CPM 2005-23

November 22, 2005

MEMORANDUM FOR CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICERS

Before January 1st of each year, agencies must submit a written report to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on their use of student loan repayments during the previous fiscal year. We request your fiscal year 2005 report by December 31, 2005. If your agency did not provide any student loan repayments during fiscal year 2005, please submit a negative report and specify whether your agency has established, is in the process of establishing, or does not intend to establish a student loan repayment program. If applicable, please indicate the primary reason(s) your agency does not use student loan repayments as a recruitment or retention tool.

Agencies are authorized to establish a program under which they may agree to repay certain Federally insured student loans in order to recruit or retain highly qualified personnel. The annual reporting requirement is established by law (5 U.S.C. 5379(h)(1)) and OPM regulations (5 CFR 537.110(b)). Each report must contain the following data for fiscal year 2005 (October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005):

1. The number of Federal employees who received student loan repayment benefits;
2. The job classification of each recipient (i.e., pay plan, occupational series, and job title); and
3. The total dollar amount of student loan repayment benefits provided.

In addition, because of the considerable interest in agencies’ use of this valuable human capital management tool, we invite you to provide additional information about your agency’s student loan repayment program. For example, we welcome information regarding best practices, lessons learned, program effectiveness, metrics used to measure program success, establishing a business case, problem areas, or other relevant details about your agency’s use of student loan repayments as a recruitment or retention incentive. Also, please identify any ways OPM can further assist you in implementing and administering your student loan repayment program.

Each report must include data for an entire department or independent agency. Therefore, departments and agencies must consolidate information from components or bureaus before forwarding a report to OPM.

Please submit your report by email to pay-performance-policy@opm.gov. Please include in your report the name of a point of contact and his or her phone number and email address.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Gene Holson of OPM’s Pay and Leave Administration Group at pay-performance-policy@opm.gov.

cc: Human Resources Directors