SYSTEM NAME:

Office of Inspector General (OIG) Pre-employment Checks and Inquiries (PECI) System.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

Human Resources Division, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Current and former employees of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; applicants for employment in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Inspector General (OIG); and individuals considered for access to restricted areas and information, such as contractors hired by the OIG, and contractor employees.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

Pre-employment clearance forms and reports filed by individuals, and documents related to federal and other law enforcement checks, prior employer checks/references, credit checks, and any other records gathered during the course of the pre-employment process. A paper file is maintained for PECIs that are filed under each individual's name.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 3.; Executive Order 10450.

PURPOSE(S):

The PECI file system is a repository for documentation related to individual personnel determinations for suitability and fitness for Federal employment. The system also documents findings of law enforcement, employment, and credit inquiries, and personnel suitability determinations made by the OIG as a result of official pre-employment inquiries.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

 

a. Referral to federal, state, local and foreign investigative and/or prosecutive authorities. A record from a system of records, which indicates either by itself or in combination with other information within the agency's possession, a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal or administrative, and whether arising from general statute or particular program statute, or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, may be disclosed as a routine use, to the appropriate federal, foreign, state, or local agency or professional organization, charged with responsibility for investigating or prosecuting such violation or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, rule, regulation, or order.

b. Introduction to a grand jury. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a grand jury agent pursuant to either to a federal or state grand jury subpoena or to a prosecution request that such record be released for the purpose of its introduction to a grand jury.

c. Referral to federal, state, local or professional licensing boards. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to any governmental, professional, or licensing authority when such record relates to qualifications, including moral, educational or vocational qualifications, of an individual seeking to be licensed or to maintain a license.

d. Disclosure to any source, either private or governmental, to the extent necessary to solicit information relevant to any investigation or other matters related to the responsibilities of the OIG. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to any source, either private or governmental, to the extent necessary to secure from such source information relevant to and sought in furtherance of an investigation or other matters related to the responsibilities of the OIG.

e. Disclosure for personnel or other action. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a federal, state, local, foreign, or international agency, for their use in connection with the assignment, hiring, or retention of an individual, issuance of a security clearance, letting of a contract, or issuance of a license, grant or other benefit, to the extent that the information is relevant and necessary to such agency's decision on the matter, or to solicit information from the federal, state, local, foreign, or international agency, for the OIG's use in connection with the assignment, hiring, or retention of an individual, issuance of a security clearance, letting of a contract, or issuance of a license, grant or other benefit.

f. Disclosure to a consumer reporting agency in order to obtain relevant investigatory information. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a "consumer reporting agency" as that term is defined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a(f) and the Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966 (31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(3)), for the purposes of obtaining information in the course of an investigation, or other matters related to the responsibilities of the OIG.

g. Disclosure to any law enforcement agency for inclusion in a database, system, or process. A record from a system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to any law enforcement agency for inclusion in a database, system, or process designed to generate investigative leads and information to be used for law enforcement purposes. This routine use also permits the disclosure of such records to any law enforcement agency with responsibility for investigating any investigative leads or information generated by the database, system, or other process in which the records were included.

h. Information may be disclosed to other Federal Offices of Inspector General and/or to the President's Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency for purposes of conducting the external review process required by the Homeland Security Act.

i. Disclosure to appropriate agencies, entities and persons when: 1.) it is suspected or confirmed that the security or confidentiality of information in the system of records has been compromised; 2.) it has been determined that as a result of the suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of harm to economic or property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity of this system or other systems or programs (whether maintained by the Department or another agency or entity) that rely upon the compromised information; and 3.) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in connection with the Department's efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy any harm.

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:

None.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OR RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

 

STORAGE:

Files are stored electronically and/or on paper.

RETRIEVABILITY:

Files are retrieved by name.

SAFEGUARDS:

Access by authorized personnel only. Computer security safeguards are used for electronically stored data and locked locations for paper files.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

Records are retained and disposed of in accordance with the schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) hhtp://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/grs/index.pdf.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:

Assistant Inspector General for Management and Policy, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

Inquiries should be mailed to the System Manager.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURE:

A request for access should be mailed to the System Manager.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

A petition for amendment should be mailed to the System Manager.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Information contained in this system is obtained from: applications and other personnel and security forms furnished by individuals; investigative and other information furnished by Federal agencies, and; from sources such as employers, educational institutions, and credit bureaus.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:

None.