The Personnel Appeals Board is an independent entity established in
1980 as part of a separate personnel system Congress created for GAO.
The Board’s founding grew in large part from concern over the inherent
conflict of interest in GAO’s role as auditor of executive branch
agencies that maintained regulatory responsibility over GAO’s personnel
system. Congress granted the GAO broad authority to manage its own workforce
but also sought to guarantee the constancy of civil service protections
and employee rights by establishing an internal board to
enforce and adjudicate those rights. The Board's mission - to
provide independent adjudication of employment disputes -guides the Personnel
Appeals Board today, as it has over the history of this institution.
PAB Updates
Welcome to the new Director of EEO Oversight
Vanessa Gallagher recently started as the Director of EEO Oversight at the Personnel Appeals Board. She will be in charge of conducting studies of selected issues and preparing reports containing the Board's findings and recommendations regarding equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies and practices at GAO. Any suggestions for studies can be sent to her at
gallagherv@gao.gov.
New Chair Elected for the PAB
The Board has elected Susan R. Winfield as Chair, and John L. Braxton as Vice-Chair.
Recent Board Decisions
The Board recently issued two decisions which are now available on this website.
On July 20, 2012, an Administrative Judge for the Board issued a decision denying the Agency’s Motion to Dismiss. The parties will proceed to discovery in Horvath v. GAO, PAB Docket No. 12-02.
The full Personnel Appeals Board issued a decision on July 23, 2012 denying a request from the PAB General Counsel for a statement of policy or guidance under the Board’s rules on the legality of the Agency’s prohibition on annual pay adjustments for employees on pay retention. The Board concluded that the criteria under 4 C.F.R. §28.155 were not met in PAB/OGC v. GAO, PAB Docket No. 12-01.
Electronic filings
In order to assist the Personnel Appeals Board in maintaining case files electronically and in distributing information in the most expeditious manner possible, the Board encourages parties to file all pleadings, motions, and other formal submissions electronically to the extent possible. This electronic filing is in addition to the filing requirements under 4 CFR §28.20. The electronic copy should be sent to pab@gao.gov, and labeled with the case name, docket number and an identifiable document name (e.g. Doe 12-56 MotDismiss.doc). After the initial filings by the parties, the Board may adjust the number of paper copies required on a case by case basis.
PAB and PAB/OGC are Located in Headquarters
The Personnel Appeals Board and its Office of General Counsel are located on the first floor of the Headquarters building. The Board’s entrance is room 1566 and the PAB/OGC entrance is room 1562.
