Office of Personnel Management December 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing changes to the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program regulations to provide for the new election opportunities for certain civilian and Defense Department employees deployed in support of a contingency operation required by Public Law 110-417; to provide for the continuation of coverage opportunities for Federal employees called to active duty required by Public Law 110-181; and to update the regulations with other changes, clarifications, and corrections.

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 revised information collection. ``Representative Payee Application'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0140; Form RI 20-7), is used by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to collect information from persons applying to be fiduciaries for annuitants or survivor annuitants who appear to be incapable of handling their own funds or for minor children. ``Information Necessary for a Competency Determination'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0140; Form RI 30-3), collects medical information regarding the annuitant's competency for OPM's use in evaluating the annuitant's condition.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to add a new Category of Records and a new Routine Use to OPM/GOVT-1, General Personnel Records, System of Records. 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 records maintained by the agency (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4)). OPM last published OPM/Govt-1 on June 19, 2006 (FR Vol. 71, Number 117).

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 revised information collection. ``It's Time to Sign Up for Direct Deposit'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0226; Form RI 38-128), is primarily used by OPM to give recent retirees the opportunity to waive Direct Deposit of their annuity payments. The form is sent only if the separating agency did not give the retiring employee this election opportunity. This form may also be used to enroll in Direct Deposit, which was its primary use before Public Law 104-134 was passed. This law requires OPM to make all annuity payments by Direct Deposit unless the payee has waived the service in writing.

The Automated Services Management Group, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an existing information collection request (ICR) 3206-0040, Occupational Questionnaire, OPM Form 1203-FX. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35) as amended by the Clinger-Cohen Act (Pub. L. 104- 106), OPM is soliciting comments for this collection. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2009 at Volume 74 FR 47981 allowing for a 60-day public comment period. We received 3 comments and responded to them. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that:

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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is amending its regulations to implement certain training and development requirements contained in the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-411) and to make other revisions in OPM regulations. The Act makes several significant changes in the law governing the training and development of Federal employees, supervisors, managers, and executives. The first change requires each agency to: evaluate, on a regular basis, its training programs and plans with respect to the accomplishment of its specific performance plans and strategic goals, and modify its training plans and programs as needed to accomplish the agency's performance plans and strategic goals. Public Law 108-411 requires agencies to consult with OPM to establish comprehensive management succession programs designed to provide training to employees to develop managers for the agency. It also requires agencies, in consultation with OPM, to establish programs to provide training to managers regarding actions, options, and strategies a manager may use in relating to employees with unacceptable performance, mentoring employees, improving employee performance and productivity, and conducting employee performance appraisals. Another change we are including, not related to the Act, is the removal of the extension for submitting training data. This change is the result of a policy decision by OPM as the extension request is no longer validrequests were only granted up to December 2007.

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 an existing information collection. ``Annuity Supplement Earnings Report'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0194; Form RI 92-22), is used each year to obtain the earned income of each Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuitant receiving an annuity supplement. The annuity supplement is paid to eligible FERS annuitants who are not retired on disability and are not yet age 62. The supplement approximates the portion of a full career Social Security benefit earned while under FERS and ends at age 62. Like Social Security benefits, the annuity supplement is subject to an earnings limitation.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations governing Federal adverse actions. The final regulations clarify the adverse action rules regarding reductions in pay. In addition, the final regulations remove unnecessary subparts pertaining to statutory requirements, make a number of technical corrections, and utilize consistent language for similar regulatory requirements. The changes also include various revisions to make the regulations more readable.