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Audit of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Awards and Recognition Program

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
OIG-NRC-25-A-12
Report Type
Audit
Description
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) generally administered performance awards effectively; however, the OIG identified deficiencies in administering special act awards that require improvement. Specifically, the NRC granted special act awards frequently, often without sufficient justification, raising concerns about compliance with the policy criteria intended to recognize exceptional or superior achievements or contributions. In some cases, award justifications appeared to be duplicated, and some awards were miscoded in employee records, further highlighting weaknesses in award processing and documentation practices.The NRC can improve the accuracy and consistency of its performance award determinations. The issues identified by the OIG included overlapping appraisal periods and failure to prorate awards for some part-time employees, resulting in noncompliance with award limits. In addition, time off was granted in excess of the NRC policy limits, underscoring the need to enhance oversight of time-off awards to prevent future occurrences.The report makes nine recommendations to strengthen the documentation, justification, and oversight of awards to ensure compliance with applicable rules and agency policy.
Joint Report
No
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
View report on Oversight.gov

Recommendations

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations implement reconciliation and validation procedures for any office not using the performance award tool to prevent duplicate awards or overlapping appraisal periods.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations provide guidance for prorating awards based on an employee’s work schedule and duration of employment during the appraisal period.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations implement validation controls within the performance award tool to ensure that cash awards fall within the policy-defined limits for each performance rating.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations track time-off awards to maintain compliance with the leave year limit and monitor their impact on productivity.