Office of Personnel Management 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 78-11, Medicare Part B Certification, collects information from annuitants, their spouses, and survivor annuitants to determine their eligibility under the Retired Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for a Government contribution toward the cost of Part B of Medicare. Approximately 100 RI 78-11 forms are completed annually. Each form requires approximately 10 minutes complete. The annual estimated burden is 17 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of a currently approved information collection. RI 38-107, Verification of Who is Getting Payments, is used to verify that the entitled person is indeed receiving the monies payable. Failure to collect this information would cause OPM to pay monies absent the assurance of the correct payee. Comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Office of Personnel Management, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological techniques or other forms of information technology. Approximately 25,400 forms are completed annually. Each form takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The annual estimated burden is 4,234 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of a revised information collection. SF 2800, Application for Death Benefits Under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), is needed to collect information so that OPM can pay death benefits to the survivors of Federal employees and annuitants. SF 2800A, Documentation and Elections in Support of Application for Death Benefits When Deceased Was an Employee at the Time of Death, is needed for deaths in service only so that survivors can make the needed elections regarding military service. Approximately 68,000 SF 2800's are processed annually. The form requires approximately 45 minutes to complete. An annual burden of 51,000 hours is estimated. Approximately 6,800 applicants will use SF 2800A annually. This form also requires approximately 45 minutes to complete. An annual burden of 5,100 hours is estimated. The total burden is 56,100 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation to amend the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Acquisition Regulation. The regulation incorporates changes in administrative policy and practices and makes clarifying language changes.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has authority to conduct demonstration projects that experiment with new and different human resources management concepts to determine whether changes in policies and procedures result in improved Federal human resources management. OPM approved a demonstration project covering several operating units of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC). OPM must approve all modifications to approved demonstration project plans. This notice proposes to further expand the coverage of the demonstration project to include two bargaining units contained within organizations already included in the project. This notice also announces the realignment of the Space Environment Center (SEC), Boulder, Colorado, from the Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the National Weather Service (NWS) of NOAA located in Boulder, Colorado. This notice also adds several new occupational series used in the project and identifies changes to the Federal Register notice document Volume 68, Number 180, on page 54506, dated Wednesday, September 17, 2003. These changes do not require waivers.

On behalf of the President's Pay Agent, the Office of Personnel Management is issuing proposed regulations on the locality pay program for General Schedule employees. The proposed regulations would merge the Kansas City, St. Louis, and Orlando locality pay areas with the Rest of U.S. locality pay area; create new locality pay areas for Buffalo, NY; Phoenix, AZ; and Raleigh, NC; add Fannin County, TX, to the Dallas-Fort Worth locality pay area; and make minor changes in the official description of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside and Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia locality pay areas. The new locality pay area definitions would become effective in January 2006.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this interim rule to revise the regulations governing the retirement coverage of air traffic controllers under the Federal Employees' Retirement System. These rules are necessary because of the recent enactment of new statutory provisions relating to the retirement definition of air traffic controllers. These rules also implement the deposit requirement for crediting past service as a second-level supervisor of air traffic controllers for retirement purposes.

OPM is publishing notice of its computer matching program with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to meet the reporting requirements of Pub. L. 100-503. The purpose of this match is to establish the conditions for disclosure of Social Security benefit information to OPM via direct computer link for the administration of programs by the Retirement Services Programs. OPM is legally required to offset specific benefits by a percentage of benefits payable under Title II of the Social Security Act. The matching will enable OPM to compute benefits at the correct rate and determine eligibility for benefits.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim regulations to implement section 301 of the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004, which amends the rules governing pay setting for employees covered by the General Schedule. In particular, we are revising provisions related to special rates, locality rates, and retained rates. The statutory and regulatory changes are designed to correct a variety of pay administration anomalies that resulted in unfair pay reductions or unwarranted pay increases, to allow locality rates and special rates to be treated in similar ways, and to improve the operation of the special rates program.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing the final regulations that set forth rules for the administration of the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP).

On February 28, 2005, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued proposed rules regarding the notification and training requirements of Title II of the No FEAR Act (70 FR 9544). The proposed rule contained a 60-day comment period. Upon further consideration, OPM has decided to reopen the initial comment period until June 28, 2005.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for extension of two previously- approved information collections for which approval will soon expire. OPM uses the two information collections, a price survey and a background survey, to gather data to be used in determining nonforeign area cost-of-living allowances (COLAs) paid to certain Federal employees in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. OPM conducts Price Surveys in the Washington, DC, area on an annual basis and once every 3 years in each allowance area on a rotating basis. Prior to these surveys, OPM conducts Background Surveys that are similar to the Price Surveys, but much more limited in scope. OPM uses the results of the Background Surveys to prepare for the Price Surveys. The COLA Price Survey is necessary for collecting living-cost data used to determine COLAs. OPM uses the Price Survey results to compare prices in the allowance areas with prices in the Washington, DC, area and to derive COLA rates where local living costs significantly exceed those in the DC area. The COLA Background Survey is necessary to determine the continued appropriateness of items, services, and businesses selected for the annual price surveys. OPM uses the Background Survey results to identify items to be priced and the outlets at which OPM will price the items in the Price Surveys. OPM will survey selected retail, service, realty, and other businesses and local governments in the allowance areas and in the Washington, DC, area. OPM will contact approximately 2,000 establishments in each annual Price Survey and approximately 100 establishments in each annual Background Survey. Participation in the surveys is voluntary. OPM estimates that the average price survey interview will take approximately 6 minutes, for a total burden of 200 hours. The average background survey interview will take approximately 6.5 minutes, for a total burden of 11 hours. For copies of this proposal, please contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey at (202) 606-8358; fax: (202) 418-3251; or E-mail: mbtoomey@opm.gov.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 25-7, Marital Status Certification Survey, is used to determine whether widows, widowers, and former spouses receiving survivor annuities from OPM have remarried before reaching age 55 and, thus, are no longer eligible for benefits from OPM. Comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Office of Personnel Management, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological techniques or other forms of information technology. Approximately 2,500 forms are completed annually. Each form takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The annual estimated burden is 625 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations modifying the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program. The regulations implement Executive Order 13318, which renames the PMI Program as the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program, with two components: Presidential Management Fellows (Fellows) and Senior Presidential Management Fellows (Senior Fellows). The regulations prescribe OPM and agency responsibilities with respect to administration of the PMF Program and amend other regulations to reflect the changes established by the Executive Order. In addition, the regulations allow the OPM Director to provide guidance for an orderly transition from the PMI Program to the PMF Program.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Central North Carolina Federal Wage System (FWS) appropriated fund wage area. The proposed rule would remove Edgecombe and Wilson Counties, NC, from the survey area and add Hoke County, NC, to the survey area. The redefinition of Edgecombe, Hoke, and Wilson Counties would align the geographic definition of the Central North Carolina wage area more closely with the regulatory criteria used to define FWS wage areas.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing final regulations to implement a change in law that requires the pay of heads of agencies and other designated employees to be calculated and paid on a biweekly basis instead of on a monthly basis. The final regulations also prescribe the circumstances under which an agency may calculate the pay of an employee on a biweekly pay period basis whose pay otherwise would be calculated on a monthly or other basis.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim regulations to implement a provision of the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004 which provides an agency with the authority to grant a newly appointed or reappointed employee credit for prior work experience that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining the employee's annual leave accrual rate.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim regulation to implement a change in law that requires the use of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit standard for concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers for an environmental differential pay category that covers Federal prevailing rate (wage) employees.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 38-45, We Need the Social Security Number of the Person Named Below, is used by the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System to identify the records of individuals with similar or the same names. It is also needed to report payments to the Internal Revenue Service. Approximately 3,000 RI 38-45 forms are completed annually. Each form requires approximately 5 minutes to complete. The annual estimated burden is 250 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, fax (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 25-37, Evidence to Prove Dependency of a Child, is designed to collect sufficient information for OPM to determine whether the surviving child of a deceased federal employee is eligible to receive benefits as a dependent child. Approximately 250 forms are completed annually. We estimate it takes approximately 60 minutes to assemble the needed documentation. The annual estimated burden is 250 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, Fax (202) 418-3251 or via E-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for review of a revised information collection. RI 20-64, Letter Reply to Request for Information, is used by the Civil Service Retirement System to provide information about the amount of annuity payable after a survivor reduction, to explain the annuity reductions required to pay for the survivor benefit, and to give the beginning rate of survivor annuity. RI 20-64A, Former Spouse Survivor Annuity Election, is used by the Civil Service Retirement System to obtain a survivor benefits election from annuitants who are eligible to elect to provide survivor benefits for a former spouse. RI 20-64B, Information on Electing a Survivor Annuity for Your Former Spouse, is a pamphlet that provides important information to retirees under the Civil Service Retirement System who want to provide a survivor annuity for a former spouse. We estimate that 30 survivor elections on RI 20-64A will be processed per year and that of these eight will use RI 20-64 to ask for information about electing a smaller survivor benefit. Form RI 20-64A requires 45 minutes to complete for a burden of 23 hours. Form RI 20-64 requires eight minutes to complete for a burden of one hour. The total burden is 24 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via E-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing interim regulations to implement a provision of the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004 which provides a higher annual leave accrual rate of 1 day (8 hours) per biweekly pay period for members of the Senior Executive Service, employees in senior-level and scientific or professional positions, and other employees covered by equivalent pay systems.

This gives notice of OPM decisions granting authority to make appointments under Schedules A, B and C in the excepted service as required by 5 CFR 6.6 and 213.103.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of a revised information collection. SF 2800, Application for Death Benefits Under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), is needed to collect information so that OPM can pay death benefits to the survivors of Federal employees and annuitants. SF 2800A, Documentation and Elections in Support of Application for Death Benefits When Deceased Was an Employee at the Time of Death, is needed for deaths in service only so that survivors can make the needed elections regarding military service. Comments are particularly invited on: Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of functions of the Office of Personnel Management, and whether it will have practical utility; whether our estimate of the public burden of this collection of information is accurate, and based on valid assumptions and methodology; and ways in which we can minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through the use of appropriate technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Approximately 68,000 SF 2800's are processed annually. The form requires approximately 45 minutes to complete. An annual burden of 51,000 hours is estimated. Approximately 6,800 applicants will use SF 2800A annually. This form also requires approximately 45 minutes to complete. An annual burden of 5,100 hours is estimated. The total burden is 56,100 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Mary Beth Smith-Toomey on (202) 606-8358, FAX (202) 418-3251 or via e-mail to mbtoomey@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.