[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2004]
[Pages 493-497]
[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                                          Kay Coles James
Deputy Director                                   Dan G. Blair
Chief of Staff                                    Paul Conway
Senior Advisor for Homeland Security              Steven Cohen
Program Director for E-Government Initiatives     Norman Enger
Program Director, Federal Prevailing Rate         Mary Rose
        Advisory Committee
Inspector General                                 Patrick E. McFarland
Director, Office of Congressional Relations       John C. Gartland
Associate Director, Strategic Human Resources     Ronald Sanders
        Policy
Associate Director, Human Resources Products and  Stephen Benowitz
        Services
Associate Director, Human Capital and Merit       Marta Brito Perez
        Systems
Director, Communications and Public Liaison       Scott Hatch
Associate Director, Management and Chief          Clarence Crawford
        Financial Officer
General Counsel                                   Mark A. Robbins

[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 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. Its 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 (OPM) 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

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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 the 
following duties:
    --providing testing and 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. OPM provides policy guidance, 
consulting services, and technical support on Senior Executive Service 
(SES) 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 the following:
    --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 collective bargaining, 
negotiability, unfair labor practices, labor-management cooperation, 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;
    --human resources development,including leadership and 
administration of the Human Resources Development

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Council and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) interest 
group;
    --the Training and Management Assistance program,to help agencies 
develop training and human resources management solutions, including 
workforce planning and succession management strategies, e-learning 
applications, traditional classroom training materials, compensation and 
performance management systems, and other customized products;
    --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 Presidential Advisory Committee on Expanding 
Training Opportunities.
Oversight  OPM assesses human capital management Governmentwide and 
within agencies to gather information for policy development and program 
refinement, ensure compliance with law and regulation, and enhance 
agency capability for human resources management accountability. Agency 
accountability systems help ensure that human capital decisions are 
consistent with merit principles and that human capital strategies are 
aligned with mission accomplishment. OPM also works with agencies to 
find better and more strategic ways to manage Federal human capital.
Workforce 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 workforce 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 not-
for-profit 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 (FEBs) were 
established by Presidential memorandum on November 10, 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.
    FEBs 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 
mission.
    Federal Executive Boards are located in 28 metropolitan areas that 
are important centers of Federal activity. These areas are as follows: 
Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; 
Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH;

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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 or Councils have been locally 
organized in approximately 65 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 Director for Federal Executive 
Board Operations, Office of Personnel Management, Room 5524, 1900 E 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-0001. Phone, 202-606-1000.

Sources of Information

Contracts  For information, contact the Chief, Contracting Division, 
Office of Personnel Management, Washington, DC 20415-0071. Phone, 202-
606-2240. Internet, www.opm.gov/procure/index.htm.
Employment  Information about Federal employment and current job 
openings is available from USAJobs (phone, 478-757-3000; TTY, 478-744-
2299; Internet, www.usajobs.opm.gov). Contact information for your local 
OPM office 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 of Human Resources. Phone, 202-606-2400.
    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. Internet, http://apps.opm.gov/publications

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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