Unnamed top USPS official’s compensation exceeds legal limit, IG says

A U.S. Postal Service officer earned more than $300,000 in salary, pension and bonus in 2011– exceeding the legal limit maximum compensation for the agency’s executives, according to an audit from the USPS’ inspector general.

According to Federal Times, the Postal Service and the IG disagree over whether the pension should count in determining the top officer’s total compensation. The unnamed officer received a total compensation of $306,250, exceeding the $276,840 pay limit for his position.

A recent IG audit points to a 2006 law setting that cap for “critical positions” within the agency, but USPS officials say the officer’s $131,952 annual pension should not have been considered as part of compensation package under those limits. The audit defined “basic salary” as the officer’s pension plus his annual salary of $113,048, plus a bonus of $61,250, Federal Times wrote.

Five officials, including Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett and Chief Operating Officer Megan Brennan, are considered to have “critical positions,” according to the report, although three other posts have the same designation.