Team Nutrition Personnel and Under Secretary's Travel

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the: (1) employment of three Team Nutrition officials; and (2) Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services' travel between January 1994 and February 1996. GAO noted that: (1) the Department of Agriculture's Food and Consumer Services (FCS) complied with federal regulatory procedures in considering the former employees' for the temporary positions; (2) there was some discrepancy concerning one of the employees' length of time on a previous job, academic credentials, and incomplete application; (3) FCS did not request salary documentation to assess the former Project Manager's salary and improperly appointed the former Project Manager to a higher pay level; (4) two of the former employee's failed to submit financial disclosure statements within the first 30 days as required; (5) the Under Secretary took 40 official business trips and stayed at 45 different hotels from January 1994 to February 1996; (6) the Under Secretary claimed and was reimbursed for travel expenses exceeding the established per diem rate; and (7) the Under Secretary obtained necessary approvals and justifications for five hotel stays in which he exceeded the established per diem rate.