U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

SUMMARY: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Quasette Crowner, Chief, Executive Resources Group, Center for Leadership and Executive Resources Policy, Division for Strategic Human Resources Policy, 202-606-8046.
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SUMMARY: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allan Hearne, (202) 606-2838; FAX: (202) 606-4264; e-mail: pay-performance-policy@opm.gov.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations on changes in health benefits enrollment for annuitants or survivor annuitants when a carrier terminates participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. We are amending the regulations to give OPM the authority to enroll annuitants in whichever option of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) Service Benefit Plan it determines will most closely approximate the terminated plan.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nataya Battle, (202) 606-1874, or email to nataya.battle@opm.gov.
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SUMMARY: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Ellen Wilson, (202) 606-0299.
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SUMMARY: 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Sparrow, (202) 606-1803.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation amending the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR). This regulation provides additional contract cost principles and procedures for FEHB Program experience- rated contracts and is intended to clarify our requirements and enhance our oversight of FEHB carriers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Easton, Manager, at 202-606-0770, by fax: (202) 606-0633, or e-mail aseaston@opm.gov.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this final regulation to amend the Federal Employees Health Benefits Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR). It establishes requirements, including audit, for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) experience-rated carriers' Large Provider Agreements. It also modifies the dollar threshold for review of carriers' subcontract agreements; revises the definitions of Cost or Pricing Data and Experience-rate to reflect mental health parity requirements; updates the contract records retention requirement; updates the FEHB Clause Matrix; and conforms subpart and paragraph references to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) revisions made since we last updated the FEHBAR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Easton, Manager, at 202-606-0770 or e-mail aseaston@opm.gov.
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