A Classification Compliance Audit
A Classification Compliance Audit Report on System Analyst Positions at Health and Human Services Agencies
February 2022
Summary Analysis
For the three health and human services agencies within Article II of the General Appropriations Act (87th Legislature), 388 (50.9 percent) of 762 employees tested were correctly classified in accordance with the State’s Position Classification Plan. The employees tested were classified within the Systems Analyst job classification series, which is within the Information Technology occupational category.
This report concludes a series of six classification compliance audits of information technology positions at selected state agencies. This series of audits addressed agencies from all articles of the General Appropriations Act (87th Legislature).
Information technology careers at state agencies cover a broad range of jobs. Of those jobs, more employees are classified in the Systems Analyst job classification series than any other in the Information Technology occupational category. Employees properly classified within that series typically perform a variety of duties, including analyzing information technology system requirements, automating manual processes, improving existing systems, and implementing designs using software-programming languages.
This audit focuses on employees classified in the Systems Analyst job classification series at health and human services agencies (Article II of the General Appropriations Act, 87th Legislature). In fiscal year 2021, state agencies collectively employed 1,718 systems analysts, making it the most populated job classification series within the Information Technology occupational category. Of those 1,718 systems analysts, 840 (48.9 percent) were employed within Article II agencies.
Approximately half (50.9 percent) of the employees classified in the Systems Analyst job classification series at all 3 health and human services agencies (Article II of the General Appropriations Act, 87th Legislature) were correctly classified in accordance with the State’s Position Classification Plan.
In accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 654, the agencies asserted that they will address the misclassifications of 374 employees by taking the following actions:
- Reclassify 365 employees (97.6 percent) into different job classification series.
- Reclassify 9 employees (2.4 percent) within the same job classification series but at a higher salary group.
The Department of Family and Protective Services (Department) identified 141 employees who were classified in the Systems Analyst job series; of those 141 employees, 49 (34.8 percent) were not correctly classified in accordance with the State’s Position Classification Plan. All (100 percent) misclassified employees were in an incorrect job classification series, including 29 employees who were also in an incorrect occupational category. For example, one misclassified employee will be reclassified from a Systems Analyst to a Manager to better align with the employee’s job duties. The Manager job classification series is in the Program Management occupational category.
The Department of State Health Services (Department) identified 15 employees who were classified in the Systems Analyst job classification series; all but 5 of those employees were correctly classified in accordance with the State’s Position Classification Plan. Four of the misclassified employees were performing duties that did not align with their current job classification series. For example, one employee misclassified as a systems analyst was performing job duties consistent with those of the Manager job classification series. Additionally, one misclassified employee was in the an incorrect job classification title.
The Health and Human Services Commission (Commission) identified 606 employees who were classified in the Systems Analyst job series; of those 606 employees, 320 (52.8 percent) were not correctly classified in accordance with the State’s Position Classification Plan. A total of 312 (97.5 percent) employees were in an incorrect job classification series, including 57 employees who were also in an incorrect occupational category. For example, one misclassified employee will be reclassified from a Systems Analyst to a Data Analyst to better align with the employee’s job duties. The Data Analyst job classification series is in the Planning, Research, and Statistics occupational category.
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