnel Relocation	 
Policies Is Uncertain (31-OCT-02, GAO-03-141).			 
                                                                 
In fiscal year 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)	 
spent more than $15 million to move air traffic controllers and  
their managers to new permanent duty locations. FAA classifies	 
the funds that it spends for these moves as permanent change of  
station (PCS) benefits. In 1998, as part of a broader effort to  
reform its personnel policies, FAA changed its policies on PCS	 
benefits. Instead of fully reimbursing the costs of all PCS moves
and prohibiting unfunded PCS moves, as it once did, FAA now	 
determines the amount of PCS benefits to be offered on a	 
position-by-position basis and allows employees and managers to  
move at their own expense. Under its new polices, FAA can fully  
reimburse the costs of a move if it determines that he move is in
the interest of the government, or it can offer partial fixed	 
relocation benefits if it determines that the agency will derive 
some benefit from the move. FAA's policies on eligibility for PCS
benefits are the same for air traffic controllers and their	 
managers, but the amounts of the benefits vary. According to	 
these policies, eligibility depends on a determining official's  
decision about how critical a position is and/or whether FAA will
benefit from the move. Air traffic controllers have been less	 
likely than air traffic managers to be offered PCS benefits when 
they move between facilities. Between fiscal year 1999 and 2001, 
Air Traffic Services funded 16 percent of moves involving a	 
promotion and 6 percent of lateral moves between field facilities
for controllers, compared with 38 percent of promotional moves	 
and 34 percent of lateral moves for managers. According to FAA	 
officials, PCS costs have decreased and FAA's ability to quickly 
fill vacant controller positions has improved since the new PCS  
policies took effect.						 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-03-141 					        
    ACCNO:   A05417						        
  TITLE:     Air Traffic Control: Impact of Revised Personnel	      
Relocation Policies Is Uncertain				 
     DATE:   10/31/2002 
  SUBJECT:   Air traffic controllers				 
	     Personnel management				 
	     Relocation allowances				 

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GAO-03-141

Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives

United States General Accounting Office

GAO

October 2002 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

Impact of Revised Personnel Relocation Policies Is Uncertain

GAO- 03- 141

Page i GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control Letter 1

Results in Brief 2 Background 4 Eligibility Policies Are the Same for Air
Traffic Controllers and

Managers, but Funding Policies Differ 7 Air Traffic Controllers Were Less
Likely than Managers to Receive

Funding for PCS Moves 7 Possible Impacts of FAA*s New PCS Policies 10
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 13

Appendix I Details on GAO*s Data Analyses 14

Appendix II GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 15 GAO Contact 15
Acknowledgments 15

Figures

Figure 1: Funding of Managers* and Controllers* PCS Moves for Promotions
between Field Facilities, Fiscal Years 19992001 8 Figure 2: Funding of
Managers* and Controllers* PCS Lateral Moves

between Field Facilities, Fiscal Years 1999- 2001 9 Figure 3: Air Traffic
Services Annual PCS Costs, Fiscal Years 1996-

2001 11

Abbreviations

FAA Federal Aviation Administration NATCA National Air Traffic Controllers
Association PCS Permanent Change of Station Contents

Page 1 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

October 31, 2002 The Honorable John L. Mica Chairman, Subcommittee on
Aviation Committee on Transportation

and Infrastructure House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman: In fiscal year 2001, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) spent more than $15 million to move air traffic
controllers (who are responsible for controlling the takeoff, landing, and
ground movement of planes) and their managers (who oversee and administer
the air traffic control program) to new permanent duty locations. FAA
classifies the funds that it spends for these moves as permanent change of
station (PCS) benefits. In 1998, as part of a broader effort to reform its
personnel policies, FAA changed its policies on PCS benefits. Instead of
fully reimbursing the costs of all PCS moves and prohibiting unfunded PCS
moves, as it once did, FAA now determines the amount of PCS benefits to be
offered on a position- byposition basis. Under its new policies, FAA can
fully reimburse the costs of a move if it determines that the move is in
the interest of the government, or it can offer partial (fixed) relocation
benefits if it determines that the agency will derive some benefit from
the move. Under the new policy, employees and managers can now also move
at their own expense. We examined the impact of these changes in PCS
policies on FAA*s Air Traffic Services organization as part of our ongoing
work for you on the impact of FAA*s 1996 personnel reforms. As agreed with
your office, we researched three questions:

 How do FAA*s policies on eligibility for, and the amount of, PCS
benefits differ for air traffic controllers and their managers?

 How did the likelihood of being offered PCS benefits differ for
controllers and managers?

 What has been the impact of PCS policies on Air Traffic Services* annual
PCS costs and its ability to staff vacant positions?

To address these questions, we obtained and analyzed information on trends
since fiscal year 1996 in PCS policies and funding for air traffic
controllers and air traffic managers. We also analyzed data on the type of

United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548

Page 2 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

funding for, and purpose of, controllers* and managers* PCS moves between
field offices from 1999 through 2001. We also examined available
information regarding moves other than those between field offices. See
appendix I for details about our data analyses. We also met with
representatives of Air Traffic Services and FAA*s Conference Managers
Association to discuss the impact of FAA*s PCS policies. We conducted our
review from March 2002 through August 2002 in accordance with generally
accepted government auditing standards.

FAA*s policies on eligibility for PCS benefits are the same for air
traffic controllers and their managers, but the amounts of the benefits
vary. According to these policies, eligibility depends on a determining
official*s decision about how critical a position is and/ or whether FAA
will benefit from the move. Depending on this determination, FAA may fully
reimburse the costs of a move, offer a fixed amount of relocation
benefits, or provide no relocation benefits. Under a memorandum of
understanding between the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
(NATCA) and FAA, controllers can receive a larger fixed relocation payment
than managers. For all moves where fixed relocation payments are provided
to controllers, they receive a payment of $27,000, whereas the amounts of
the fixed relocation payments for managers and other nonunion employees
are determined on a case- by- case basis up to $25,000. The average fixed
relocation payment for managers* moves between field offices (based on FAA
estimates) was about $19,500 from 1999 through 2001.

Air traffic controllers have been less likely than air traffic managers to
be offered PCS benefits when they move between facilities. Our analysis of
data on moves between field facilities in fiscal years 1999 through 2001
(comprising 1,639 of 2,107, or almost 80 percent of all Air Traffic PCS
moves) showed that Air Traffic Services funded 16 percent of moves
involving a promotion (123 of 774) and 6 percent of lateral moves between
field facilities for controllers (14 of 250), compared with 38 percent of
promotional moves (34 of 90) and 34 percent of lateral moves (14 of 41)
for managers. For other moves (for example, from regional offices to field
facilities or headquarters to regional offices), Air Traffic Services
funded 9 percent for controllers (25 of 275 moves), compared with 47
percent for managers (91 of 193 moves). Although controllers make up about
77 percent of the combined workforce, they are to get 65 percent of
available Air Traffic PCS funding according to a February 2000 Memorandum
of Understanding between FAA and NATCA. Air Traffic Services officials
said that the relatively small number of managers who moved, combined
Results in Brief

Page 3 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

with the fixed allotment of total PCS funding, led to the difference
between managers and controllers in the likelihood for PCS funding.

According to FAA officials, PCS costs have decreased and FAA*s ability to
quickly fill vacant controller positions has improved since the new PCS
policies took effect. Data show that Air Traffic Services* PCS annual
costs decreased in 1998 when FAA began implementing its new PCS policies*
for example, from $31.8 million in fiscal year 1997 to $17.5 million in
fiscal year 1998 1 *but FAA does not have the data to determine to what
extent the annual decreases are attributable to the new PCS policies.
Lacking the requisite data, FAA has attributed the reduction to decreases
in the agency*s budget rather than to the new PCS policies. Air Traffic
Services* officials have attributed improvements in FAA*s ability to
quickly fill vacant controller positions at field facilities to broader
flexibilities provided by the new PCS policies, but again, they lacked the
data to support their views. On the other hand, FAA*s Conference Managers
Association has expressed concern that the changes in PCS policies may
result in unintended consequences in filling vacant positions.
Specifically, the Association has suggested that these changes may reduce
the pool of applicants (because fewer applicants may be willing to fund
part or all of their moves), thereby, potentially affecting the
qualifications and diversity of applicants for promotions. Moreover,
according to the Association, PCS benefits paid to fill comparable
positions could vary from year to year with changes in budget funding
levels. However, the Association said that there were no data to determine
whether these negative effects have occurred. Air Traffic Services
officials said they were reviewing the concerns identified by the
Association and planned to comment in the near future. Officials from
FAA*s Office of Human Resources said they had agencywide plans to begin
collecting information on the time to fill positions and survey new
recruits on, among other things, the reasons they applied for the position
into which they were hired. This information could help FAA determine the
effects of its new PCS policies. Our ongoing work examines the extent to
which FAA has gathered data to determine the impact of its personnel
reform.

1 Adjusted for inflation to constant 2001 dollars.

Page 4 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

FAA currently employs almost 20,000 employees to operate and manage the
nation*s air traffic control system. 2 Most of these employees (about
15,250) are air traffic control specialists, or controllers, who are
responsible for controlling the takeoff, landing, and ground movement of
planes and are assigned to field facilities. 3 (NATCA represents these
controllers.) In addition, about 4,500 managers, supervisors, and staff
specialists within FAA*s Air Traffic Services work to oversee and
administer the air traffic control program. (About 3,900 of these 4,500
managers, supervisors, and specialists work in the various field
facilities around the country and the other 600 provide management,
direction, and oversight, as well as overall support, of the air traffic
control system at headquarters and regional locations.) For this report,
we focused our analysis on these two groups in FAA*s occupational job
series 2152, which we refer to as controllers and managers, respectively.

In 1994, Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to undertake a
study of management, regulatory, and legislative reforms that would enable
FAA to provide better air traffic control services. 4 FAA*s resulting 1995
report to Congress stated that existing federal personnel rules and
procedures limited FAA*s ability to attract and retain qualified staff at
key facilities or to reassign employees in response to changing needs. The
report also stated that exemption from federal personnel regulations would
provide FAA with the flexibility to hire, reward, and relocate employees
to better manage the air traffic control system. 5 On November 15, 1995,
Congress directed the FAA Administrator to develop and implement a new
personnel management system to provide greater flexibility in the hiring,
training, compensation, and location of personnel. The 1996 Department of
Transportation Appropriations Act exempted FAA from most provisions of
title 5 of the United States Code and other

2 The Office of Personnel Management classifies civilian air traffic
controllers in FAA as occupational series 2152* civilian air traffic
controller. In addition to these employees, there are about 2,800 flight
service station controllers who do not directly control or separate air
traffic but provide pilot briefings, weather reports and emergency
services to pilots before and during flights.

3 Field facilities include FAA towers, terminal radar approach controls,
and en route centers. 4 Pub. L. No. 103- 260, 108 Stat. 698 (1994).

5 See Federal Aviation Administration, Background Paper: Personnel
Management Reform for the Federal Aviation Administration, (Washington, D.
C.: August 1995). Background

Page 5 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

federal personnel laws. 6 On April 1, 1996, FAA introduced a set of new
personnel policies and procedures that included, among other things,
personnel reforms for locating its workforce more effectively.

Controllers and managers may make PCS moves for promotions, 7 downgrades,
8 or lateral transfers. To be eligible for promotion within the controller
or manager ranks or from controller to manager, individuals may be
required to make a PCS move. For example, promotion for a controller may
require making a PCS move to a higher- level facility (i. e., one with
higher levels of operational complexity). 9 Promotion for a manager may
require gaining greater experience with more complex and diverse air
traffic operations. This may involve a PCS move to a regional office or
FAA headquarters for policy and management experience. 10 To be eligible
for promotion from controller to manager, an individual may have to move
to a lower- level facility where supervisory positions are available, to a
regional office, or to FAA headquarters. Downgrades and lateral transfers
are generally made for personal reasons but may also benefit the
government.

Under title 5 rules, federal agencies may elect to pay for the expenses of
transportation of immediate family and of household goods and personal
effects to and from the assignment location for a PCS move when it is in
the interest of the federal government. 11 According to FAA Air Traffic
Services and Human Resources officials, FAA historically interpreted title

6 Congress did not exempt FAA from provisions of title 5 pertaining to
veterans* preference; antidiscrimination; retirement, unemployment and
insurance coverage; and limitations on the right to strike.

7 FAA defines promotion as the movement of an employee to a higher grade
or pay band. 8 FAA defines a downgrade as a reduction in grade or pay
level, which may be either voluntary (through assignment to a different
position at a lower grade or pay level) or involuntary (through
reclassification or reevaluation of the duties and responsibilities of a
position).

9 FAA*s pay system for air traffic controllers classifies each air traffic
control facility into air traffic control grades with corresponding pay
bands based on numerous factors, including the level of air traffic and
complexity of operations at each location. Under this pay system,
increasing levels of pay are associated with increasing levels of air
traffic and more complex operations.

10 Federal Aviation Personnel Manual Letter 330- 4, SUBJ: Merit Promotion
Program,

Appendix 9, *Air Traffic Competitive Career Progression Plan,* effective
October 1, 1985. 11 5 U. S. C. sec. 5724a.

Page 6 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

5 rules as a requirement to fully reimburse all PCS moves, since FAA
considered all such moves to be in the interest of the government. As part
of its personnel reform, FAA delegated the authority to determine
eligibility for and the amount of PCS benefits to each line of business 12
and provided three PCS funding options: (1) full PCS reimbursement, (2)
fixed relocation payments, and (3) unfunded moves. If the move is
determined to be in the interest of the government, FAA will fully
reimburse the individual for costs associated with the move. 13 According
to FAA, the average agencywide PCS cost for fully reimbursed PCS moves in
fiscal year 2001 was about $54,000 (based on a sample of 100 fully funded
PCS moves in that fiscal year.)

Under its personnel reform, FAA may offer a fixed relocation payment if it
determines that the agency will derive some benefit from a move, even
though the move is not in the interest of the government. 14 For example,
Air Traffic Services may offer a fixed relocation payment as a recruitment
tool, when necessary, to attract enough qualified candidates for a
position. 15

If a move is not in the interest of the government and FAA does not
determine that it will derive some benefit from the move, there is no
basis for offering PCS funding. However, as a result of FAA*s personnel
reforms, employees may choose to make unfunded moves at their own expense
for personal reasons, to gain experience needed for professional
advancement, or for promotion. Before 1996, when FAA*s policy did not
allow unfunded moves, many vacancies went unfilled for lack of PCS funds,
according to FAA*s Personnel Reform Executive Committee Task Force Report.
The intent of the change in policy was to (1) improve employee morale by
allowing willing employees to relocate and (2) allow

12 FAA is organized along five lines of business: Airports, Commercial
Space Transportation, Research & Acquisition, Regulation & Certification,
and Air Traffic Services. 13 Reimbursable expenses include those related
to the employee*s home sale and purchase, travel, and shipment of
household goods and may include those for house hunting trips, subsistence
in temporary quarters, and transportation of a privately owned vehicle;
reimbursements are taxable.

14 Employees receiving fixed relocation payments do not have to account
for moving expenses and must pay income taxes on the fixed amount
received. 15 According to Air Traffic Services policy, determining
officials state on the vacancy announcement the type of PCS benefits* full
reimbursement or fixed relocation* to be offered.

Page 7 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

FAA to relocate more employees without increasing the PCS budget. In
February 2000, FAA signed a memorandum of understanding with NATCA that
allowed FAA to offer controllers unfunded PCS moves to higher- level
facilities. 16 These moves to higher- level facilities are considered
promotions because controllers* pay increases with the level of the
facility.

FAA*s policies on eligibility for PCS reimbursement, created as a result
of FAA*s 1996 personnel reform and implemented for air traffic controllers
in the agency*s February 2000 memorandum of understanding with NATCA, do
not differentiate between air traffic controllers and managers. However,
the amount of the fixed relocation payment that Air Traffic Services may
offer controllers and managers for PCS moves does differ. The February
2000 memorandum of understanding established a fixed relocation payment of
$27,000 for controllers as a result of negotiations between FAA management
and NATCA. This amount is set for all fixed relocation payments provided
to controllers. Conversely, the amounts of fixed relocation payments for
air traffic control managers are determined on a case- by- case basis up
to a maximum of $25, 000. The average PCS fixed relocation payment for
managers* moves between field offices during fiscal years 1999 through
2001 (based on FAA estimates) was about $19,500. 17

Air traffic controllers were less likely than air traffic managers to
receive funding for their moving expenses when moving between facilities.
According to Air Traffic Services data, controllers and managers made
1,466 and 173 PCS moves, respectively, between field facilities from
fiscal year 1999 through fiscal year 2001; these moves comprise 78 percent
of all 2,107 Air Traffic PCS moves. 18 About half of those moves (864)
were for promotions. As shown in figure 1, 84 percent of controllers* PCS
moves between field facilities for promotions (651 of 774) were unfunded
during

16 The February 2000 memorandum of understanding was a supplemental,
midterm agreement to FAA*s 1998 contract with NATCA. 17 Based on estimated
costs submitted by FAA regions for all 41 reported fixed relocation
payment PCS moves between field facilities from fiscal year 1999 through
fiscal year 2001. Estimates in the database were not updated to reflect
actual costs.

18 Data on the funding alternatives for PCS moves were available only for
moves between field facilities for fiscal years 1999 through 2001.
Eligibility Policies Are

the Same for Air Traffic Controllers and Managers, but Funding Policies
Differ

Air Traffic Controllers Were Less Likely than Managers to Receive Funding
for PCS Moves

Page 8 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

fiscal years 1999 through 2001, while 62 percent of managers* PCS moves
for promotions (56 of 90) were unfunded.

Figure 1: Funding of Managers* and Controllers* PCS Moves for Promotions
between Field Facilities, Fiscal Years 1999- 2001

Source: GAO*s analysis of data provided by FAA.

Similarly, controllers were less likely than managers to receive funding
for lateral moves. From fiscal year 1999 through fiscal year 2001,
controllers and managers made 291 PCS moves for lateral assignment between
field facilities. As shown in figure 2, 94 percent of controllers* lateral
moves (236 of 250) were unfunded, compared with 66 percent of managers*
lateral moves (27 of 41).

Page 9 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

Figure 2: Funding of Managers* and Controllers* PCS Lateral Moves between
Field Facilities, Fiscal Years 1999- 2001

Source: GAO*s analysis of data provided by FAA.

Data were not available on the type of funding alternatives used for other
PCS moves (from headquarters to the field, for example, and from regional
offices to headquarters). However, data on whether any type of funding was
provided for these other moves indicated that 91 percent of those by
controllers were unfunded during fiscal years 1999 through 2001 (250 of
275), compared with 53 percent of those by managers (102 of 193).

According to the February 2000 memorandum of understanding between FAA and
NATCA, 65 percent of PCS funding is to be allocated to controllers and 35
percent to the rest of air traffic staff. Thus, while they account for 77
percent of the combined workforce, controllers get a smaller proportion*
65 percent* of air traffic PCS funding. FAA officials said that this
resulted in a higher percentage of managers who received funding for PCS
moves.

Page 10 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

Although managers were more likely than controllers to receive funding for
PCS moves for promotion in the field, they were less likely to make PCS
moves between field locations for promotions. From fiscal year 1999
through fiscal year 2001, about 2 percent of the total population of
managers (4,490) made promotional moves between field facilities, compared
with about 5 percent of the controller workforce (15,248). Lateral and
downgrade moves between field facilities during the same period accounted
for less than 3 percent of managers* and controllers* respective
workforces. For other PCS moves (between headquarters, regional offices,
and field facilities), managers (4 percent) were more likely to make moves
than controllers (2 percent).

Although FAA officials said that PCS costs have decreased and FAA*s
ability to quickly fill vacant controller positions has improved since the
new PCS policies took effect, they did not have the data to determine to
what extent the annual decreases or improvement in the agency*s ability to
fill vacancies in field facilities are attributable to the new PCS
policies implemented in 1998. For example, from fiscal year 1997, Air
Traffic Services* PCS costs decreased from $31.8 million to $17.5 million
in fiscal year 1998 (see fig. 3). 19 FAA has attributed these decreases to
reductions in its budget rather than to the new PCS policies providing
fixed relocation payments for PCS moves and allowing staff to pay for
their own moves. However, officials noted that they lacked data to support
this determination. FAA officials also said that the new PCS policies have
improved their ability to fill controller vacancies in field facilities,
but again, they lacked data to support their views. Officials from FAA*s
Office of Human Resources said they had agencywide plans to begin
collecting information on the time to fill positions and survey new
recruits on, among other things, the reasons they applied for the position
into which they were hired. This information should help FAA determine the
impacts of its PCS policies.

19 Adjusted for inflation to constant 2001 dollars. Possible Impacts of

FAA*s New PCS Policies

Page 11 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

Figure 3: Air Traffic Services Annual PCS Costs, Fiscal Years 1996- 2001

Note: Amounts adjusted for inflation to constant 2001 dollars. Source:
GAO*s presentation of data provided by FAA.

FAA also lacks data to respond to questions raised by the FAA Conference
Managers Association about the potential impacts of FAA*s new PCS
policies. 20 In the Association*s view, the change from the determination
that a promotional opportunity is in the best interest of the government
(under title 5 rules) to a determination based on general criteria by each
of the lines of business that only some promotional opportunities are in
the best interest of the government (under rules revised as a part of
personnel reform) made the decision- making process too subjective. In
March 2002, 21 Association representatives expressed concern about the
potential for unintended effects of the change in FAA*s PCS policy
including a reduction in the number of qualified applicants that could
weaken FAA*s leadership and a reduction in the diversity of potential
applicant pools that could result in discrimination in filling positions.
The Association also said

20 The Association represents about 1,700 FAA managers and supervisors. 21
Federal Aviation Administration Conference Managers Association,
Legislative Briefing Book, 107th Congress, Second Session, March 2002.

Page 12 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

that a disparate provision of PCS benefits due to funding concerns could
have a negative impact on morale.

According to the managers association, some qualified managers may be
reluctant to bid on opportunities for promotion because of the cost of
partially or fully funding their own PCS moves. (As was shown in fig. 1,
almost two- thirds of these moves for managers are unfunded.) The
Association was concerned that, because not all qualified potential
applicants may apply for promotions, less qualified managers may bid on
and be selected for promotion opportunities because they are willing to
make the financial commitment to pay for some or all of the costs
associated with a PCS move. The Association believes this outcome could
weaken the quality of FAA*s leadership.

Another Association concern is that selecting officials may be unable to
determine whether the pool of candidates who bid on unfunded PCS or fixed-
funded PCS positions is representative of FAA managers. Specifically, the
Association has suggested that this pool of candidates may not be as
diverse as the pool of candidates who would bid on a position with a fully
reimbursed PCS move. As a result, the Association believes the new PCS
policies may inadvertently lead to discrimination.

Finally, Association officials expressed concern that FAA*s implementation
of the variable PCS policy would be affected by fluctuations in FAA*s
budget. In their view, the effect of using PCS funding to create an
incentive for filling hard- to- staff positions (as is done under the new
policies) rather than to fully reimburse all PCS moves (as was done under
title 5 rules) was to reduce the funding for PCS moves. With less PCS
funding available, the officials said managers* decisions to fund PCS
moves could be more sensitive to current funding issues than to
operational staffing needs. As a result, the Association said comparable
positions could be filled in different budget years at the same location
using different levels of PCS benefits. Thus, two managers could receive
disparate PCS benefits for essentially the same type of move.

The Association acknowledged that there were no data that showed these
unintended effects had occurred. Likewise, without information such as the
qualifications of employees and managers who applied for promotions before
and after the change in policies, the qualifications of those who did not
apply, and the funding for comparable positions over time, we could not
determine whether the potential unintended effects identified by the
Association had occurred. Air Traffic Services officials said they were
still reviewing the concerns and planned to comment in the near future.

Page 13 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

We provided a copy of the draft report to Department of Transportation and
FAA officials who agreed with the contents of the report and provided a
technical clarification regarding our description of the allocation of PCS
funding under the 2000 Memorandum of Agreement between FAA and NATCA. They
did not provide written comments on the report.

As agreed with your office, unless you publicly announce the contents of
this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 10 days from
the report date. At that time, we will send copies of this report to
interested congressional committees and to the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta,
Secretary of Transportation; the Honorable Marion Blakely, Administrator,
FAA; and the Honorable Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Director, Office of
Management and Budget. We also will make copies available to others upon
request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO
Web site at http:// www. gao. gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report or would like to
discuss it further, I can be reached at (202) 512- 2834. Key contributors
to this report are acknowledged in appendix II.

Sincerely yours, Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph. D. Director, Physical
Infrastructure Agency Comments

and Our Evaluation

Appendix I: Details on GAO*s Data Analyses Page 14 GAO- 03- 141 Air
Traffic Control

We obtained and analyzed data on trends in funding for permanent change of
station (PCS) moves in the Federal Aviation Administration*s (FAA*s) Air
Traffic Services line of business (the FAA line of business for air
traffic controllers and air traffic managers) since fiscal year 1996 and
analyzed data on the type of funding (fully funded, fixed payments, or
unfunded) and purpose (promotion, lateral transfer, or downgrade) of
controllers* and managers* PCS moves between field offices from 1999
through 2001, the only years for which these data were available. The PCS
moves between field offices account for about 80 percent of all Air
Traffic PCS moves. The only information available for other moves (for
example, between headquarters and field offices or between regional
offices and headquarters) was the total number of moves and whether they
were funded or unfunded.

To assess the reliability of the data, we (1) discussed the data
collection methods with responsible agency staff and (2) reviewed the
information for reasonableness. We did not independently verify these
data. Appendix I: Details on GAO*s Data Analyses

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

Page 15 GAO- 03- 141 Air Traffic Control

Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph. D. (202) 512- 2834 In addition to the individual
named above, Elizabeth Eisenstadt, Michele Fejfar, David Hooper, Chris
Keisling, and E. Jerry Seigler made key contributions to this report.
Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff

Acknowledgments GAO Contact Acknowledgments

(540029)

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