Effective October 18, 2012, Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement, Subchapter 64, Official Personnel Folders, is added to set forth procedures for creating and managing personnel folders for newly hired employees.
Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement
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6 Selection
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[Add 64 to read as follows:]
64 Official Personnel Folders
641 Create an Official or Merged Records Personnel Folder
For each newly hired employee, Human Resources (HR) personnel create an Official Personnel Folder or a Merged Records Personnel Folder. These folders, which are used to document employment with the Postal Service, contain all appointment-related documents (see 582, Review of Official Personnel Folders, and ELM 349, Official Personnel Folder).
The two types of folders and their contents are described below:
a. Official Personnel Folder (OPF) — Item O-66 PF, Official Personnel Folder (USPS), is used for new employees who have no previous federal civilian service. For new employees who have previous employment with the U.S. Postal Service documented in a paper OPF, HR personnel should obtain the personnel folder for each period of service and combine with records for the new appointment into one OPF.
b. Merged Records Personnel Folder — SF-66C, Merged Records Personnel Folder (orange), is used for employees who have previous employment with any of the following:
1. Post Office Department (prior to creation of USPS).
2. Other federal agencies.
3. Any combination of federal agencies, USPS, and the Post Office Department.
HR personnel should obtain any paper personnel folder for each period of service and combine with records for the new appointment into one Merged Records Personnel Folder.
642 Collect Appointment Support Documents
The content of an OPF or electronic OPF (eOPF) that is used as a basis for an employee’s first Postal Service employment will vary, but the content is generally limited to the documents described below.
a. The application for employment, submitted online or using PS Form 2591, Application for Employment.
b. Supplemental application forms and any statements from applicants added to original applications.
c. Certificates from local school authorities stating that applicants under age 18 who desire employment consideration have terminated their formal education for adequate reasons.
d. Correspondence and statements related to applicants who have relatives that work for the Postal Service.
e. Dual compensation waiver statement, approval of waiver, and annuitant notification letter for any former Postal Service employee hired as a reemployment annuitant in the position of postmaster relief/leave replacement or temporary relief carrier.
f. Documentation of HR manager’s approval to appoint an individual who has been removed from Postal Service employment for cause, or who resigned after being notified that charges proposing removal would be, or had been, issued.
g. Documents relating to claims for veterans’ preference, including SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, letters or certificates from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), statements or retirement orders issued by service branches, and other documents used in the adjudication process.
Do not file VA rating summary or other proof of entitlement to 10-point preference that contains medical information.
h. A copy of DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, for each period of active military service.
i. Results of automotive mechanic bench test, qualification review panel evaluation, typing test, or other requirement.
j. PS Form 61, Appointment Affidavit.
k. OMB Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
l. Applicable federal, state, and local tax-withholding forms.
643 Organize Documents
After an individual is appointed and completes new-hire orientation, gather the applicable documents from the preemployment investigation file and place them in the OPF or Merged Records Personnel Folder. Place PS Form 61 on top.
644 Convert OPF to Electronic OPF (eOPF)
HR personnel will send the prepared OPF or Merged Records Personnel Folder to the Human Resources Shared Service Center within 10 days of appointment effective date for conversion to an eOPF.
645 Obtain Documents From New Employees With an Existing eOPF
HR personnel will send documents supporting reemployment of a former employee who has an existing eOPF to the Human Resources Shared Service Center within 30 days of the appointment effective date for inclusion in the eOPF.
Refer to Management Instruction (MI) EL-340-2009-2, Reconstructing an Official Personnel Folder (or the most recent edition), for a list of documents acceptable for inclusion in an eOPF.
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We will incorporate the complete text of this revision into the online update of Handbook El-312, available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n On the PolicyNet page, click HBKs.
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
— Organizational Effectiveness,
Employee Resource Management, 10-18-12
