[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2000]
[Pages 498-502]
[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. Internet, www.opm.gov.
Director                                          Janice R. Lachance
Deputy Director                                   John U. Sepulveda
Associate Director, Employment Service            Carol J. Okin
Associate Director, Investigations Service        Richard A. Ferris
Associate Director, Office of Merit Systems       (vacancy)
        Oversight and Effectiveness
Associate Director, Retirement and Insurance      William E. Flynn III
        Service
Associate Director, Workforce Compensation and    Henry Romero
        Performance Service
Director, Office of Contracting and               Steve Van Rees
        Administrative Services
Director, Office of Executive and Management      Barbara Garvin-Kester
        Development
Director, Office of Executive Resources           K. Joyce Edwards
        Management
Director, Office of Human Resources and Equal     Kirke Harper
        Employment Opportunity
Director, Office of Workforce Relations           Steven R. Cohen
Chairman, Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory        John F. Leyden
        Committee
Chief Financial Officer                           J. Gilbert Seaux
Chief Information Technology Officer              Janet L. Barnes
Director, Office of Congressional Relations       Cynthia Brock-Smith
Director, Office of Communications                Jon-Christopher Bua
General Counsel                                   Suzanne Seiden
Inspector General                                 Patrick E. McFarland

[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. OPM'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. OPM supports Government program 
managers in their human resources management responsibilities and 
provide benefits to employees, retired employees, and their survivors.

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The Office of Personnel Management was created as an independent 
establishment by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app.), 
pursuant to Executive Order 12107 of December 28, 1978. Many of the 
functions of the former United States Civil Service Commission were 
transferred to OPM.

Activities

Employee Benefits  OPM 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.
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, OPM 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, veteranspreference, work 
force planning and reshaping, organizational design, career transition, 
and other staffing provisions.
Executive Resources  OPM 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. OPM 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, OPM 
manages three interagency residential development and training centers 
for executives and managers.
Investigations  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.

For further information, contact the Office of the Inspector General. 
Phone, 202-606-1200.

Personnel Systems  OPM 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;

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    --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, work force 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.
    OPM 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  OPM 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 human resources management accountability, and assist 
agencies in operating personnel programs which effectively support 
accomplishment of their primary missions consistent with merit system 
principles. OPM also works with other Federal agencies to explore 
potential improvements in personnel systems and better and simpler ways 
to manage Federal personnel.
Work Force Diversity  OPM provides leadership, direction, and policy for 
governmentwide affirmative recruiting programs for 
women,minorities,individuals with disabilities,and veterans.It also 
provides leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to promote merit 
and equality in systemic work force recruitment, employment, training, 
and retention. In addition, OPM gathers, analyzes, and maintains 
statistical data on the diversity of the Federal work force, and 
prepares evaluation reports for Congress and others on individual agency 
and governmentwide progress toward full work force representation for 
all Americans in the Federal sector.
Other Personnel Programs  OPM 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 memorandum on 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.
    FEB's 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

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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, NM; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; 
Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Dallas-Fort Worth, TX; 
Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Honolulu, HI-Pacific; Houston, TX; Kansas City, 
MO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Newark, 
NJ; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; 
St. Louis, MO; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; and the 
Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN).
    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  For information, contact the Chief, Contracting Division, 
Office of Personnel Management, Washington, DC 20415-0001. Phone, 202-
606-2240.
Employment  Information about Federal employment and current job 
openings is available from USAJobs (phone, 912-757-3000; TTY, 912-744-
2299; Internet, www.usajobs.opm.gov). USAJobs can also be accessed 
through touch-screen kiosks located at most OPM regional offices, in 
many Federal agency buildings, and at several colleges and universities. 
Contact information for your local OPM offices is available in the blue 
pages of the phone book, 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. Internet, www.opm.gov.

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