Review of Studies on Early Retirement of Flight Service Station Specialists
Gao ID: B-214320 March 27, 1984GAO evaluated two studies concerning whether flight service station specialists should be afforded early retirement benefits currently available to air traffic controllers.
GAO found that the results of the first study were inconclusive because: (1) the sample size was too small and may not have been representative; (2) the criteria used to assess the specialists' performances were not valid measures; and (3) bias and error could have been introduced into the results through a faulty implementation of the study. While GAO generally agreed with the critique of the first study, GAO did not agree that statistics supported the finding that specialists' performances deteriorate with age.