SORN 09-90-0019

System name: Special Employment Program Records, HHS/OS/ASPER.

Security classification:  None.

System location:  Personnel Offices shown in Applicants for Employment Records, HHS System 09-90-0006, Appendix 1 and operating offices in organizational unit services by those personnel offices.

Categories of individuals covered by the system:  Current Federal employees of the Department who are participating in special employment programs.

Categories of records in the system:  This system consists of a variety of records relating to an employee's participation in special employment programs such as the Upward Mobility College, START, STRIDE, ACCESS, worker Trainee Opportunity, Junior Fellows, Management Intern, Personnel Intern and the HHS Fellows Program. Examples of information which this records system may contain include the employee's name, SSN, program enrolled in, employing agency, grade, job title, job series, sex, date of birth, status, education background, handicap code, application for employment, position description, assignment evaluations, Veterans preference, job counseling records, and letters of reference and recommendations.

Authority for maintenance of the system:  5. U.S.C. 1301, 3301, 7151 et seq., Executive Order 11813.

Purpose(s):

Records are used by personnel offices and operating officials to select individuals for and monitor their progress in special employment programs; employee development and career planning; and as a basis for taking personnel actions. These records are maintained in each component of the Department.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:

Information in this system may be used:

(1) By the Office of Personnel Management, Merit Systems Protection Board (including its Office of the Special Counsel), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority (including the General Counsel of the Authority and the Federal Service Impasses Panel) in carrying out their functions.

(2) In the event that this system of records indicates a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature, and whether arising by general statute or particular program statute, or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, the relevant records in the system of records may be referred, as a routine use, to the appropriate agency, whether federal, or

foreign, charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, or rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.

(3) A record from this system of records may be disclosed as a “routine use'' to a federal, state or local agency maintaining civil, criminal or other relevant enforcement records or other pertinent records, such as current licenses, if necessary to obtain a record relevant to an agency decision concerning the hiring or retention of an employee, the issuance of a security clearance, the letting of a contract, or the issuance of a license, grant or other benefit.

A record from this system of records may be disclosed to a federal agency, in response to its request, in connection with the hiring or retention of an employee, the issuance of a security clearance, the reporting of an investigation of an employee, the letting of a contract, or the issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit by the requesting agency, to the extent that the record is relevant and necessary to the requesting agency's decision on the matter.

(4) In the event that this system of records indicates a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature, and whether arising by general statute or particular program statute, or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, the relevant records in the system of records may be referred, as a routine use to the appropriate agency, whether state or local charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, or rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.

(5) Where federal agencies having the power to subpoena other federal agencies' records, such as the Internal Revenue Service or  the Civil Rights Commission, issue a subpoena to the Department for records in this system of records, the Department will make such records available.

(6) Where a contract between a component of the Department and a labor organization recognized under E.O. 11491 or 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71 provides that the agency will disclose personal records relevant to the organization's mission, records in this system of records may be disclosed to such organization.

(7) The Department contemplates that it will contract with a private firm for the purpose of collating, analyzing, aggregating or otherwise refining records in this system. Relevant records will be disclosed to such a contractor. The contractor shall be required to maintain Privacy Act safeguards with respect to such records.

(8) Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the congressional office made at the request of that individual.

(9) In the event of litigation where the defendant is (a) the Department, any component of the Department, or any employee of the Department in his or her official capacity; (b) the United States where the Department determines that the claim, if successful, is likely to directly affect the operations of the Department or any of its components; or (c) any Department employee in his or

her individual capacity where the Justice Department has agreed to represent such employee, the Department may disclose such records as it deems desirable or necessary to the Department of Justice to enable that Department to present an effective defense, provided such disclosure is compatible with the purposes for which the records collected.

(10) Records may be disclosed to student volunteers, individuals working under a personal services contract, and other individuals performing functions for the Department but technically not having the status of agency employees, if they need access to the records in order to perform their assigned agency functions.

Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:

Storage:  Information in this system of records is maintained in file folders, data tape and punch cards.

Retrievability:  Records are retrievable by name and SSN.

Safeguards:  Access and use of these records are limited to those persons whose official duties require such access.

Retention and disposal:  Records are retained for two years after the individual's participation in a special placement program ends, and are then destroyed. (See HHS Personnel Instruction 293-1, Exhibit X293-1-2, item 9.)

System manager(s) and address:  Personnel Officers shown in Applicants for Employment Records, HHS System 09-90-0006, Appendix 1, who service organizational units in which the participant is employed.

Notification procedure:  Same as above. Individuals should include their name, SSN, grade, title, and organization when contacting the system manager.

Record access procedures:  Same as notification procedures. Requesters should also reasonably specify the record contents being sought. (These access procedures are in accordance with Department Regulations (45 CFR 5b.5(a)(2)) Federal Register, October 8, 1975, page 47410.).

Contesting record procedures: Contact the official at the address specified under notification procedures above, and reasonably identify the record and specify the information to be contested, and state the corrective action sought and the reasons for the correction. (These procedures are in accordance with Department Regulations (45 CFR 5b.7) Federal Register, October 8, 1975, page 47411.).

Record source categories:  Information in this system of records is: (1) Supplied directly by the individual, or (2) derived from information supplied by the individual, or (3) supplied by Department officials.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the act:  None