Homeland Security Employees Reportedly Abused Overtime Pay, According to Whistle-Blower

According to a new report, Homeland Security Department employees have cost the government about $8.7 million per year abusing an overtime program. 

On Thursday, a letter and report sent by the Office of Special Counsel to the president and Congress revealed that employees from six Homeland Security offices are abusing the program, TPM News reports. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner wrote the letter and report to President Barack Obama and lawmakers, saying that whistle-blowers alerted her office to the employees' abuses.

Lerner's letter and report described the overtime abuses of the employees. Lerner said that the office is also investigating five other overtime abuse cases and believes that the allegations will be corroborated. The Office of Special Counsel is an independent government investigative and prosecutorial office. 

According to a whistle-blower, a number of Customs and Border Protection employees in the commissioner's situation room at its Washington D.C. headquarters were paid about two hours of overtime almost every day but spent most of the time watching T.V., going on non-work related Internet sites or just relaxing. Agents are routinely paid about two hours of overtime per day. 

The report also cited abuses by employees in the the CBP office of training and development in Glynco, Ga.; the Office of Security and Integrity at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services headquarters in Washington; the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Houston; and the CBP facilities in San Ysidro, Calif., and Laredo, Texas.

In the letter, Lerner said that what is deemed administratively uncontrollable overtime is "intended to be used only when an employee's hours cannot be scheduled in advance" because of a heavy workload or "irregular work." She said that none of the reported abuses at the DHS met that requirement. 

"Such abuse of overtime pay is a violation of the public trust and a gross waste of scarce government funds," Lerner wrote. "It is incumbent upon DHS to take effective steps to curb the abuse. It is up to the administration and Congress to develop a revised pay system, if warranted, that ensures fair compensation for employees who are legitimately working overtime."

DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said Thursday that while some overtime is necessary at various DHS agencies, misuse of overtime "is not tolerated."

"DHS takes seriously its responsibility to ensure proper use of taxpayer fund," Boogaard said. "As part of our ongoing commitment to reducing waste and abuse, Acting Secretary (Rand) Beers has requested a comprehensive, department-wide review of the use of (overtime)."

An analysis of Border Patrol overtime costs in 2012 proves that the agency spent more than $1.4 billion on overtime costs. Border agents can earn from 10 to 25 percent extra pay an hour for the first two hours of overtime, with extra pay reduced every subsequent hour because of overtime rules. 

An agent can earn about $15,000 more that the base salary over the course of one year, which is more than $60,000 a year for a base salary. However, agents are limited to $35,000 in overtime annually.

The cost of overtime rose from $155.8 million in 2006 to more than $331 million in 2011, which coincides with the addition of about 9,000 agents in the past six years.