[United States Government Manual]
[May 30, 1997]
[Pages 635-639]
[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 (vacancy)
General Counsel Lorraine Lewis
Director, Office of Congressional Relations Cynthia Brock-Smith
Director, Office of Communications Rosalie Cameron
Director, Center for Partnership and Labor- Michael Cushing
Management Relations
Inspector General Patrick E. McFarland
Chief Financial Officer J. Gilbert Seaux
Chairman, Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Phyllis Foley, Acting
Committee
Associate Director, Human Resources Systems Steven R. Cohen,
Service Acting
Associate Director for Investigations Service Richard Ferris
Associate Director for Employment Service Mary Lou Lindholm
Associate Director, Office of Merit Systems Carol J. Okin
Oversight and Effectiveness
Associate Director for Retirement and Insurance William E. Flynn III
Service
Director, Office of Human Resources and Equal Rose Gwin
Employment Opportunity
Director, Office of Executive Resources Curtis J. Smith
Director, Office of Contracting and Lynn L. Furman
Administrative Services
Chief Information Technology Officer Janet L. Barnes
[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 (OPM) administers a merit system to
ensure compliance with personnel laws and regulations and assists
agencies in recruiting, examining, 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
provide guidance to agencies in operating human resources programs which
effectively support their missions and to provide an array of personnel
services to applicants and employees. The Office supports Government
program managers in their human resources management responsibilities
and provide benefits to employees, 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).
[[Page 636]]
[[Page 637]]
Office of the Inspector General The Office of the Inspector General
conducts comprehensive and independent audits, investigations, and
evaluations relating to OPM programs and operations. It 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 providing departments and agencies with technical
assistance and guidance in examining competitive positions in the
Federal civil service for General Schedule grades 1 through 15 and
Federal Wage system positions. In addition, the Office is responsible
for:
--providing examination services, at the request of an agency, on a
reimbursable basis;
--establishing basic qualification standards for all occupations;
--certifying agency delegated examining units to conduct examining;
--providing employment information for competitive service
positions; and
--providing policy direction and guidance on promotions,
reassignments, appointments in the excepted and competitive services,
reinstatements, temporary and term employment, veterans preference,
workforce restructuring, career transition, and other staffing
provisions.
Workforce Diversity The Office provides leadership, direction, and
policy for governmentwide affirmative recruiting programs for minorities
and veterans. It also provides leadership, guidance, and technical
assistance to promote merit and equality in systemic workforce
recruitment, employment, training, and retention. In addition, OPM
gathers, analyzes, and maintains statistical data on the diversity of
the Federal workforce, and prepares evaluation reports for Congress and
others on individual agency and governmentwide progress toward full
workforce representation for all Americans in the Federal sector.
Executive Resources The Office leads in the selection, management, and
development of Federal executives. It administers the Senior Executive
Service program and other merit-based executive personnel systems that
promote the development of a corporate perspective. The Office provides
policy guidance, consulting services, and technical support in such
areas as recruitment, selection, succession planning, mobility
performance, awards, and removals. It reviews agency nominations for SES
career appointments and administers the Qualifications Review Boards
that certify candidates' executive qualifications. It manages SES,
senior-level, and scientific and professional space allocations to
agencies, administers the Presidential Rank Awards program, and conducts
orientation sessions for newly appointed executives. In addition, the
Office manages three interagency residential development and training
centers for executives and managers.
Personnel Systems The Office provides leadership and guidance to
agencies on systems to support the manager's personnel management
responsibilities. 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;
[[Page 638]]
--performance management, covering appraisal systems, performance
pay and awards, and incentive awards for suggestions, inventions, and
special acts;
--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;
--training and employee development, including providing support to
the Human Resources Development Council and the Government Performance
and Results Act (GPRA) interest group;
--the Training Management Assistance program, to help agencies
design and produce training systems and products, performance management
systems, workforce productivity systems, business process reengineering,
compensation, and employee relations systems;
--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.
The Office also provides administrative support to special advisory
bodies, including the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee, the
Federal Salary Council, and the National Partnership Council.
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. The Office also works with other Federal agencies on
demonstration projects to explore potential improvements in personnel
systems and better and simpler ways to manage Federal personnel.
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 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.
Federal Executive Boards Federal Executive Boards (FEB's) were
established by Presidential directive (a memorandum for heads of Federal
departments and agencies dated November 13, 1961) to improve internal
Federal management practices and to provide a central focus for Federal
participation in civic affairs in major metropolitan centers of Federal
activity. They carry out their functions under OPM supervision and
control.
Federal Executive Boards serve as a means for disseminating
information within the Federal Government and for promoting discussion
of Federal policies and activities of importance to all Federal
executives in the field. Each Board is composed of heads of Federal
field offices in the metropolitan area. A Chairman is elected annually
from among the membership to provide overall leadership to the Board's
operations. Committees and task forces carry out interagency projects
consistent with the Board's missions.
[[Page 639]]
Federal Executive Boards are located in 28 metropolitan areas that
are important centers of Federal activity. These areas are: Albuquerque-
Santa Fe, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu-Pacific,
Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark,
Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, St. Louis, San
Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, and the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St.
Paul).
Federal Executive Associations, Councils, or Committees have been
locally organized in over 100 other metropolitan areas to perform
functions similar to the Federal Executive Boards but on a lesser scale
of organization and activity.
For further information, contact the Assistant for Regional Operations,
Office of Personnel Management, Room 5H22L, 1900 E Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20415-0001. Phone, 202-606-1001.
Sources of Information
Contracts Contact the Chief, Contracting Division, Office of Personnel
Management, Washington, DC 20415-0001. Phone, 202-606-2240.
Employment Federal Job Information Centers, located in major
metropolitan areas, provide 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.
Publications The Chief, Publications Services Division, can provide
information about Federal personnel management publications. Phone, 202-
606-1822.
For further information, contact the Office of Communications, Office of
Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001.
Phone, 202-606-1800.
------------------------------------------------------------------------