Privacy Act of 1974: Amendment to a System of Records

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Privacy Act of 1974: Amendment to a System of Records

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice to amend a system of records.

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SUMMARY: OPM proposes to amend a system of records in its inventory of

record systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as

amended. This action is necessary to meet the requirements of the

Privacy Act to publish in the Federal Register notice of the existence

and character of record systems maintained by the agency.

DATES: The changes will be effective without further notice on December

14, 1999, unless comments are received that would result in a contrary

determination.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Office of Personnel Management,

ATTN: Mary Beth Smith-Toomey, Office of the Chief Information Officer,

1900 E Street NW., Room 5415, Washington, DC 20415-7900.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Beth Smith-Toomey, (202) 606-

8358.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice serves to update OPM/Central-13,

Executive Personnel Records, to reflect organizational and statutory

changes and to delete references to obsolete storage methods.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Janice R. Lachance,

Director.

OPM/CENTRAL-13

SYSTEM NAME:

Executive Personnel Records.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

Office of Executive Resources Management, Office of Personnel

Management, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415-0001.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Current and former appointees in the Senior Executive Service;

current and former incumbents of Executive Schedule, Scientific and

Professional research and development, Senior Level, Board of Contract

Appeals, and similar positions; former incumbents of General Schedule

16-18 positions; and participants in and graduates of OPM-approved

agency Senior Executive candidate development programs.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

These records include:

a. Demographic, appointment, and assignment information (e.g.,

name, office address, date of birth, Social Security Number, sex, race

and ethnic designation, titles of positions, pay rates, and types of

appointments).

b. Background data on work experience, educational experience,

publications or awards (includes performance ratings and any

performance, rank, or incentive awards received), and career interests.

c. Determinations on nominees for Meritorious and Distinguished

Presidential Rank awards.

d. Determinations concerning executive (managerial) qualifications

(i.e., Qualification Review Board records).

e. Information on performance of executives (e.g., performance

ratings, performance awards, and incentive awards).

f. Information relating to participants (current and former) in the

sabbatical leave program (e.g., dates of participation and reasons for

the leave).

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g. Applications from individuals who, within the 90-day period

provided for under 5 U.S.C. 3593(b), seek reemployment in the Senior

Executive Service.

h. Information concerning the reason(s) why an individual leaves an

executive position (e.g., retired, resigned, to enter private industry,

to work for a State government, or removed during probation or after

because of performance).

i. Information about the recruitment of individuals for executive

positions (e.g., recruited from another Federal agency or from outside

the Federal service).

Note: Automated and manual duplicates of records in this system,

maintained by agencies for purposes of actual administration of the

SES, along with other records agencies have on Federal executives,

are not considered part of this system. Such records are considered

general personnel records and are covered by the OPM/GOVT-1, General

Personnel Records system.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

Includes the following with any revisions and amendments:

5 U.S.C. 2101 through 2103; 3104; 3131 through 3134; 3136; 3324;

3325; 3391 through 3397; 3591 through 3596; 4311 through 4315; 4507;

5108; 5381 through 5385; 5752 through 5754; and 7541 through 7543.

PURPOSE(s):

The records are used to:

a. Assist OPM in carrying out its responsibilities under title 5,

U.S. Code, and OPM rules and regulations promulgated thereunder,

including the allocation and establishment of SES, Senior Level, and

Scientific and Professional research and development positions,

development of qualification standards for SES positions, establishment

and operation of one or more qualifications review boards,

establishment of programs to develop candidates for and incumbents of

executive positions, and development of performance appraisal systems.

b. Pursuant to section 415 of the Civil Service Reform Act, assist

OPM in meeting its mandate to evaluate the effectiveness of the SES and

the manner in which the Service is administered.

c. Provide data used in policy formulation, program planning and

administration, research studies, and required reports regarding the

Government-wide executive program.

d. Locate specified groups of individuals for personnel research

(while protecting their individual privacy). Race and ethnic data and

performance ratings are collected for statistical use only.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES

OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

Routine uses 1 through 5, and 7 through 11, of the Prefatory

Statement at the beginning of OPM's system notices (60 FR 63075,

effective January 17, 1996) apply to the records maintained within this

system. The routine uses listed below are specific to this system of

records only:

a. To identify and refer qualified current or former Federal

employees to Federal agencies for executive vacancies.

b. To refer qualified current or former Federal employees or

retirees to State and local governments and international organizations

for employment considerations.

c. To provide an employing agency with extracts from the records of

that agency's employees in the system.

d. By OPM to locate individuals for personnel research or survey

response and in the production of summary descriptive statistics and

analytical studies in support of the functions for which the records

are collected and maintained, or for related work force studies. While

published studies do not contain individual identifiers, in some

instances the selection of elements of data included in the study may

be structured in such a way as to make the data individually

identifiable by inference.

e. To disclose information to any member of an agency's Performance

Review Board or other board or panel (e.g., one convened to select or

review nominees for awards of merit pay increases), when the member is

not an official of the employing agency; information would then be used

for the purposes of approving or recommending selection of candidates

for executive development programs, issuing a performance appraisal

rating, issuing performance awards, nominating for Meritorious and

Distinguished Executive ranks, and removal, reduction-in-grade, and

other personnel actions based on performance.

f. To provide information to the White House on executives with

noncareer appointments in the Senior Executive Service, in positions

formerly in the General Schedule filled by noncareer executive

assignments, in excepted positions paid at Executive Schedule pay

rates, and in positions in the Senior Level pay system or other pay

systems equivalent to those described which are filled by Presidential

appointment or excepted from the competitive service because they are

of a confidential or policy-determining character.

Policies and Practices of Storing, Retrieving, Safeguarding, Retaining

and Disposing of Records in the System:

Storage:

Records are maintained in hardcopy, magnetic media, and microfiche.

Retrievability:

Records are retrieved by the name and Social Security Number of the

individual to whom they pertain.

Safeguards:

Manual records are maintained in lockable metal filing cabinets or

in secured rooms with access limited to those whose official duties

require access. Access to computerized records is limited to those

whose official duties require access. Access to race and ethnic data is

restricted to specially designated OPM personnel.

Retention and Disposal:

Records are retained for varying lengths of time, in accordance

with disposition schedules approved by NARA. Disposal of manual records

is by shredding or burning, electronic databases are erased.

System Manager(s) and Address:

Director, Office of Executive Resources Management, Office of

Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415-0001.

Notification Procedure:

Individuals wishing to inquire whether this system or records

contains information about them should contact the system manager.

Individuals must furnish the following information for their records to

be located and identified:

a. Full name.

b. Social Security Number.

c. Address where employed.

Record Access Procedure:

Individuals wishing to request access to records about themselves

should contact the system manager. Individuals must furnish the

following information for their records to be located and identified:

a. Full name.

b. Social Security Number.

c. Address where employed.

An individual requesting access must also follow OPM's Privacy Act

regulations regarding verification of identity and access to records (5

CFR part 297).

Contesting Record Procedure:

Individuals wishing to request amendment of their records should

contact the system manager. Individuals

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must furnish the following information for their records to be located

and identified:

a. Full name.

b. Social Security Number.

c. Address where employed.

Individuals requesting amendment must also follow OPM's Privacy Act

regulations regarding verification of identity and amendment of records

(5 CFR part 297).

Record Source Categories:

Information in this system of records is obtained from:

a. The individual named in the record.

b. His or her employing agency.

c. Official documents of OPM.

[FR Doc. 99-28815 Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am]

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