[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]

________________________________________________________________________
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                                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Region                                     Address                              Director        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

________________________________________________________________________