NOAA Workforce Management Office

Serving NOAA's Most Valuable Asset - People

NOAA Supervisory Resource Guide

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Confidential Financial Disclosure Report Security Clearance What do I need to know about Ethics? Workers Compensation NOAA Facilities NOAA Homeland Security Program Office NOAA Office of the Chief Information Officer NOAA IT Security NOAA Purchase Card Regulations NOAA Safety Office NOAA Travel Regulations

Confidential Financial Disclosure Report

Who Must File: The Office of General Counsel (OGC) will inform you if the position in which you serve or will serve has been designated as requiring confidential financial disclosure. Agencies are required to designate positions at or below GS-15, O-6, or comparable pay rates, in which the nature of duties may involve a potential conflict of interest. Examples include contracting, procurement, administration of grants and licenses, regulating/auditing non-Federal entities, other activities having a substantial economic effect on non-Federal entities, or law enforcement. Additionally, all special Government employees (SGEs) (those appointed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 202(a) to serve no more than 130 days in a period of 365 days) must file, unless exempted or subject to the public reporting system. Agencies may also require certain employees in positions above GS-15, O-6, or a comparable pay rate to file. Contact OGC for the SF-450 and instructions for completing the form.

OGC Contact Information: The OGC may be reached at (202)482-3326.

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Security Clearances

Principle: Only those employees with an official need for access to Classified National Security Information require a security clearance. Level of access is generally related to position sensitivity, in that only those in Critical-Sensitive positions may hold a Top Secret security clearance. Persons occupying Noncritical-Sensitive positions may be granted access at the Confidential or Secret level. Persons in Non-Sensitive positions may not be granted access to classified information.>

Basic Steps:

• If the position requires a security clearance (i.e., access to Classified National Security Information), then the employee’s manager must send a request to the NOAA Security Office.
• Review of the employee’s Personnel Security File may disclose a need for new security forms and/or a new investigation.
• Upon completion of any required investigation, the employee will be given a security briefing and required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The employee’s manager or security administrative contact will then be notified that the employee has been granted access. Only then may the employee be granted access to classified materials or systems.

Note: Unless a request for access to classified information is received, no clearance will be granted.

Time Frames: In cases where a pre-employment background investigation can be waived, the appropriate Security Office will usually issue the waiver. A pre-employment investigation may take up to six months.

Contact: The NOAA Security Office may be reached on (301)713-0954.

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Worker's Compensation

Basic Steps:
When an employee is injured while on duty, you should:

• Immediately offer medical treatment through the Health Unit, a local treatment center, or through the employee’s treating physician.
• When the employee is medically able, encourage him/her to file a claim for compensation (CA-1), or you may complete the form on the employee’s behalf.
• Issue a CA-16, Authorization for Examination and/or Treatment, to the employee to provide for the payment of medical treatment by completing the front of the form.
• Give this form to the employee within four hours, whenever possible.
  
• Issue the form even if you have doubts about the claim—you may indicate doubt in item 6(b).
• A CA-16 should not be issued more than seven days after the date of injury, instead you may give the employee a form CA-20, Attending Physicians Report, so that medical evidence may be submitted.
• Do not issue a Form CA-16 if the claim is for an occupational illness.
• Ensure that all items are completed on the CA-1 form, both front and back, as applicable.
• Please note your operating unit is billed for these charges. Your operating unit may, in turn, charge the bill to your office’s budget.

Two Basic Types of Injury Claims:

• A traumatic injury is defined as an injury that occurs during the course of one work shift. The appropriate form to file is a CA-1, Federal Employee’s Notice of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation.
• An occupational illness is defined as a condition that arises over the course of more than one work shift. The appropriate form to file is a CA-2, Notice of Occupational Disease and Claim for Compensation.

The single criterion for distinguishing a traumatic injury claim from an occupational disease claim is the length of time of exposure.

Continuation of Pay: A supervisor may authorize continuation of pay for up to ten (10) work days, while awaiting medical evidence to support disability. Continuation of pay may be authorized for up to 45 calendar days by the Workers’ Compensation Unit of the Department’s Office of Workforce Management Office Management, provided there is supporting medical evidence. The supervisor will be notified regarding the acceptance/denial of the claim, and entitlement to continuation of pay. For more on this subject and to obtain appropriate forms, call the DoC Workers’ Compensation Program (800) 743-2231, FAX (800) 743-3293.

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WFMO Contact Lists

Page last edited: January 28, 2008

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