18VA05
System location:
Active records are located at the Veterans Administration (VA) Central Office, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420. Inactive records will be stored at the same address. Information from these records is also maintained in automated files at the VA Central Office. Duplicate copies of certain manual and automated files are maintained only by the VA Central Office. No other VA facility has access to the Centralized Staffing System automated data.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Employees in specified occupations and at specified grade levels leading to
centralized managerial or executive positions.
Categories of records in the system:
All categories of records may
include names of individuals, social security numbers, dates of
birth, inquiries or correspondence sent to the VA by individuals,
information pertinent to decisions or responses given by the
Administrator, Department Heads, Associate Deputy Administrators, and
Staff Office Directors, and copies of the decisions or responses of
the Administrator, Department Heads, Associate Deputy Administrators,
and Staff Office Directors. The records will also include:
- Records reflecting work experience, educational level, and specialized training obtained outside of the Federal service.
- Records reflecting Federal service and documenting work experience and specialized education or training received while employed. Such records contain information about: Past and present positions held including grades, salaries, and duty station locaitons.
- Records pertaining to annual performance evaluation and supervisory assessment of performance in response to specific knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics.
- Records relating to incentive awards received while employed within or outside of the agency.
- Records reflecting ratings assigned by a promotion panel to individuals participating in the system.
- Records reflecting geographic mobility and mobility statements.
- Records reflecting qualification determinations made on individuals participating in the system.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Title 5, United States Code, Sections 301 and 302.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:
- In the event that a system of records maintained by this agency to carry out its function 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, State, local or foreign, charged with the responsibility of investigation or prosecuting such violation or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, or rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.
- To provide statistical and other information in response to other legitimate and reasonable requests as approved by appropriate VA authorities, such as the release of information under the Freedom of Information Act.
- 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.
- Disclosure may be made to NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) GSA (General Services Administration) in records management inspections conducted under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Paper documents, magnetic tape and disks.
Retrievability:
Folder files are filed by name, automated records
are indexed by social security number within station.
Safeguards:
- Physical Security. The VA Central Office is protected from outside access by the Federal Protective Service. All file areas are restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis. Hard copy records pertaining to employees, or other sensitive records are stored in locked cabinets. Access to the VA Central Office computer rooms is restricted to authorized operating personnel through electronic locking devices. All other persons gaining access to the computer room are escorted by an individual with authorized access.
- System Security. Access to computer programs is controlled at
three levels: Programming, auditing, and operations. The CSS provides
automated recognition of authorized users and their respective access
restrictions through passwords. Passwords are changed periodically
and are restricted to authorized individuals on a need-to-know basis
for system access or security purposes. In addition to passwords,
there are other levels of security assigned to system personnel only.
These levels are strictly monitored by the Systms Manager. The VA Central Office Systems Security Officer is assigned responsiblity for privacy-security measures, including review of violation logs and local control and distribution of passwords.
Retention and disposal:
Folder files are destroyed immediately upon
separation from VA. Folders are retained two years if employee
withdraws from system and subsequently destroyed. Automated records
are stored on disks for a period of ten years. Automated records in
excess of ten years are then stored on remote disks separate from
active disks. Other records are retained and disposed of in
accordance with disposition authorization approved by the Achivist of
the United States.
System manager(s) and address:
Director, Office of Personnel, (054), VA Central Office, Washington, DC 20420.
Notification procedure:
Any individual who wishes to determine whether a record is being
maintained in this system under his or her name, or who has a routine
inquiry concerning the status of his or her application under this
system may contact the Director, Recruitment and Placement Service,
Office of Personnel and Labor Relations, VA Central Office,
Washington, DC 20420. Requests concerning the specific content of a
record must be in writing or in person. Employee should provide full
name, social security number, employing station and position title.
Record access procedures:
Employee or representative designated in
writing may contact their servicing personnel office in person or in
writing for information on procedures for gaining access to his/her
record.
Contesting record procedures:
(See Record Access Procedures above.)
Record source categories: Employee, Supervisory officials
(appraisals), Personnel and Accounting Pay System.
