The first stage began in January 2006 when our payroll/personnel service provider, the National Finance Center (NFC), began sending data feeds of our personnel transactions, SF-50s, Notification of Personnel Actions, to the eOPF system. Personnel transactions are loaded into eOPF every two weeks (pay day week) after the pay period closes out on NFC.
The second stage was the conversion scanning into eOPF to make the paper file an electronic record. This stage was completed in April 2008 for all NOAA- serviced organizations, except NWS, NOS and NESDIS which were completed in August 2010. Conversion scanning enables employees to see their entire eOPF online.
The third phase is the ongoing scanning of official documents. On a continuing basis, forms that are not electronic are scanned into the system. Examples are: enter-on-duty forms, updated benefits election forms, beneficiary forms, military service records, and authorization memos and forms. This scanning is managed by the servicing WFMO staff office.

You can monitor your own records for accuracy;
You can print documents that you need;
Your eOPF continues to protect your privacy. Access is limited to authorized personnel. There is no change in policy regarding who has authority to access your OPF;
Your eOPF is more secure than a paper file and fulfills an important role in Continuity of Operations (COOP).

NOAA Workforce Management Office

Serving NOAA's Most Valuable Asset - People

Maintaining Employee Performance Folders (EPFs)

An EPF should contain:

Copies of employee performance plans and ratings of record, including performance improvement plans (PIPs); and
Any form or other supporting document used by rating officials to recommend a personnel action affecting an employee when the basis for action is performance related. Examples of such forms are certificates for Within-Grade Increase (CD-416), Recommendations for Recognition (CD-326), and Probationary or Trial Period Reports (CD-35).

Disclosure of EPFs:

EPFs are covered by the Privacy Act and must be kept in locked files. EPF access is restricted to the following:

The affected employee and/or that person's designated representative (this access is limited to the employee's own file);
Performance rating and approving officials;
Other officials of the agency who have a need for the documents in the performance of their duties.

Retention of Records in EPFs:

Performance plans and ratings of record must be kept for a period of not less than 4 years.
Appraisals of unacceptable performance, where a notice of proposed demotion or removal is issued but not effected. All related documents are to be destroyed after the employee completes 1 year of acceptable performance from the date of the written advance notice of the proposed demotion or removal.
Other documents within an EPF have retention periods prescribed by DOC's retention guide. Most records can be destroyed after 2 years.
Performance records should be destroyed by burning or shredding.
When an employee separates, or transfers to another organization, his/her EPF must be forwarded to the servicing Workforce Management Division. OPM regulations require WFMO to transfer employee performance appraisal records with the Official Personnel Folder (OPF).

Page last edited: December 13, 2011