Office of Personnel Management October 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing final regulations to revise the rules governing the authority to offer student loan repayment benefits to Federal job candidates or current Federal employees when necessary to recruit or retain highly qualified personnel. These revisions include certain policy changes and clarifications to assist agencies in the administration of the Federal student loan repayment program.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting as a final rule an interim rule that implemented a change to the definition of ``active duty'' for veterans' preference entitlement contained in Sec. 211.102(f) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations regarding documentation required for appointments of disabled veterans. The purpose of this change is to provide consistency with the policy implemented by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting as final, without change, the proposed rule published April 7, 2008 to remove the designation of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR).

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published in the Federal Register of September 26, 2008 (73 FR 56344) a final rule governing the operation of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), a human resources management system for DoD, as originally authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 and amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. This correction document clarifies the effective date of the final rule.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, May 22, 1995), this notice announces that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of an expiring information collection. This information collection, ``Claim for Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Civilian Employee'' (OMB Control No. 3206- 0234; SF 1153), is used to collect information from individuals who have been designated as beneficiaries of the unpaid compensation of a deceased Federal civilian employee or who believe that their relationship to the deceased entitles them to receive the unpaid compensation of the deceased employee. OPM needs this information in order to adjudicate the claim and properly assign a deceased Federal civilian employee's unpaid compensation to the appropriate individuals(s). We received no comments on our 60-day notice on this information collection (SF 1153), published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2008. Approximately 3,000 SF 1153 forms are submitted annually. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete the form. The annual estimated burden is 750 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Margaret A. Miller by telephone at (202) 606-2699, by FAX at (202) 418-3251, or by e-mail at Margaret.Miller@opm.gov. Please include your 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 comment on a revised information collection. This information collection, ``Financial Resources Questionnaire'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0167; form RI 34-1), collects detailed financial information for use by OPM to determine whether to agree to a waiver, compromise, or adjustment of the collection of erroneous payments from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. ``Notice of Amount Due Because Of Annuity Overpayment'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0167; form RI 34-3), informs the annuitant about the overpayment and collects information from the annuitant about how repayment will be made. 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 520 RI 34-1 and 1,561 RI 34-3 forms are completed annually. Each form takes approximately 60 minutes to complete. The annual estimated burden is 520 hours and 1,561 hours respectively. The total annual estimated burden is 2,081 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Margaret A. Miller by telephone at (202) 606-2699, by FAX (202) 418-3251, or by e-mail at Margaret.Miller@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is adopting as final a proposed rule, with certain minor changes, that sets forth procedures that requesters have to follow when making demands on or requests to an OPM employee to produce official records and information, and provide testimony relating to official information, in connection with a legal proceeding in which OPM is not a party. This final rule establishes procedures to respond to such demands and requests in an orderly and consistent manner. The rule, among other benefits, will promote uniformity in decisions, protect confidential information, provide guidance to requesters, and reduce the potential for both inappropriate disclosures of official information and wasteful allocation of agency resources.