Department: Administrative and Financial Services
Title: Internal control over monitoring of employee classification and compensation needs improvement
Questioned Costs: None
Status: Management’s opinion is that corrective action is not required
Corrective Action: The Department disagrees with this ...
Department: Administrative and Financial Services
Title: Internal control over monitoring of employee classification and compensation needs improvement
Questioned Costs: None
Status: Management’s opinion is that corrective action is not required
Corrective Action: The Department disagrees with this finding. The procedure referenced in 5 M.R.S. Sec. 7061(4) is laid out in 18-389 C.M.R. Ch. 4. The Department complies with these written policies and procedures as required by federal and state law. Section 7061(4) was last updated in 2023, with an effective date in October 2023. Pursuant to the JSC on Appropriations, Section 7061(4)(A) requires a review every five years of the state compensation plan for each class or position in the classified service. The FJA process is not related to the compensation plan, however, it is administered under a separate internal control structure that is in place and operating effectively and ensures that the compensation for individual employees is reasonable for the services rendered. The requirement for review of each classification through the FJA process is covered under Section 7061(4)(C) and is required to be reviewed every 10 years. It is also important to note that the Department has conferred with the OAG, who determined that Section 7061(4)(C) is not retroactive, meaning the Department has another 8.5 years to complete a review of all classifications. Additionally, salary studies conducted on State employee wages have shown that the salary and wages of job classifications paid by the State are consistently lower than industry averages, removing the risk that the utilization of these salary schedules as a component of payroll costs will cause overcharges to Federal grants.
Completion Date: N/A
Agency Contact: Michael J. Dunn, Acting State Human Resources Officer, Bureau of Human Resources, DAFS, 207-287-4651