Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, 6022-6026 [2019-03183]

Agencies

• Postal Service

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6022-6026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03183]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the United States 
Postal Service[supreg] (Postal Service) is revising the notice for 
Privacy Act System of Records USPS 100.000, General Personnel Records, 
and USPS 100.400, Personnel Compensation and Payroll Records.

DATES: These revisions will become effective without further notice on 
March 27, 2019 unless comments received on or before that date result 
in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to the Privacy and 
Records Management Office, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant 
Plaza SW, Room 1P830, Washington, DC 20260-1101. Copies of all written 
comments will be available at this address for public inspection and 
photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janine Castorina, Chief Privacy and 
Records Management Officer, Privacy and Records Management Office, 202-
268-3069 or privacy@usps.gov.

[[Page 6023]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with the 
Privacy Act requirement that agencies publish their systems of records 
in the Federal Register when there is a revision, change, or addition, 
or when the agency establishes a new system of records. As detailed 
below, the Postal Service has determined that USPS 100.000 General 
Personnel Records and USPS 100.400 Personnel Compensation and Payroll 
Records should be revised to modify Routine Uses of Records Maintained 
in the System, Including Categories of Users and Purposes of Such Uses. 
The changes are being made to permit disclosure of current and former 
postal employee records to credit bureaus and prospective employers.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11), interested persons are invited to 
submit written data, views, or arguments on this proposal. A report of 
the proposed revisions has been sent to Congress and to the Office of 
Management and Budget for their evaluations. The Postal Service does 
not expect these amended systems of records to have any adverse effect 
on individual privacy rights. The notices for USPS 100.000 General 
Personnel Records and USPS 100.400 Personnel Compensation and Payroll 
Records, provided below in their entirety, are as follows:

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER

USPS 100.000, General Personnel Records

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    All USPS facilities and personnel offices; Integrated Business 
Solutions Services Centers; National Personnel Records Center; Human 
Resources Information Systems; Human Resources Shared Services Center; 
Headquarters; Computer Operations Service Centers; and contractor 
sites.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Director, Human Resources, USPS OIG, 1735 N Lynn Street, Arlington, 
VA 22209-2020, (703) 248-2197.
    Vice President, Employee Resource Management, United States Postal 
Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-4200; (202) 268-
3783.
    Vice President, Labor Relations, United States Postal Service, 475 
L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-4100; (202) 268-7447.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    39 U.S.C. 401, 410, 1001, 1005, and 1206.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    1. To perform routine personnel functions.
    2. To maintain a source of readily available information on 
employees for administrative purposes.
    3. To administer the grievance and appeal procedure for 
nonbargaining unit employees.
    4. To match a vacant position to the most qualified candidate in 
bids for preferred assignment.
    5. To provide public relations information on USPS management 
personnel.
    6. To provide federal benefit information to retired employees.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Current and former USPS employees, their family members, and former 
spouses who apply and qualify for federal employee benefits under 
public law.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    1. Employee, former employee, and family member information: 
Name(s), Social Security Number(s), Employee Identification Number, 
date(s) of birth, place(s) of birth, marital status, postal assignment 
information, work contact information, home address(es) and phone 
number(s), personal email address, finance number(s), duty location, 
and pay location.
    2. Official Personnel Folder (OPF) or eOPF (electronic version): 
Records related to appointment support, prior federal civilian 
employment, postal employment, personnel actions, anniversary dates, 
retirement, benefits, and compensation.
    3. Automated employee information: Records generated, approved, and 
stored by electronic means such as Notification of Personnel Actions, 
health benefit elections, tax withholding changes, and address changes.
    4. Reference copies of all discipline or adverse actions: Letters 
of warning; notices of removal, suspension and/or reduction in grade or 
pay; letters of decisions; and documents relating to these actions. 
These are used only to refute inaccurate statements by witnesses before 
a judicial or administrative body. They may not be maintained in the 
employee's OPF or eOPF but must be maintained in a separate file by 
Labor Relations.
    5. Nonbargaining unit employee discipline, grievance, and appeals 
records.
    6. Job bidding records: Records related to the employee's bid for a 
preferred assignment.
    7. Biographical summaries: Records and photographs used for public 
relations purposes.
    8. Level 2 supervisors' notes: Records of discussions, letters of 
warning, and any other relevant official records being maintained at 
the supervisor's discretion for the purpose of enabling effective 
management of personnel. (A level 2 supervisor directly supervises 
bargaining unit employees.)
    9. Email Addresses: personal email address(es) for retired 
employees are retained in a separate database and file from other 
current and former employee information.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Employees; employees' supervisors; USPS customers; law enforcement 
agencies; individuals who are personal references; former employers, 
including other federal agencies; and other systems of records.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    Standard routine uses 1. through 9. apply. In addition:
    a. Job bidding records may be disclosed on official bulletin boards 
in Postal Service facilities and to supervisory and other managerial 
organizations recognized by USPS.
    b. Records pertaining to financial institutions and to nonfederal 
insurance carriers and benefits providers elected by an employee may be 
disclosed for the purposes of salary payment or allotments, eligibility 
determination, claims, and payment of benefits.
    c. Records may be disclosed to the National Labor Relations Board 
(NLRB) in response to its request for investigative purposes, to the 
extent that the requested information is relevant and necessary.
    d. Disclosure of the employee name and past or present grade, duty 
station, dates of employment, job title, and salary information may be 
made to a credit bureau or other commercial firm from which a current 
or former postal employee is seeking credit.
    e. Disclosure of a current or former postal employee's name and 
past or present grade, duty station, dates of employment, job title, 
salary information, date and reason for separation may be made to a 
prospective employer upon request. With respect to former employees, 
the reason for separation must be limited to one of the following 
terms: Retired, resigned, or separated.

[[Page 6024]]

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Automated database, computer storage media, digital files, and 
paper files. Duplicates of records in the OPF or eOPF and automated 
employee data may be maintained for localized employee administration 
or supervision. Records may be filed at offices other than where OPF or 
eOPF is located, or may be duplicated at a site closer to where the 
employee works.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    By name, Social Security Number, Employee Identification Number, or 
duty or pay location.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    1. Permanent OPF or eOPF records are permanently retained. 
Temporary OPF or eOPF records are generally retained 2 years and are 
purged upon the employee's separation from USPS.
    2. Except as otherwise provided by a collective bargaining 
agreement, original or copies of discipline or adverse actions are 
maintained up to 2 years; or, if an additional or more recent 
disciplinary action has been taken, for a longer period. After 2 years, 
or lesser time specified in the decision, the employee may request the 
disciplinary record be purged from the OPF or eOPF provided no 
subsequent discipline was issued. Records that support a PS Form 50, 
Notification of Personnel Action, e.g., the separation of an employee 
for cause or the resignation of an employee pending charges, are 
considered permanent records and may not be purged at the request of an 
employee.
    3. Reference copies of discipline or adverse actions. These records 
are kept for historical purposes and are not to be used for decisions 
about the employee. The retention of these records may not exceed 10 
years beyond the employee's separation date. The records are maintained 
longer if the employee is rehired during the 10-year period. They may 
not be maintained in the employee's OPF or eOPF, but must be maintained 
in a separate file by Labor Relations.
    4. Grievance and appeal records of nonbargaining unit employees are 
retained 7 years.
    5. Job bidding records are retained 2 years.
    6. Biographical summaries are retained for the duration of 
employment.
    7. Records to provide federal benefit information to retired 
employees are retained for 10 years. Records may be purged at the 
request of the retired employee.
    Records existing on paper are destroyed by burning, pulping, or 
shredding. Records existing on computer storage media are destroyed 
according to the applicable USPS media sanitization practice.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Paper records, computers, and computer storage media are located in 
controlled-access areas under supervision of program personnel. Access 
to these areas is limited to authorized personnel, who must be 
identified with a badge. Nonbargaining unit employee discipline, 
grievance, and appeals records maintained outside the OPF (hard or soft 
copy) are kept in locked filing cabinets or secured record storage 
rooms; and related automated records are protected with password 
security. Computers are protected by mechanical locks, card key 
systems, or other physical access control methods. The use of computer 
systems is regulated with installed security software, computer logon 
identifications, and operating system controls including access 
controls, terminal and transaction logging, and file management 
software.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Requests for access must be made in accordance with the 
Notification Procedure above and USPS Privacy Act regulations regarding 
access to records and verification of identity under 39 CFR 266.6.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    See Notification Procedures below and Record Access Procedures 
above.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Individuals wanting to know if information about them is maintained 
in this system must address inquiries to the facility head where 
currently or last employed. Headquarters employees must submit 
inquiries to Corporate Personnel Management, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 
Washington, DC 20260. Inquiries must include full name, Social Security 
Number or Employee Identification Number, name and address of facility 
where last employed, and the dates of USPS employment.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    Records in this system that have been compiled in reasonable 
anticipation of a civil action or proceeding are exempt from individual 
access as permitted by 5 U.S.C. 552a(d)(5). The USPS has also claimed 
exemption from certain provisions of the Act for several of its other 
systems of records at 39 CFR 266.9. To the extent that copies of 
exempted records from those other systems are incorporated into this 
system, the exemptions applicable to the original primary system 
continue to apply to the incorporated records.

HISTORY:
    January 26, 2018, 83 FR 3777; July 19, 2013, 78 FR 43247; February 
22, 2013, 78 FR 12368; June 17, 2011, 76 FR 35483; April 29, 2005, 70 
FR 22516; December 16, 2002, 67 FR 77086.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER

USPS 100.400, Personnel Compensation and Payroll Records

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    USPS Area and District Human Resources offices, the Human Resources 
Shared Services Center, Integrated Business Solutions Services Centers, 
Computer Operations Services Centers, Accounting Services Centers, 
other area and district facilities, Headquarters, contractor sites, and 
all organizational units.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Chief Human Resource Officer and Executive Vice President, United 
States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-
4000; (202) 268-2828.
    Vice President, Employee Resource Management, United States Postal 
Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-4200; (202) 268-
3783.
    Vice President, Controller, United States Postal Service, 475 
L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-5200; (202) 268-5521.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    39 U.S.C. 401, 409, 410, 1001, 1003, 1004, 1005, and 1206; and 29 
U.S.C. 2601 et seq.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    1. To support all necessary compensation and payroll activities and 
related management functions.
    2. To generate lists of employee information for home mailings, 
dues membership, and other personnel support functions.
    3. To generate retirement eligibility information and analysis of 
employees in various salary ranges.
    4. To administer the purchase of uniforms.
    5. To administer monetary awards programs and employee contests.
    6. To detect improper payment related to injury compensation 
claims.

[[Page 6025]]

    7. To adjudicate employee claims for loss or damage to their 
personal property in connection with or incident to their postal 
duties.
    8. To process garnishment of employee wages.
    9. To support statistical research and reporting.
    10. To generate W-2 and 1095-C information for use with external 
third party tax preparation services at the request of the individual 
employee.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    1. Current and former USPS employees and postmaster relief/leave 
replacement employees.
    2. Current and former employees' family members, beneficiaries, and 
former spouses who apply and qualify for benefits.
    3. An agent or survivor of an employee who makes a claim for loss 
or damage to personal property.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    1. Employee and family member information: Name(s), Social Security 
Number(s), Employee Identification Number, ACE ID, date(s) of birth, 
postal assignment information, work contact information, home 
address(es) and phone number(s), finance number(s), occupation code; 
occupation title; duty location, and pay location.
    2. Compensation and payroll information: Records related to 
payroll, annual salary, hourly rate, Rate Schedule Code (RSC) or pay 
type, payments, deductions, compensation, and benefits; uniform items 
purchased; proposals and decisions under monetary awards; suggestion 
programs and contests; injury compensation; monetary claims for 
personal property loss or damage; and garnishment of wages.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Employees; employees' supervisor or manager; other systems of 
records; claimants or their survivors or agents who make monetary 
claims; witnesses; investigative sources; courts; and insurance 
companies.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    Standard routine uses 1. through 9. apply. In addition:
    a. Records pertaining to financial institutions and to nonfederal 
insurance carriers and benefits providers elected by an employee may be 
disclosed for the purposes of salary payment or allotments, eligibility 
determination, claims, and payment of benefits.
    b. Records pertaining to supervisors and postmasters may be 
disclosed to supervisory and other managerial organizations recognized 
by USPS.
    c. Records pertaining to recipients of monetary awards may be 
disclosed to the news media when the information is of news interest 
and consistent with the public's right to know.
    d. Disclosure of records about current or former Postal Service 
employees may be made to requesting states under an approved computer 
matching program to determine employee participation in, and 
eligibility under, unemployment insurance programs administered by the 
states (and by those states to local governments), to improve program 
integrity, and to collect debts and overpayments owed to those 
governments and their components.
    e. Disclosure of records about current or former Postal Service 
employees may be made to requesting federal agencies or nonfederal 
entities under approved computer matching programs to make a 
determination of employee participation in, and eligibility under, 
particular benefit programs administered by those agencies or entities 
or by USPS; to improve program integrity; to collect debts and 
overpayments owed under those programs and to provide employees with 
due process rights prior to initiating any salary offset; and to 
identify those employees who are absent parents owing child support 
obligations and to collect debts owed as a result.
    f. Disclosure of records about current or former Postal Service 
employees may be made, upon request, to the Department of Defense (DoD) 
under approved computer matching programs to identify Postal Service 
employees who are ready reservists for the purposes of updating DoD's 
listings of ready reservists and to report reserve status information 
to USPS and the Congress; and to identify retired military employees 
who are subject to restrictions under the Dual Compensation Act and to 
take subsequent actions to reduce military retired pay or collect debts 
and overpayments.
    g. Disclosure of records may be made to the Internal Revenue 
Service under approved computer matching programs to identify current 
or former Postal Service employees who owe delinquent federal taxes or 
returns and to collect the unpaid taxes by levy on the salary of those 
individuals pursuant to Internal Revenue Code; and to make a 
determination as to the proper reporting of income tax purposes of an 
employee's wages, expenses, compensation, reimbursement, and taxes 
withheld and to take corrective action as warranted.
    h. Disclosure of the records about current or recently terminated 
Postal Service employees may be made to the Department of 
Transportation (DOT) under an approved computer matching program to 
identify individuals who appear in DOT's National Driver Register 
Problem Driver Pointer System. The matching results are used only to 
determine as a general matter whether commercial license suspension 
information within the pointer system would be beneficial in making 
selections of USPS motor vehicle and tractor-trailer operator personnel 
and will not be used for actual selection decisions.
    i. Disclosure of records about current or former Postal Service 
employees may be made to the Department of Health and Human Services 
under an approved computer matching program for further release to 
state child support enforcement agencies when needed to locate 
noncustodial parents, to establish and/or enforce child support 
obligations, and to locate parents who may be involved in parental 
kidnapping or child custody cases.
    j. Disclosure of records about current or former Postal Service 
employees may be made to the Department of the Treasury under Treasury 
Offset Program computer matching to establish the identity of the 
employee as an individual owing a delinquent debt to another federal 
agency and to offset the salary of the employee to repay that debt.
    k. Disclosure of employment and wage data records about current 
Postal Service employees may be made to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
for use in their Occupational Employment Statistics program for the 
purpose of developing estimates of the number of jobs in certain 
occupations, and estimates of the wages paid to them.
    l. Disclosure of W-2 and 1095-C tax information records to external 
third party tax preparation services.
    m. Disclosure of the employee name and past or present grade, duty 
station, dates of employment, job title, and salary information may be 
made to a credit bureau or other commercial firm from which a current 
or former postal employee is seeking credit.
    n. Disclosure of a current or former postal employee's name and 
past or present grade, duty station, dates of employment, job title, 
salary information, date and reason for separation may be made to a 
prospective employer upon request. With respect to former employees, 
the reason for separation must be limited to one of the following 
terms: Retired, resigned, or separated.

[[Page 6026]]

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Automated database, computer storage media, digital files, and 
paper files.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    By employee name, Social Security Number, Employee Identification 
Number, occupation code, occupation title, or duty or pay location.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    1. Leave application and unauthorized overtime records are retained 
3 years. Time and attendance records (other than payroll) and local 
payroll records are retained 3 years. Automated payroll records are 
retained 10 years.
    2. Uniform allowance case files are retained 3 years; and automated 
records are retained 6 years.
    3. Records of monetary awards with a status that they have been 
processed, processing failed, cancelled, and reported (Service Award 
Pins, Retirement Service Awards, Posthumous Service Awards) are 
retained 7 years, as payroll records would have been affected/
processed. Records of award submissions with the status approved, 
deleted, and/or draft are retained 31 days, as payroll records would 
not have been affected/processed.
    4. Records of employee submitted ideas are maintained for 90 days 
after being closed.
    5. Injury compensation records are retained 5 years. Records 
resulting in affirmative identifications become part of a research case 
file, which if research determines applicability, become either part of 
an investigative case record or a remuneration case record that is 
retained 2 years beyond the determination.
    6. Monetary claims records are retained 3 years.
    7. Automated records of garnishment cases are retained 6 months. 
Records located at a Post Office are retained 3 years.
    8. Overtime administrative records are retained for 7 years.
    9. Tax preparation records are limited to an employee's previous 
year's wages, tax documentation and health insurance coverage as 
required by the Affordable Care Act
    Records existing on paper are destroyed by burning, pulping, or 
shredding. Records existing on computer storage media are destroyed 
according to the applicable USPS media sanitization practice.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Paper records, computers, and computer storage media are located in 
controlled-access areas under supervision of program personnel. Access 
to these areas is limited to authorized personnel, who must be 
identified with a badge. Access to records is limited to individuals 
whose official duties require such access. Contractors and licensees 
are subject to contract controls and unannounced on-site audits and 
inspections. Computers are protected by mechanical locks, card key 
systems, or other physical access control methods. The use of computer 
systems is regulated with installed security software, computer logon 
identifications, and operating system controls including access 
controls, terminal and transaction logging, and file management 
software.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Requests for access must be made in accordance with the 
Notification Procedure above and USPS Privacy Act regulations regarding 
access to records and verification of identity under 39 CFR 266.6.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    See Notification Procedures below and Record Access Procedures 
above.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Individuals wanting to know if information about them is maintained 
in this system must address inquiries to the facility head where 
currently or last employed. Headquarters employees must submit 
inquiries to Corporate Personnel Management, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 
Washington, DC 20260. Inquiries must include full name, Social Security 
Number or Employee Identification Number, name and address of facility 
where last employed, and dates of USPS employment.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    Records in this system relating to injury compensation that have 
been compiled in reasonable anticipation of a civil action or 
proceeding are exempt from individual access as permitted by 5 U.S.C. 
552a(d)(5). The USPS has also claimed exemption from certain provisions 
of the Act for several of its other systems of records at 39 CFR 266.9. 
To the extent that copies of exempted records from those other systems 
are incorporated into this system, the exemptions applicable to the 
original primary system continue to apply to the incorporated records.

HISTORY:
    February 23, 2017, 82 FR 11489; March 2, 2015, 80 FR 11241; June 
17, 2011, 76 FR 35483; April 29, 2005, 70 FR 22516.
* * * * *

Brittany M. Johnson,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2019-03183 Filed 2-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7710-12-P