SYSTEM NAME:

Veterans' Preference Complaint File under the Veterans Equal Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS') State Offices, Regional Offices, and National Office.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who believe that they have been denied veterans preference or other special considerations provided by law(s).

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

The system of records contains materials related to civil investigations which include: initial investigative complaint form, background, investigators' fact finding records, witness statements, supporting documents provided by claimants and employers, other information relevant to a determination of veterans preference consideration related to employment with Federal agencies.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

5 U.S.C. 3330a.

PURPOSE:

Records are maintained for investigation of possible violations of federal laws pertaining to veterans' preference and other special consideration related to employment with Federal agencies.

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

In addition to those universal routine uses listed in the General Prefatory Statement, records and information may be disclosed to the Federal employing agency against whom a complaint has been made so that the complaint can proceed to a conclusion. Disclosure of information that is relevant and necessary may also be made to the Office of Personnel Management and to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:

None.

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

STORAGE:

Files are stored electronically and/or on paper.

RETRIEVABILITY:

Files are retrieved by name of complainant or name of Federal agency.

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 until the litigation is completed. The files are then transferred to Federal Records Center two years after cutoff. Records are destroyed when they are ten years old. [N1-174-88-1]. Limited electronic information is retained indefinitely.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:

Chief of Investigations and Compliance, United States Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:

Inquiries should be mailed to the System Manager.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

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

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

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

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Veterans, Federal employment applicants or employing Federal agencies, former agency employees, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Personnel Management, union officers and members of the public.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTIONS FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2), investigatory material in this system of records compiled for law enforcement purposes is exempt from subsections (c)(3); (d); (e)(1); (e)(4)(G), (H), and (I); and (f) of 5 U.S.C. 552a, provided however, that if any individual is denied any right, privilege, or benefit that he or she would otherwise be entitled to by Federal law, or for which he or she would otherwise be eligible, as a result of the maintenance of these records, such material shall be provided to the individual, except to the extent that the disclosure of such material would reveal the identity of a source who furnished information to the Government under an express promise that the identity of the source would be held in confidence, or prior to January 1, 1975, under an implied promise that the identity of the source would be held in confidence.