GSA Data Release Policy
Note: The information on this page is intended to inform members of the public of GSA's privacy policies and practices as they apply to GSA employees, contractors, and clients.
GSA Directive
HCO 9297.1 GSA Data Release Policy
Date: 04/02/2008
Status: Validated
Outdated on: 04/02/2018
GSA ORDER
SUBJECT: GSA Data Release Policy
1. Purpose: This order provides GSA’s policy on releasing information relating to GSA employees, contractors, and others on whom GSA maintains information described in this document.
2. Cancellation: HCO-IL-07-1 is canceled.
3. Background: This policy includes modifications established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on November 14, 2004, as a result of security concerns documented in the President’s Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks. This modified policy is consistent with OPM regulations on personnel records.
Under the modified policy, GSA continues to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act, which require a balance between the public’s right of access to Federal government documents and the privacy rights of Federal employees, contractors, and others associated with the Federal government, whose records are maintained by Federal agencies.
4. Applicability: This order applies to all GSA officials, employees, contractors, and others, whose official duties include releasing information to the public such as through FOIA or other official requests and who collect, maintain, use, manage, or come in contact with personally identifiable or sensitive information.
5. References: The following informational material is relevant to this topic.
a. Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.
b. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
c. OPM Regulations on Personnel Records, 5. C.F.R. Part 293, generally; and Sec. 293.311, specifically.
6. Data Associated with the Name of an Individual:
a. Releasable information: The following information may be released to the public at the individual record level for most individuals. GSA’s data release policy is applied when responding to FOIA and other requests for individual level data en masse.
- Name
- Job title
- Grade level
- Position description
- Duty station
- Salary
- Award amounts (present and past annual salary rates including performance awards or bonuses unless the amount will convey the performance rating level, incentive awards, merit pay amount, Meritorious or Distinguished Executive Ranks, allowances, and differentials)
b. Non-releasable information. The following information may not be released to the public or persons other than the employee. This does not include employees of the agency who have a need for this information in the performance of their duties.
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of birth
- Disability status
- Race
- National origin
- Sex
- United States citizenship status
- Annuitant status
- Federal Employees Health Benefits Program data
- Federal Employees Life Insurance data
- Federal Employees Retirement System coverage
- Frozen Civil Service Retirement System service
- Retirement plan
- Veterans’ preference
- Educational level
- Instructional program
- Year degree attained
- Performance rating level
- Creditable military service
- Organizational component (lowest administrative subdivision of an agency to which an employee is assigned. The translation for this data element has the potential to allow an individual to locate an employee regardless of not having duty station)
- Current appointment authority (law, executive order, rule, regulation, or other basis that authorizes the employee’s most recent conversion or accession action)
- Legal authority (the law, executive order, rule, regulation, or other basis that authorizes the appointing officer to effect a personnel action on an employee)
- Previous retirement coverage
- Dynamics category (accessions, separations, and terminations. This is a data element generated by analysts for internal OPM use to more succinctly categorize accessions and Award Justification
7. Occupation based information: OPM has designated certain occupations as sensitive in nature. Names and duty stations of individuals in those job series/occupations are not releasable to the public.
a. Sensitive GSA occupations. The names and duty stations of individuals in the following sensitive occupations may not be released.
- 1802, Compliance inspection and support
- 1801, General inspection, investigation, and compliance
- 1810, General investigating
- 0930, Hearings and appeals Officer
- 1811, Criminal Investigating
- 1899, Investigating Student Trainee
b. Additional sensitive occupations. While the following job series/occupations may not apply to GSA, names and duty stations of individuals in these occupations are not releasable.
- 1854, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Inspection
- 1896, Border Patrol Agent
- 0007, Correctional Officer
- 1895, Customs and Border Protection
- 1881, Customs and Border Protection Interdiction
- 1890, Customs Inspection
- 1884, Customs Patrol Officer
- 1812, Game Law Enforcement
- 0401, General National Resources and Biological Science (U.S. Department of Homeland Security only)
- 1816, Immigration Inspection
- 0132, Intelligence
- 0134, Intelligence Clerk/Aide
- 0512, Internal Revenue Agent
- 1169, Internal Revenue Officer
- 0840, Nuclear Engineering
- 0084, Nuclear Materials Courier
- 0436, Plant Protection and Quarantine
- 0083, Police
- 0082, United States Marshall
8. Summary Level Data: GSA periodically issues summary level reports and statistics relating to agency programs and activities. Information in summary or aggregated form may not be released when an individual’s identity could be discerned from the information contained in the summaries/reports.
GAIL T. LOVELACE
Chief Human Capital Officer/
Chief Privacy Officer
