Office of Personnel Management – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 and the Computer Matching and Privacy Protections Amendment of 1990 (Privacy Act), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on the conduct of matching programs, notice is hereby given of the re-establishment of a matching program between the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) (Computer Matching Agreement 1071).

Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 and the Computer Matching Privacy Protections Amendment of 1990 (Privacy Act), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on the conduct of matching programs, notice is hereby given of the reestablishment of a matching program between the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) (Computer Matching Agreement 1045).

The Administrative Law Judge Program Office, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an existing information collection request (ICR) 3206-0248, OPM Form 1655, Application for Senior Administrative Law Judge, and OPM Form 1655-A, Geographic Preference Statement for Senior Administrative Law Judge Applicant. As required, OPM is soliciting comments for this collection. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on May 18, 2021 allowing for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received for this information collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing an interim rule, with an opportunity for comment, to amend its career and career- conditional employment regulations. The revision is necessary to implement section 1108 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, which requires OPM to issue regulations, in interim final form, implementing hiring authorities that allow agencies to hire certain post-secondary students into positions at specified grades in the competitive service. The intended effect of the authority is to provide additional flexibility in hiring eligible and qualified individuals.

This document sets forth interim final rules implementing certain provisions of the No Surprises Act, which was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. These interim final rules amend and add provisions to existing rules under the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Public Health Service Act, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act. These interim final rules implement provisions of the No Surprises Act that protect participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees in group health plans and group and individual health insurance coverage from surprise medical bills when they receive emergency services, non-emergency services from nonparticipating providers at participating facilities, and air ambulance services from nonparticipating providers of air ambulance services, under certain circumstances. In this rulemaking, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) are issuing interim final rules with largely parallel provisions that apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage. HHS is also issuing in this rulemaking additional interim final rules that apply to emergency departments of hospitals and independent freestanding emergency departments, health care providers and facilities, and providers of air ambulance services related to the protections against surprise billing. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing in this rulemaking interim final rules that specify how certain provisions of the No Surprises Act apply to health benefits plans offered by carriers under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act (FEHBA).

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Human Resources Solutions Division, offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an existing information collection request (ICR) 3206-0246, SFS Registration System. The information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on April 1, 2021 allowing for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received for this information collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 as amended by the Clinger-Cohen Act, this notice announces that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review of an expiring information collection. Standard Form 1153, Claim for Unpaid Compensation for Deceased Civilian Employee, is used to collect information from individuals who have been designated as beneficiaries of the unpaid compensation of a deceased Federal employee who believe that their relationship to the deceased entitles them to receive the unpaid compensation of the deceased Federal employee. OPM needs this information in order to adjudicate the claim and properly assign a deceased Federal employee's unpaid compensation to the appropriate individual(s).

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a revised information collection request (ICR), CSRS/FERS Designation of Beneficiary, Standard Form 3102.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to revise the table of reduction factors for early commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986. These rules are necessary to ensure that the tables conform to the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries and published in the Federal Register on March 29, 2021, as required by law.

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection request (ICR) with minor edits, Marital Status Certification Survey, RI 25-7.

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection request (ICR) with minor edits, Request for Change to Unreduced Annuity, RI 20-120.

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection request (ICR) with minor edits, Alternative Annuity Election, RI 20-80.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renew a previously-approved information collection, Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF 85).

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection (ICR) with minor edits, Financial Resources Questionnaire (RI 34-1, RI 34-17, and RI 34-18) and Notice of Amount Due Because Of Annuity Overpayment (RI 34-3, RI 34-19, and RI 34-20). This ICR has been revised in the following manner: The display of the OMB control number and an updated edition date.

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 collection, Organizational Surveys. OPM is requesting approval of Organizational Assessment Surveys, Supplemental OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys, Exit Surveys, New Leaders Onboarding Assessments, New Employee Surveys, Training Needs Assessment Surveys, and custom Program Evaluation surveys as a part of this collection. Approval of the organizational surveys is necessary to collect information on Federal agency and program performance, climate, engagement, and leadership effectiveness.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a revised information collection request (ICR) 3206-0248, OPM Form 1655, Application for Senior Administrative Law Judge, and OPM Form 1655-A, Geographic Preference Statement for Senior Administrative Law Judge Applicant.

The President adjusted the rates of basic pay and locality payments for certain Federal civilian employees effective in January 2021. The Executive order authorizes a 1.0 percent across-the-board increase for statutory pay systems and provides that locality percentages will remain at 2020 levels. This notice serves as documentation for the public record.

This notice identifies Schedule A, B, and C appointing authorities applicable to a single agency that were established or revoked from January 1, 2021 to January 31, 2021.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this final rule to implement the provisions of the ``Correcting Miscalculations in Veterans' Pensions Act.'' This Act provides authority for agencies and OPM to pay, at their discretion, interest on certain deposits (post- 1956 military service deposits and service credit deposits for voluntary service with the Peace Corps and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)) when additional interest is assessed due to administrative error. Agencies need to establish their own guidelines for waiver, subject to funding limitations that may prevent reimbursement by the agency. These regulations also pertain to payments made by OPM with regard to service credit deposits for volunteer service.

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection (ICR) with minor edits, Disabled Dependent Questionnaire, RI 30-10. This ICR has been revised in the following manner: The display of the OMB control number and an updated edition date.

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on an expiring information collection (ICR) with minor edits, Representative Payee Survey, RI 38-115. This ICR has been revised in the following manner: The display of the OMB control number and an updated edition date.

In this final rule, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is finalizing provisions to ensure the continuation of certain insurance benefits and services that could be impacted by a lapse in appropriations. First, this final rule implements section 1110 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20 NDAA), that designated certain Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) services as emergency services under the Antideficiency Act. Second, this rule also implements section 1110(c)(2) of FY20 NDAA that deems employees furloughed as a result of a lapse in appropriations to be in pay status, for purposes of enrolling or changing enrollment in the FEHB Program. Third, this final rule also ensures, pursuant to section 1111 of the FY20 NDAA, continuation of coverage under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) for enrollees who are furloughed or excepted from furlough and working without pay due to a lapse in appropriations, and provides that coverage may not be cancelled as a result of nonpayment of premiums or other periodic charges due to such a lapse. The rule also clarifies that upon the end of a lapse in appropriations, FEDVIP and FLTCIP premiums will be paid from back pay or may be paid back from a source other than backpay for FLTCIP enrollees who elected to make payments directly to the Carrier. This final rule adopts the proposed rule as published.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is providing notice of adjusted present value factors applicable to retirees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who elect to provide survivor annuity benefits to a spouse based on post-retirement marriage; to retiring employees who elect the alternative form of annuity, owe certain redeposits based on refunds of contributions for service ending before March 1, 1991, or elect to credit certain service with nonappropriated fund instrumentalities; or, for individuals with certain types of retirement coverage errors who can elect to receive credit for service by taking an actuarial reduction under the provisions of the Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Correction Act. This notice is necessary to conform the present value factors to changes in the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is providing notice of adjusted present value factors applicable to retirees who elect to provide survivor annuity benefits to a spouse based on post-retirement marriage, and to retiring employees who elect the alternative form of annuity or elect to credit certain service with nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. This notice is necessary to conform the present value factors to changes in the economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to promulgate regulations which administer the representative payee program authorized by statute. This proposed rule is necessary to ensure proper procedures for annuity payments due minors or individuals who are mentally incompetent or under other legal disability and are unable to manage their respective payments.