[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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