    [United States Government Manual]
    [June 02, 1998]
    [Pages 641-645]
    [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                                          Janice R. Lachance
    Deputy Director                                   (vacancy)
    Inspector General                                 Patrick E. McFarland
    General Counsel                                   Lorraine Lewis
    Director, Office of Congressional Relations       Cynthia Brock-Smith
    Director, Office of Communications                Douglas K. Walker
    Chief Financial Officer                           J. Gilbert Seaux
    Chairman, Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory        Phyllis G. Heuerman,
            Committee                                         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
    Associate Director, Workforce Compensation and    Henry Romero
            Performance Service
    Director, Office of Human Resources and Equal     Donna D. Beecher
            Employment Opportunity
    Director, Office of Executive Resources           Curtis J. Smith
    Director, Office of Contracting and               Kirke Harper
            Administrative Services
    Director, Office of Workforce Relations           Steven R. Cohen
    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]

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    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.

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    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).
    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

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    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;
        --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

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    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.
        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. Information about Federal
    employment and current job openings is also available electronically
    through the Internet, at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/. 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.

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