3970 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 

were solicited through the publication 

of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal 

Register on September 4, 2024, at 89 FR 

71938. We received four comments. The 

nature of each comment and our 

responses are summarized below. 

• The American Association for the 

Advancement of Science (AAAS) and 

the American Educational Research 

Association (AERA) provided a joint 

comment discussing the necessity of the 

NSCG data to provide critical insights 

into opportunities and gaps in the 

STEM workforce. The commentors also 

encouraged the incorporation of a 

sexual orientation question into the 

2025 NSCG survey cycle. 

• The Council of Professional 

Associations on Federal Statistics 

(COPAFS) provided a comment 

encouraging the incorporation of a 

sexual orientation question into the 

2025 NSCG survey cycle. 

• The Federation of Associations in 

Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) 

provided a comment encouraging the 

incorporation of a sexual orientation 

question into the 2025 NSCG survey 

cycle. 

• An Associate Professor from 

Columbia University provided feedback 

on past sexual orientation and gender 

identity research conducted by NCSES 

and the Census Bureau. The commentor 

also encouraged the incorporation of a 

sexual orientation question into the 

2025 NSCG survey cycle. 

Response: NCSES thanked the 

commentors for their support of the 

NSCG, referenced the NCSES website 

that summarizes past research findings, 

and summarized the necessity of using 

the Census Bureau’s American 

Community Survey sexual orientation 

research findings, when completed, to 

inform NCSES’s future data collection 

plans. 

Title of Collection: 2025 National 

Survey of College Graduates. 

OMB Control Number: 3145–0141. 

Summary of Collection: The National 

Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) has 

been conducted biennially since the 

1970s. The 2025 NSCG sample will be 

selected from the 2023 American 

Community Survey (ACS) and the 2023 

NSCG. By selecting the sample from 

these two sources, the 2025 NSCG will 

provide coverage of the college graduate 

population residing in the United 

States. The purpose of this repeated 

cross-sectional survey is to collect data 

that will be used to provide national 

estimates on the science and 

engineering workforce and changes in 

their employment, education, and 

demographic characteristics. 

The National Science Foundation Act 

of 1950, as subsequently amended, 

includes a statutory charge to ‘‘. . . 

provide a central clearinghouse for the 

collection, interpretation, and analysis 

of data on scientific and engineering 

resources, and to provide a source of 

information for policy formulation by 

other agencies of the Federal 

Government.’’ The NSCG is designed to 

comply with these mandates by 

providing information on the supply 

and utilization of the nation’s scientists 

and engineers. 

The U.S. Census Bureau will continue 

to serve as the NSCG data collection 

contractor for NCSES. The survey data 

collection is expected to begin in March 

2025 and continue for approximately six 

months. Data will be collected using 

web and mail questionnaires. The 

individual’s response to the survey is 

voluntary. The survey will be conducted 

in conformance with Census Bureau 

statistical quality standards and, as 

such, the NSCG data will be afforded 

confidentiality protection under the 

applicable Census Bureau 

confidentiality statutes. 

Use of the Information: NCSES uses 

the information from the NSCG to 

prepare congressionally mandated 

reports such as Women, Minorities and 

Persons with Disabilities in Science and 

Engineering (https://www.nsf.gov/ 

statistics/women/) and Science and 

Engineering Indicators (https://

ncses.nsf.gov/indicators), both of which 

are available online. A public release 

file of collected data, designed to protect 

respondent confidentiality, will be 

made available on the internet and will 

be accessible through an online data 

tool (https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/ids/). 

Expected Respondents: A statistical 

sample of approximately 161,000 

persons will be contacted in 2025. 

NCSES estimates the 2025 NSCG 

response rate to be 60 to 65 percent. 

Estimate of Burden: The amount of 

time to complete the questionnaire may 

vary depending on an individual’s 

circumstances; however, it is estimated 

that on average it will take 

approximately 23 minutes to complete 

the survey. NCSES estimates that the 

average annual burden for the 2025 

NSCG over the course of the three-year 

OMB clearance period will be no more 

than 13,372 hours [(161,000 individuals 

× 65% response rate × 23 minutes)/3 

years]. 

Dated: January 8, 2025. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00683 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

[Docket ID: OPM–2024–0022] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Workforce Policy and 

Innovation, Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Notice of a new system of 

records. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of 

Personnel Management (OPM) proposes 

to establish a new system of records 

titled, ‘‘OPM/Internal—31, VA 

Recoupment and Reduction Appeals to 

OPM.’’ OPM will use this system to 

process appeals from current and former 

civil service Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) employees who received an 

order by the VA to recoup or reduce 

their awards, bonuses, relocation 

expenses, or retirement benefits, and 

chose to appeal that order to the 

Director of OPM. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 14, 2025. This new system is 

effective upon publication in the 

Federal Register, except for the routine 

uses, which are effective February 18, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments using the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal at https://

www.regulations.gov. All submissions 

received must include the agency name 

and docket number for this Federal 

Register document. The general policy 

for comments and other submissions 

from members of the public is to make 

these submissions available for public 

viewing on the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov without change, 

including any personal identifiers. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general questions, please contact the 

Tim Curry, Employee Services, 

Accountability and Workforce 

Relations, Workforce Policy and 

Innovation, at (202) 606–2930 or 

employeeaccountability@opm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sections 

721 and 723 of title 38, United States 

Code, permit the VA to order the 

recoupment of a VA employee’s awards, 

bonuses, or relocation expenses if (a) the 

VA finds the individual engaged in 

misconduct, poor performance, fraud, or 

malfeasance and (b) if the VA had 

known about those actions prior to 

awarding the relevant benefit, it would 

have impacted the awarding of said 

benefit. Section 719 of title 38, United 

States Code, permits the VA to order the 

reduction of a VA employee’s retirement 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 3971 

benefits if they were convicted of 

certain crimes and removed for (or are 

in the process of being removed for) 

performance or misconduct. These 

statutes provide individuals who 

receive one of these orders the right to 

appeal that order to the Director of 

OPM. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 

552a(r), OPM has provided a report of 

this new system of records to the Office 

of Management and Budget and to 

Congress. This new system of records 

will be included in OPM’s inventory of 

record systems. 

Office of Personnel Management. 

Kayyonne Marston, 

Federal Register Liaison. 

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER: 

OPM/Internal—31, VA Recoupment 

and Reduction Appeals to OPM. 

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: 

Unclassified. 

SYSTEM LOCATION: 

Records on recoupments are stored at: 

Workforce Policy and Innovation, Office 

of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street 

NW, Washington, DC 20415–0001. 

Records on the reduction of 

retirement benefits are stored at: 

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel 

Management, 1900 E Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20415–0001. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S): 

Deputy Associate Director, Employee 

Services, Accountability and Workforce 

Relations, Workforce Policy and 

Innovation, Office of Personnel 

Management, 1900 E Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20415–0001. 

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: 

38 U.S.C. 719, Reduction of benefits 

of employees convicted of certain 

crimes; 38 U.S.C. 721, Recoupment of 

bonuses or awards paid to employees of 

Department; and 38 U.S.C. 723, 

Recoupment of relocation expenses paid 

on behalf of employees of Department. 

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM: 

The purpose of this system of records 

is to process appeals from current and 

former civil service Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) employees, who 

(a) received an order by the VA to 

recoup or reduce their awards, bonuses, 

relocation expenses, or retirement 

benefits and (b) appealed that order to 

the Director of the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM). 

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE

SYSTEM: 

This system of records will include 

information on current and former civil 

service VA employees (a) who received 

an order by the VA to recoup or reduce 

their awards, bonuses, relocation 

expenses, or retirement benefits and (b) 

appealed that order to the Director of 

OPM. 

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

This system of records will contain 

information related to an appeal of a VA 

order by a current or former civil service 

VA employee. This may include the 

following: 

a. The notice of proposed order 

received; 

b. The employee’s response to the 

proposed order; 

c. The order received; 

d. A statement explaining why the 

employee believes the order received is 

in error; 

e. The name, mailing address, 

telephone number, and email address of 

the employee and, if applicable, their 

authorized representative; 

f. The name, mailing address, 

telephone number, and email address of 

the VA official who issued the order; 

g. The evidence file relied upon in 

proposing and deciding the VA order; 

and 

h. Any other evidence, information, 

and correspondence (between OPM, VA, 

and/or the current or former civil 

service VA employee) that is received, 

developed, or issued during the appeal. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

Information in this system of records 

may be provided by the current or 

former civil service VA employee (or 

their authorized representative). 

Information in this system of records 

may also be provided by OPM and VA 

staff who are involved in adjudicating 

the appeal or providing information 

related to the appeal. 

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND

PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: 

In addition to those disclosures 

generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 

552a(b) of the Privacy Act, the records 

in this system may be disclosed outside 

OPM as a routine use pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows: 

a. In an appropriate proceeding before 

a court, grand jury, or administrative or 

adjudicative body, when OPM or 

another agency representing OPM 

determines that the records are relevant 

and necessary to the proceeding; or in 

an appropriate proceeding before an 

administrative or adjudicative body 

when the adjudicator determines the 

records to be relevant to the proceeding. 

b. To the Department of Justice when 

(a) OPM, or any component thereof; (b) 

any OPM employee in their official 

capacity; (c) any OPM employee in their 

individual capacity where the 

Department of Justice has agreed to 

represent the employee; or (d) the 

United States, where OPM determines 

that litigation is likely to affect OPM or 

any of its components, is a party to 

litigation or has an interest in such 

litigation, and the use of such records by 

the Department of Justice is deemed by 

OPM to be relevant and necessary to the 

litigation. 

c. Where a record, either alone or in 

conjunction with other information, 

indicates a violation or potential 

violation of law—criminal, civil, or 

regulatory in nature—the relevant 

records may be referred to the 

appropriate Federal, State, local, 

territorial, Tribal, or foreign law 

enforcement authority or other 

appropriate entity charged with the 

responsibility for investigating or 

prosecuting such violation or charged 

with enforcing or implementing such 

law. 

d. To a member of Congress or staff 

acting upon the member’s behalf, when 

the member or staff requests the 

information on behalf of, and at the 

request of, the individual to whom the 

record pertains. 

e. To the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA) for 

records management inspections 

conducted under the authority of 44 

U.S.C. 2904 and 2906. 

f. To appropriate agencies, entities, 

and persons when (1) OPM suspects or 

has confirmed that there has been a 

breach of the system of records, (2) OPM 

has determined that as a result of the 

suspected or confirmed breach there is 

a risk of harm to individuals, OPM 

(including its information systems, 

programs, and operations), the Federal 

Government, or national security; and 

(3) the disclosure made to such 

agencies, entities, and persons is 

reasonably necessary to assist in 

connection with OPM’s efforts to 

respond to the suspected or confirmed 

breach or to prevent, minimize, or 

remedy such harm. 

g. To another Federal agency or 

Federal entity, when OPM determines 

that information from this system of 

records is reasonably necessary to assist 

the recipient agency or entity in (1) 

responding to a suspected or confirmed 

breach or (2) preventing, minimizing, or 

remedying the risk of harm to 

individuals, the recipient agency or 

entity (including its information 

systems, programs, and operations), the 

Federal Government, or national 

security, resulting from a suspected or 

confirmed breach. 


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3972 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 

h. To contractors, grantees, experts, 

consultants, or volunteers performing or 

working on a contract, service, grant, 

cooperative agreement, or other 

assignment for OPM to the extent 

necessary to accomplish an agency 

function related to this system of 

records. 

i. To the VA for their personnel and 

administrative records, and to the VA 

Office of the Inspector General for 

oversight purposes. 

j. To external parties who OPM has 

reason to believe possess evidence 

relevant to the adjudication of the 

appeal, to the extent necessary to elicit 

such evidence. 

k. To the Department of Defense, the 

Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence, and other Federal 

Government agencies responsible for 

conducting and adjudicating 

background investigations, continuous 

evaluation, and continuous vetting to 

provide them with information relevant 

to their inquiries and investigations. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF

RECORDS: 

The records in this system of records 

are stored electronically on servers 

operated by OPM or pursuant to an 

OPM contract, or on paper in locked file 

cabinets or locked offices. Access to the 

electronic systems or paper files is 

restricted to authorized users with a 

need to know. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF

RECORDS: 

Records may be retrieved by name or 

other personal identifiers discussed in 

the categories of records section of this 

notice. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND

DISPOSAL OF RECORDS: 

A records retention schedule will be 

established with NARA for the records 

about covered individuals in this system 

of records and, until it is finalized, 

records will be treated as permanent. 

Once that schedule is established, the 

method(s) for disposing of records that 

are no longer eligible for retention will 

be established. 

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL

SAFEGUARDS: 

Several administrative, technical, and 

physical security measures protect the 

records in this system from 

unauthorized access and misuse. These 

measures include encryption, limited 

access based on an individual’s role, 

and assuring staff who are authorized to 

access the records have received the 

appropriate privacy and security 

training. All these measures comply 

with the Federal Information Security 

Modernization Act of 2002, as amended 

by the Federal Information Security 

Modernization Act of 2014, OMB 

policies, and standards and guidance 

from the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST). Any paper 

records in this system will be stored in 

locked file cabinets or locked offices 

with access restricted to those who have 

a need to know and the appropriate 

privacy and security training. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

Individuals seeking access to their 

records in this system may email their 

request to foia@opm.gov or mail their 

request to the Office of Personnel 

Management, Office of the Executive 

Secretariat, Privacy, and Information 

Management—FOIA, 1900 E Street NW, 

OESPIM/FOIA, Room 5H35, 

Washington, DC 20415–0001. The email 

or letter should: 

1. Include the words ‘‘Privacy Act 

Records Access Request’’, 

2. State that the request relates to 

OPM/Internal—31, VA Recoupment and 

Reduction Appeals to OPM, and 

3. Clearly describe the information 

requested. 

The letter or email must also include 

the individual’s: 

1. Full name, and any former names, 

2. Date of birth, 

3. Preference for how they want to be 

contacted (home address, telephone 

number, and/or personal email), and 

4. Signature. 

Additional requirements regarding 

record access requests, including the 

rights of guardians and how records 

may be provided, may be found in 5 

CFR part 297, Privacy Procedures for 

Personnel Records. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

Individuals wishing to request an 

amendment of records about them may 

email their request to foia@opm.gov or 

mail their request to the Office of 

Personnel Management, Office of the 

Executive Secretariat, Privacy, and 

Information Management—FOIA, 1900 

E Street NW, OESPIM/FOIA, Room 

5H35, Washington, DC 20415–0001. The 

email or letter should: 

1. Include the words ‘‘Privacy Act 

Amendment Request’’, 

2. State that the request relates to 

OPM/Internal—31, VA Recoupment and 

Reduction Appeals to OPM, 

3. Clearly describe the records the 

individual wants to amend and why, 

and 

4. Include any documents which 

could help substantiate the request. 

The letter or email must also include 

the individual’s: 

1. Full name, and any former names, 

2. Date of birth, 

3. Preference for how they want to be 

contacted (home address, telephone 

number, and/or personal email), and 

4. Signature. 

Additional requirements regarding 

record access requests, including the 

rights of guardians and how records 

may be provided, may be found in 5 

CFR part 297, Privacy Procedures for 

Personnel Records. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES: 

See ‘‘Record Access Procedures.’’ 

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

None. 

HISTORY: 

None. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00584 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6325–39–P 

POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION 

[Docket Nos. MC2025–1068; K2025–1067; 

MC2025–1069; K2025–1068; MC2025–1070; 

K2025–1069; MC2025–1071; K2025–1070; 

MC2025–1072; K2025–1071; MC2025–1073; 

K2025–1072; MC2025–1074; K2025–1073; 

MC2025–1075; K2025–1074; MC2025–1076; 

K2025–1075; MC2025–1077; K2025–1076; 

MC2025–1078; K2025–1077; MC2025–1079; 

K2025–1078; MC2025–1080; K2025–1079; 

MC2025–1081; K2025–1080] 

New Postal Products 

AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a 

recent Postal Service filing for the 

Commission’s consideration concerning 

a negotiated service agreement. This 

notice informs the public of the filing, 

invites public comment, and takes other 

administrative steps. 

DATES: Comments are due: January 16, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments 

electronically via the Commission’s 

Filing Online system at https://

www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit 

comments electronically should contact 

the person identified in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section by 

telephone for advice on filing 

alternatives. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at 

202–789–6820. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Introduction 

II. Public Proceeding(s) 

III. Summary Proceeding(s) 


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