[United States Government Manual]
[July 01, 1995]
[Pages 658-663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001
Phone, 202-606-1800
Director James B. King
Deputy Director Lorraine A. Green
General Counsel Lorraine Lewis
Director, Office of Congressional Relations Ira N. Foreman
Director, Office of Communications Janice R. Lachance
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Director, Office of International Affairs Carmen Lomellin
Inspector General Patrick E. McFarland
Chief Financial Officer J. Gilbert Seaux
Chairman, Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Anthony F. Ingrassia
Committee
Director, Office of Merit Systems and Oversight Carol J. Okin
and Effectiveness
Associate Director for Investigations Service Patricia W. Lattimore,
Acting
Associate Director for Retirement and Insurance Curtis J. Smith
Service
Associate Director for Employment Service Leonard R. Klein
Associate Director, Human Resources Systems Allen Heuerman, Acting
Service
Associate Director, Workforce Training Service Judith M. Jaffe
Director, Office of Executive Resources Curtis J. Smith
Director, Office of Contracting and Lynn L. Furman
Administrative Services
Director, Office of Information Technology Glenn Sutton, Acting
Director, Office of Human Resources and Equal William R. Irvin
Employment Opportunity
[For the Office of Personnel Management statement of organization, see
the Federal Register of Jan. 5, 1979, 44 FR 1501]
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The Office of Personnel Management administers a merit system for
Federal employment that includes recruiting, examining, training, and
promoting people on the basis of their knowledge and skills, regardless
of their race, religion, sex, political influence, or other nonmerit
factors. The Office's role is to ensure that the Federal Government
provides an array of personnel services to applicants and employees.
Through a range of programs designed to develop and encourage the
effectiveness of the Government employee, the Office supports Government
program managers in their personnel management responsibilities and
provides benefits to employees and to retired employees and their
survivors.
The Office of Personnel Management was created as an independent
establishment by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app.),
effective January 1, 1979, pursuant to Executive Order 12107 of December
28, 1978. Transferred to OPM were many of the functions of the former
United States Civil Service Commission. The Office's duties and
authority are specified in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (5
U.S.C. 1101).
The five regional offices carry out programs in the field. In
addition the Office has service centers in key locations, Federal job
information and testing centers, and other field duty stations.
Office of the Inspector General The Office of the Inspector General
conducts comprehensive and independent audits, investigations, and
evaluations relating to the programs and operations of the agency. The
Office is responsible for administrative actions against health care
providers who commit sanctionable offenses with respect to the Federal
Employees' Health Benefits Program or other Federal programs. The Office
keeps the Director and Congress fully informed about problems and
deficiencies in the administration of agency programs and operations,
and the necessity for corrective action.
For further information, contact the Office of the Inspector General.
Phone, 202-606-1200.
Activities
Examining and Staffing The Office of Personnel Management is
responsible for managing, nationwide in partnership with departments and
agencies, the examining of applicants for competitive
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positions in the Federal civil service at General Schedule grades 1
through 15 and for Federal wage system positions. In addition to
administering examinations, the Office is also responsible for:
--establishing basic qualification standards for all occupations;
--establishing conditions for delegating examining authority to
agencies;
--providing policy direction and guidance for promotion,
reassignment, transfer, and reinstatement of employees already recruited
into the competitive civil service; and
--authorizing agencies to fill positions outside the competitive
service when examining is impracticable or when the positions are
policy-determining or confidential in nature.
The Office also administers the Qualification Review Board examining
process for career Senior Executive Service appointments and conducts a
competitive examination of applicants for administrative law judge
positions.
Personnel Investigations Personnel investigations are used in support
of the selection and appointment processes. They serve several purposes:
--to determine the suitability of applicants under consideration for
appointment;
--to check on applicants or employees under consideration for
appointment to positions having either national security and/or public
trust requirements; and
--to enforce civil service regulations.
Recruiting and Affirmative Employment The Office provides leadership,
direction, and policy for Governmentwide recruiting programs. These
programs include general external and internal recruiting, academic
relations, and comparable programs designed to reach the Nation's
population, including programs for students, people with disabilities,
veterans, women, and minorities. Policy, guidance, and technical
assistance are provided to agencies in implementing the following
programs: generic recruiting initiatives, student employment, disabled
veterans affirmative action, and Federal equal opportunity recruitment.
The Office is also responsible for assuring that recruiting and
affirmative employment practices are integral parts of all Federal
personnel management activities.
Employee Development and Training The Office plans, promotes, sets
standards, and evaluates Governmentwide programs and policies for the
development and training of Federal employees. It offers a wide variety
of training and development management services such as career
development programs and contractual access to the private sector for
courses and instructional technology application. It also provides
training and development information and coordination services. Through
a nationwide network of interagency training centers, a European center,
management development centers, and the Federal Executive Institute, it
offers a broad range of Government-related courses.
Personnel Systems The Office sets policy for, administers, and provides
leadership and guidance to agencies on systems to support the manager's
personnel management responsibilities. It also provides administrative
support to special advisory bodies, including the Federal Prevailing
Rate Advisory Committee, the Federal Salary Council, and the National
Partnership Council. These include:
--white and blue collar pay systems, including Senior Executive
Service and special occupational pay systems; geographical adjustments
and locality payments; special rates to address recruitment and
retention problems; allowances and differentials, including recruitment
and relocation bonuses, retention allowances, and hazardous duty/
environmental pay; and premium pay;
--annual and sick leave, court leave, military leave, leave transfer
and leave bank programs, family and medical leave, excused absence,
holidays, and scheduling of work--including flexible and compressed work
schedules;
--performance management, covering appraisal systems, performance
pay and
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awards, administration of the Presidential Rank Awards Program for
Senior Executives, and incentive awards for suggestions, inventions, and
special acts;
--research and demonstration projects and other innovative practices
to explore potential improvements in personnel systems and better and
simpler ways to manage Federal personnel;
--classification policy and standards for agencies to determine the
series and grades for Federal jobs;
--labor-management relations, including labor-management
partnerships and consulting with unions on Governmentwide issues;
--systems and techniques for resolving disputes with employees;
--quality of worklife initiatives, such as employee health and
fitness, work and family, AIDS in the workplace, and employee assistance
programs;
--information systems to support and improve Federal personnel
management decisionmaking; and
--Governmentwide instructions for personnel processing and
recordkeeping, and for release of personnel data under the Freedom of
Information Act and the Privacy Act.
Oversight The Office assesses agencies' effectiveness in personnel
management at the Governmentwide, agency, and installation levels to
gather information for policy development and program refinement, ensure
compliance with personnel laws and regulations, enhance agency
capability for self-evaluation, and assist agencies in operating
personnel programs which effectively support accomplishment of their
primary missions.
Employee Benefits The Office also manages numerous activities that
directly affect the well-being of the Federal employee and indirectly
enhance employee effectiveness. These include health benefits, life
insurance, and retirement benefits.
Other Personnel Programs The Office administers the Senior Executive
Service and is responsible for oversight and providing assistance on a
variety of Governmentwide executive personnel management matters. It
coordinates the temporary assignment of employees between Federal
agencies and State, local, and Indian tribal governments; institutions
of higher education; and other eligible organizations for up to 2 years,
for work of mutual benefit to the participating organizations. It
administers the Presidential Management Intern Program, which provides
2-year, excepted appointments with Federal agencies to recipients of
graduate degrees in appropriate disciplines. In addition, the Office of
Personnel Management administers the Federal Merit System Standards,
which apply to certain grant-aided State and local programs.
Field Service--Office of Personnel Management
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Region Address Director
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ATLANTA--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 75 Spring St. SW., Atlanta, GA 30303-3109 Ronald E. Brooks
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
CHICAGO--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, 230 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60604-0001 Steven R. Cohen
Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West
Virginia, Wisconsin,
DALLAS--Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, 1100 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75242-0001 Felix R. Garza, Acting
Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming
PHILADELPHIA--Connecticut, Delaware, 600 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-1596 Rose N. Gwin, Acting
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode
Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands
SAN FRANCISCO--Alaska, California, 7th Fl., 120 Howard St., San Francisco, CA Joseph S. Patti
Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, 94105-0001
Washington, Pacific Ocean area
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Sources of Information
Contracts Contact the Chief, Contracting Division, Office of Personnel
Management, Washington, DC 20415-0001 (phone, 202-606-2240); or the
appropriate field service center office.
Employment A network of service centers and Federal Job Test Centers,
located in major metropolitan areas, provides Federal employment
information. To obtain the appropriate telephone number, check the blue
pages under U.S. Government, Office of Personnel Management. For
information about employment opportunities within the Office of
Personnel Management, contact the Director for Human Resources (phone,
202-606-2400); or the appropriate field service center.
Publications The Office issues publications addressed to a variety of
audiences ranging from applicants for employment to the heads of Federal
agencies.
The Chief, Publications Services Division, can provide information
about Federal personnel management publications. For further
information, call 202-606-1822.
Reading Room The Office of Personnel Management Library maintains
collections of historical and current information on personnel
management and the Federal civil service, including legislative
information. The Library also serves as a reading room for those
interested in Office publications available to the public. The
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402, sells subscriptions to Personnel Literature.
For further information, contact the Office of Communications, Office of
Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001.
Phone, 202-606-1800.
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