Annual Report the Surgeon General United States Army Fiscal Year 1960
CIVILIAN PERSONNEL
Recruitment and Strength
The marked downward trend in the number of civilian employees in the Army Medical Service continued with only 8,386 on the rolls as of 30 June 1960 as compared to 9,055 a year earlier and 9,748 at the end of fiscal year 1958. Most of this decline has been in The Surgeon General's class II installations and activities, where the number dropped in the 2-year period from 9,067 to 7,745. Employment in OTSG has remained relatively stable, the 641 on duty at the end of fiscal year 1960 being only 40 less than at the end of fiscal year 1958. The total number of AMEDS civilian workers at the close of this fiscal year included 5,173 classified employees, 3,207 ungraded employees, and 6 top-grade professional personnel employed under the provisions of Public Law 313, 80th Congress, approved on 27 July 1947.
Even though the restrictions imposed by DCSLOG on the hiring of civilians in fiscal year 1959 had been lifted by the beginning of this fiscal year, recruitment of civilian employees in general and of typists and stenographers in particular continued to be a problem. The raising of entry levels in the new civil service standards for typists and stenographers has made their recruitment still more difficult. In an effort to meet civilian personnel requirements, one member of the OTSG employee utilization staff has been made responsible for all recruiting. This centralization and the intensive efforts that are being exerted to establish and maintain closer personal relations with those who are in a position to help recruit new personnel has resulted in some improvement.
Increased Authorization for Top-Grade Scientists
Public Law 86-377, approved on 23 September 1959, authorized an increase in the number of scientific and professional positions in the Department of Defense. To aid in the distribution of these additional positions within the Army, The Surgeon General was requested to submit a revised priority listing of the AMEDS requirements for spaces established under the provisions of Public Law 313, 80th Congress. These so-called Public Law 313 positions were authorized in the Army Medical Service for the purpose of procuring capable medical scientists at salaries higher than those provided under civil service in order to fill important civilian posts in the research and development program.
Although The Surgeon General's priority listing indicated the need for 11 Public Law 313 positions, including the 6 already occupied, only1 additional space has been allotted to the Army Medical Service. Thisnewly authorized space had not been filled at the end of the fiscal year.
131
Control of Civilian-Position and Grade Structure
One of the most important problems facing any Army administrator today is the increasing cost of labor. Congress and the Bureau of the Budget have demonstrated their concern over the problem of reducing budgets and lowering manpower ceilings. During the last 5 years, considerable change has occurred in the civilian-position and grade structure in the Department of the Army because the number of employees in the lower grades has been decreasing while the number in the higher grades has been increasing, thereby resulting in higher average grades and rising payroll costs. Although this trend reflects to a great degree a requirement for more highly skilled employees to accomplish vital programs and also the revised civil-service job evaluation standards, continuing surveillance is required to insure that the position and grade structure is consistent with maximum economy and efficiency of operations. The Army Chief of Staff has directed that personnel administrators give special attention during 1960 and 1961 to a study of the position and grade structure in order to determine where it is possible to achieve greater economy. Since civilian salaries account for approximately 15 percent of total Army expenditures, it is apparent that management at all levels has a serious responsibility for insuring that this money is spent wisely.
The Surgeon General assigned the monitorship of the Control of Civilian-Position and Grade Structure Program in the Army Medical Service to the Civilian Personnel Branch, OTSG. Accordingly, this branch developed and published instructions and procedures for the headquarters and the field. Each major organization head in the OTSG was required to conduct an analysis of organization and staffing and to report the results, identifying specifically where savings could be made by reduction of personnel, devaluation of jobs, or both. Inasmuch as this analysis had been immediately preceded by a comprehensive manpower survey and, moreover, that classification surveys had been kept current, no additional savings were effected.
The classification staff made a comprehensive analysis of average-grade-level trends for both the OTSG as a whole and for each major functional subdivision. These two separate reviews demonstrated that no unwarranted 'grade creep' had occurred in the OTSG in spite of the number of individuals who were advanced a full grade or more by reason of various types of actions.
Control procedures were published by the various AMEDS organizations and all personnel actions are being screened by management officials before they are approved by personnel administrators. Thus far, there are no known cases where a decision by management officials
132
has required 'job engineering' to avoid reclassification or establishment of a job in the supervisory or higher grade levels.
Analysis of Civilian Personnel Management
The Army Civilian Personnel Program places upon managers at all levels of command the responsibility for following the principles of sound personnel management in all of their relationships with the civilian work force and for determining whether the activities of the managers have contributed to the specific goals. The evaluation technique of the Army Medical Service, initiated in 1956 to indicate the results of management's direction and administration of their civilian work force, has progressively improved both in coverage and in methods of presentation. All AMEDS class II installations utilize a quarterly reporting system that provides narrative and statistical information to operating officials to show how well they are managing their civilian subordinates and to advise and assist them in making improvements in the work force.
Career Management Planning
A survey of the Civilian Career Management Program in the Army Medical Service was conducted by DCSLOG during July and August 1959 to determine the extent and quality of the planning and the leadership that the OTSG is providing in the implementation of this program. The primary emphasis was upon the progress being madein the program at the installation level and how the program is affecting the individual career employee. The survey included visits to theOTSG and to two field installations-the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Louisville Medical Depot. The DCSLOG report of the survey indicated that satisfactory progress has been made in advancing the career-management program in the Army Medical Service; that the implementation was proceeding in an orderly, constructive manner;and that the basic documents announcing the overall program and the separate programs in the various career fields were excellent.
Since the first AMEDS career programs were announced and initiated, in fiscal year 1959, various questions have been raised concerning interpretations of the requirements, particularly in regard to the responsibilities of the participants. Realizing that the answers to these individual questions would be of interest to others, civilian personnel officials are making plans to prepare a paper to clarify the operations of the career programs. In addition, they have taken action to advance the progress of the programs currently in force. Approximately 415 civilian employees in 9 occupational fields are participating in the career-management programs. Of these, about 30 percent have indi-
133
cated an interest in further training under the AMEDS program and a willingness to move to another AMEDS or Department of the Army installation when there are opportunities for promotion
Three additional career programs are being developed but will not be initiated until fiscal year 1961 because of a reorganization of the training unit and the recruitment of a new training staff in the Civilian Personnel Branch, OTSG. These programs are in the career fields of professional statistics, biochemistry and occupational health. It is expected that the latter will be Army-wide and will provide career opportunities for civilian physicians and nurses who work in dispensaries and in other occupational health services at industrial-type Army installations.
The AMEDS Civilian Career Management Program was one of the major topics discussed at the Civilian Personnel Management Seminar which was conducted by the Civilian Personnel Branch, OTSG, at the Fitzsimons General Hospital during the week of 14 March 1960. Participants included representatives of the civilian personnel staffs at AMEDS installations and the program coordinators for the comptroller and biological sciences career fields. In addition to such subjects as the status of the career-management program, plans for expanding the program, proposed revisions of policy, and DCSLOG's inspection report, the preparation of a brochure explaining the program to all civilian employees was also discussed.
Revision of Army-Air Force Wage Board Pay System
All AMEDS class II installations have been converted to the consolidated wage board pay system approved by the Army-Air Force Wage Board-Letterman, Madigan, and Valley Forge General Hospitals being the last to receive the rate schedules as the basis for conversion. In general, no significant problems have been encountered except that, in spite of the wide publicity about the new rates, many employees voiced objection to the minimal increase or no increase at all which resulted from the conversion.
Incentive and Suggestion Awards
The emphasis on economy throughout the Government has given added importance to the Army's suggestion program as a means of encouraging civilian employees and military personnel to submit their ideas for improving operations and achieving savings in operating costs. Concerted efforts were made during the fiscal year to increase participation in this program. As part of this Army-wide campaign,
134
Operation SEARCHLIGHT was initiated to focus the attention of personnel on specific types of operations and equipment identified as most susceptible to improvement and modernization in order to accomplish more efficient and economical use of available resources. To promote this campaign, the Civilian Personnel Branch, OTSG, developed a special poster and suggestion blank form for use in the OTSG and throughout the Army Medical Service. It also prepared and distributed a booklet, 'Ideas for Ideas,' which includes summaries of suggestions that have been submitted and thus serves as a guide and incentive to potential contributors.
The number of suggestions submitted by AMEDS personnel increased from 1,566 in fiscal year 1959 to 1,688 (1,120 from civilian employees and 568 from military personnel) in fiscal year 1960. There was also an increase in the number of suggestions adopted, from 473 to 503, and these resulted in an estimated first-year savings to the Army Medical Service of more than $97,000. The civilian employees whose suggestions were adopted received cash awards amounting to nearly$6,000.
Monetary or honorary awards were presented during the year to 3,293 civilians in the Army Medical Service in recognition of their achievements. Cash awards were made to 394 for sustained superior performance and to 42 for special acts or service. The 2,895 honorary awards included 1,598 special recognitions, 934 written commendations, 178 outstanding performance ratings, 179 certificates of achievements, 5 meritorious civilian service awards, and 1 exceptional civilian service award.
The recipient of the exceptional civilian service award, the Army's highest honor for civilians, was Dr. Donald E. Gregg, who has been chief of the Department of Cardiorespiratory Diseases at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research since 1950. Dr. Gregg's award was in recognition of his contributions in the field of physiology, especially his development of several methods and instruments for measuring blood and heart action.
Representatives of the Army Medical Service assisted in the formal opening in Washington, D.C., in January 1960, of the Hall of Fame Exhibits, which was established in recognition of outstanding achievements of Federal employees. The opening marked the 77th anniversary of the Civil Service Act. The Army Medical Service, which was one of four technical services participating in the Department of Army's section of the exhibition, featured the achievements of AMEDS employees who have received the Army's exceptional civilian service award.
