Office of Personnel Management February 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Investigative Services (FIS), U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on the extension of an expiring information collection request (ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 3206-0165, for the General Request for Investigative Information (INV 40), the Investigative Request for Employment Data and Supervisor Information (INV 41), the Investigative Request for Personal Information (INV 42), the Investigative Request for Educational Registrar and Dean of Students Record Data (INV 43), and the Investigative Request for Law Enforcement Data (INV 44). 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is particularly interested in comments that: 1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; 2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; 3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

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. This information collection, ``Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season Express Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0201), and the Open Season Web site, Open Season Online, are used by retirees and survivors. They collect information for changing FEHB enrollments, collecting dependent and other insurance information for self and family enrollments, requesting plan brochures, requesting a change of address, requesting cancellation or suspension of FEHB benefits, asking to make payment to the Office of Personnel Management when the FEHB payment is greater than the monthly annuity amount, or for requesting FEHB plan accreditation and Customer Satisfaction Survey information. We receive approximately 350,100 responses per year to the IVR system and the online web. Each response takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The annual burden is 58,350 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Cyrus S. Benson on (202) 606- 4808, FAX (202) 606-0910 or via E-mail to Cyrus.Benson@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 comments on an extension, without change, of a currently approved information collection. This information collection, ``Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement: Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)'' (OMB Control No. 3206-0190; Form RI 92-19), is used by separated employees to apply for either a deferred or a postponed FERS annuity benefit. Approximately 1,964 forms are completed annually. We estimate it takes approximately 60 minutes to complete the form. The annual estimated burden is 1,964 hours. For copies of this proposal, contact Cyrus S. Benson on (202) 606- 4808, FAX (202) 606-0910 or via E-mail to Cyrus.Benson@opm.gov. Please include a mailing address with your request.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing a final rule to define Tulsa County, Oklahoma, as an area of application to the Oklahoma, OK, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area and Angelina County, Texas, as an area of application to the Dallas, TX, NAF FWS wage area. These changes are necessary because there are NAF FWS employees working in Tulsa and Angelina Counties and the counties are not currently defined to NAF wage areas. In addition, this final rule correctly amends the Nationwide Schedule of Nonappropriated Fund Regular Wage Schedules by removing, under the State of California, ``Santa Clara,'' which was abolished as a NAF FWS wage area by a final rule published on March 9, 2009.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine the geographic boundaries of the Northeastern Arizona and Southern Colorado appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. The proposed rule would redefine Dolores, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan, and San Miguel Counties, CO, and the Curecanti National Recreation Area portion of Gunnison County, CO, from the Southern Colorado wage area to the Northeastern Arizona wage area. These changes are based on recent consensus recommendations of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee to best match the counties proposed for redefinition to a nearby FWS survey area. No other changes are proposed for the Northeastern Arizona and Southern Colorado FWS wage areas.

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a revision to information collection request (ICR) 3206-0193, Combined Federal Campaign, OPM Form 1417. 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 Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that: 1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; 2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; 3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.