[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55929-55932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19023]
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PEACE CORPS
Privacy Act: System of Records
AGENCY: Peace Corps.
ACTION: Notice of adoption of new system of records.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5
U.S.C. 552a), the Peace Corps issued public notice of its proposal to
adopt a new system of
[[Page 55930]]
records, PC-28, titled Applications for Employment. This second
publication reflects technical revisions to the new system of records
based on internal Agency comments and gives notice of the Agency's
adoption of the new system of records.
DATES: This New System of Records was effective on July 26, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Records Management Officer, Peace
Corps Headquarters, 1111 20th St., NW., Washington, DC 20526.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, the
Peace Corps issued public notice on June 16, 2005, of its proposal to
adopt a new systems of records titled PC-28, Applications for
Employment. The Agency did not receive any public comments. However, it
did receive internal agency comments. This second publication reflects
technical changes but does not include any substantive revisions. The
publication also gives notice of the Agency's adoption of the new
system of records.
Peace Corps (PC-28)
System name:
Applications for Employment.
System location:
Office of Management, Human Resources Management, 1111 20th Street
NW., Washington DC 20526. Occasionally located on a temporary basis in
domestic offices and overseas Posts. Electronic records are stored
offsite by a contracted agent of the agency in a secure facility.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
All applicants for employment with the Peace Corps (including
unsuccessful applicants).
Categories of records in the system:
To the extent that an agency utilizes an automated medium in
connection with maintenance of records in this system of records.
Application forms, resumes and related correspondence. Position
vacancy announcement information such as position title, series and
grade level(s), office and duty location, opening and closing date of
the announcement, and dates of referral and return of lists of
qualified candidates; applicant personal data such as name, address,
social security number, date of birth, sex, veterans' preference and
federal competitive status; and applicant qualification and processing
information such as qualifications, grade level eligibility, reason for
ineligibility, referral status, and dates of notification.
Related correspondence may include referral letters and memoranda
relating to the application process; education and training related
documentation; employment history and earnings; honors, awards or
fellowships; military service; convictions or offenses against the law;
names of relatives employed in the Federal service; qualification
determinations; employment consideration; priority groupings;
correspondence relating to the consideration of the individual for
employment. These records may also include copies of correspondence
(electronic and otherwise) between the applicant and the office or
agency and other items provided by applicants but not specifically
requested by the agency.
The system also includes any Peace Corps employment application
materials established for making appointments outside a register; or
reassignments, promotions, reinstatements, or transfers of Federal
employees into positions at Peace Corps.
The records also contain information on the ranking of an
applicant, his or her placement on a list of eligibles, what
certificates/rosters applicant's names appeared on, requests for office
approval of or opposition to an eligible's qualifications and the
office's decision in the matter, an office's request for approval for
the agency to pass over an eligible and the office's decision in the
matter, and an agency's decision to object/pass over an eligible when
the agency has authority to make such decisions. Reasons for when the
objection/pass over decision applies to a compensable preference
eligible with 30 percent or more disability. Records may also include:
Agency applicant file systems where the agency retains applications,
resumes, and other related records for hard-to-fill or unique positions
for future consideration. Records and statements related to an
applicant's involvement in intelligence related activities.
Authority for maintenance of system:
The Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., including 22 U.S.C.
2506 and 22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq. (Foreign Service Act of 1980).
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories
of users and the purposes of such uses:
General routine uses A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K apply to
this system.
Records may also be disclosed to:
(a) Evaluate qualifications of potential candidates by the
Director, Human Resource Management and his/her delegates, Executive
Staff, Hiring Managers and their delegates, other supervisors and
personnel security staff. These records also may be reviewed by staff
with internal audit responsibilities. The records are available to
personnel specialists who review the applicants' qualifications and
consider them for appropriate agency vacancies;
(b) Persons named as references, and present or former supervisors,
for purposes of commenting upon, rating or verifying information about
past performance submitted as part of job application;
(c) Other Federal agencies, state governments, foreign governments
and international organizations where employees are being considered
for detail, assignment or secondment;
(d) Attorneys, union representatives or other persons designated by
employees in writing to represent them in complaints, grievances,
appeals, litigation cases, or administrative processes;
(e) The Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social
Security Administration, Department of Defense, or any other Federal
agency that has special civilian employee retirement and disability
programs; or to a national, state, county, municipal, or other publicly
recognized charitable or income security, administration agency (e.g.,
State unemployment compensation agencies), when necessary to adjudicate
a claim under the retirement, insurance, unemployment or health
benefits programs of the agency or an agency cited above, or to an
agency to conduct an analytical study or audit of benefits being paid
or to be paid under such programs;
(f) Offices within Peace Corps with an official need to know;
(g) Other persons, entities, or organizations, as specified in the
Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(1)-(b)(12).
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining,
and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
The records are stored by electronic means and hard copy. Records
are maintained on data storage devices, lists, forms and hard copy
record files. Electronic records are maintained within Peace Corps on
proprietary systems or within an automated application system on data
storage devices. Information contained in the automated system is
housed offsite in a secure location as government owned and retrievable
information.
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Retrieval:
The records may be retrieved by the names of the individuals on
whom they are maintained or by vacancy announcement number. In the
Personnel Office, the records are recorded by name and vacancy
announcement number. They can also be retrieved, by any common
identifier in the automated application. These may be by individual
name, social security number, vacancy announcement, demographic fields,
veteran's status, current grade, grade applied for, or any other data
fields completed by the applicant. Records are generally retrieved by
the name with the social security number or date of birth as a
secondary identifier when necessary.
Accessibility/Safeguards:
All Peace Corps employees have undergone background investigations.
Access to the Agency is controlled by security guards and admission is
limited to those individuals possessing a valid identification card or
individuals under proper escort. The Human Resource Management (HRM)
office is in a secondary secured area where even Peace Corps employees
not within the HRM organization are required to have escorts. All
records containing personal information are maintained in secured file
cabinets or in restricted areas, access to which is limited to
authorized personnel. Access to computerized files is password-
protected and under the direct supervision of the system manager. The
system manager and contractor have the capability of printing audit
trails of access through the computer media, thereby permitting regular
and ad hoc monitoring of system usage. Automated media is access
limited to authorized personnel whose duties require access. Access to
and use of these records are limited to those persons whose official
duties require such access. Systems administered by contractors are
secured by password and through a permissions based system. Permission
is granted by a system administrator. Remote data storage facilities
are secured through physical and system-based safeguards. Electronic
files are password protected and accessible only by authorized
personnel. Data maintained electronically at Peace Corps is on network
servers and located in a locked room with physical access limited to
authorized personnel.
Retention and disposal:
Applications from individuals who are selected for positions with
the Peace Corps are placed on the permanent side of the employee's
Official Personnel Folder. Paper applications rejected in the initial
review because they do not meet requirements for Agency employment and
applications which appear to meet requirements for Agency employment,
but which are subsequently rejected, are retained for two years and
then destroyed. Electronic media files are maintained indefinitely.
These files remain available for the Agency when searching for
qualified applicants for the variety of positions available agency-
wide. Paper files on applicants may also be retained indefinitely. In
divisional or regional offices, the paper records may be retained for
an indefinite period of time. They are then forwarded to HRM or
discarded. Applicant records, whether electronic media or hard copy
will be maintained until they become inactive at which time they will
be retired or destroyed in accordance with published records schedules
of the Peace Corps or as approved by the National Archives and Records
Administration. Most records are retained for a period of 2 years. Some
records are destroyed by shredding or burning while magnetic tapes or
disks are erased.
System manager(s) and address:
Director, Human Resources Management OR Records Management Officer
Peace Corps Headquarters, 1111 20th St., NW., Washington, DC 20526.
Notification procedures:
Any individual who wants to known whether this system of records
contains a record about him or her, who wants access to his or her
record, or who wants to contest the contents of a record, should make a
written request to the System Manager. Request should be accepted for
processing if they contain sufficient information to convince the
System Manager that the requester is the subject of the records,
including identifying information needed to locate your record and a
brief description of the item or items of information required.
Requesters will be required to provide adequate information, such as a
driver's license, employment identification card, passport, or other
identifying documents. Requests for correction or amendment must
identify the record to be changed and the corrective action sought.
Complete Peace Corps Privacy Act procedures are set out in 22 CFR part
308.
Record access procedures:
Requests from individuals should be addressed as indicated in the
notification section above. Individuals who wish to amend records
pertaining to themselves should also address their requests as
described in the Notification section above.
Contesting record procedures:
Individuals wishing to contest or amend information maintained in
this system should specify the information being contested, the reasons
for contesting it, and the proposed amendment to such information.
Individuals have the right to request that we amend a record pertaining
to them when it is believed to be inaccurate, or lacks relevance,
timeliness, or completeness. At the time we grant access to a record,
we will furnish guidelines on how to make a request to amend a record.
Requests for amendments to records must be in writing and mailed or
delivered to the FOIA/Privacy Act Officer, FOIA/Privacy Act Office,
Peace Corps Headquarters, 1111 20th St., NW., Washington, DC 20526, who
will coordinate the review of the request to amend the record with the
appropriate office(s). Such requests must contain, at a minimum,
identifying information needed to locate the record, a brief
description of the item or items of information to be amended, and the
reason for the requested change. The requester should submit as much
documentation, arguments or other data as seems warranted to support
the request for amendment. We will review all requests for amendments
to records within 20 working days of receipt of the request and either
make the changes or inform you of our refusal to do so and the reasons.
Record source categories:
These records are normally submitted by the individuals seeking
employment. Some records could come from individuals or employment
agencies sponsoring the applications. Information in this system of
records is provided by:
(a) The individual to whom the information pertains;
(b) Peace Corps officials;
(c) Other sources contacted to provide additional information about
the individual. System exempted from certain provisions of the Privacy
Act: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(4), records contained within this
system that are required by statute to be maintained and used solely
for statistical purposes are exempted from 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3), (d),
(e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H) and (I), and (f). Pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552a(k)(5), certain records contained within this system contain
confidential source information and are exempted from 5 U.S.C.
552a(c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H) and (I), and (f). Pursuant to
552a(k)(6),
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records that contain testing or examination material the release of
which may compromise testing or examination procedures are also
exempted from 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H), and
(I), and (f).
Dated: August 15, 2005.
Gilbert Smith
Associate Director for Management.
[FR Doc. 05-19023 Filed 9-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6501-01-M