Human Resources

[NASA]

6 Min Read

Human Resources

The NSSC provides Human Resources (HR) services including: Benefits, Classification Appeals and Services, Development of Information Materials, Drug Testing, Electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF), Employee Notices, Employee Recognition and Awards, Financial Disclosure, General Employment Inquiries (GEI), HR Surveys, In-Processing, Leave Programs, Payroll, Personnel Action Processing (PAP), Retirement, Senior Executive Services (SES), Staffing, Suitability Adjudication, Survivor Benefits, Training Administration, Unemployment Compensation, and Workers’ Compensation. 

Benefits

NASA offers a broad array of benefits programs, including health, dental, vision and life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and long-term care insurance to help meet the needs of you and your family.

Classification Appeals

The NSSC Classification Appeals Team reviews Agency-level appeals submitted by NASA employees who disagree with their current position classification and who wish to appeal their grade, occupational series, or pay system. The NSSC team supports the Agency by evaluating appeals and positions based upon OPM’s classification standards and issuing evaluation statements for final Agency decision.

Classification Services

Position Classification is the process used to evaluate the duties and responsibilities of a position in order to assign a proper title, occupational series and grade.  The Classification Team ensures NASA’s classification program meets regulatory requirements and is consistent with OPM and Agency policy guidance.

Development of Information Materials

The HR Development of Information Materials Team supports NASA-wide requirements for HR document creation.

Drug Testing

The NSSC Drug Testing Team administers the NASA Drug Testing Program for applicants selected for or working in a Testing Designated Position (TDP) for all pre-employment, random, voluntary, post-accident or unsafe practice, reasonable suspicion, and follow-up testing. Tests are conducted for NASA employees in TDPs that work at Centers and Satellite locations.

Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF)

The eOPF is an electronic version of your Official Personnel Folder and contains all the official records required to document your Federal career.

Employee Notices

The NSSC issues NASA-wide employee notices on a variety of HR topics. These notices engage and inform the NASA civil service workforce in topics such as annual notifications required by Federal law and regulations, employee rights and responsibilities, and various benefits and entitlements.

Employee Recognition and Awards

The NSSC provides general administrative support to the Agency and all NASA Center Award Offices to advance Agency- and Center-specific award programs, including certificate production and maintenance of the NASA Automated Awards System (NAAS).

Financial Disclosure

The NSSC Financial Disclosure Team provides support to Agency ethics offices, human resources offices, and financial disclosure filers for Confidential Financial Disclosure Office of Government (OGE) Form 450, Public Financial Disclosure Report OGE Form 278e, and Periodic Transaction Report OGE Form 278-T through NASA’s Ethics Program Tracking System (EPTS) and related services.

General Employment Inquiries

Many individuals worldwide are interested in a NASA career. The NSSC provides a variety of HR support activities including responding to a broad variety of questions from the public regarding Federal employment at NASA. As the Agency resource for these types of inquiries, the NSSC General Employment Inquiry team is available to field requests for information on subjects such as how to apply for a NASA position, citizenship requirements, student programs, veteran employment, and other general employment information.

For information about NASA jobs and the employment process, visit Careers at NASA. If you have general questions about the application process, student employment programs, opportunities for veterans, or other general employment questions, contact the NSSC by e-mail at nssc-contactcenter@nasa.gov or phone at 1-877-677-2123 (1-877-NSSC123).

HR Surveys

The NSSC supports, coordinates, facilitates, and administers customer/Agency surveys, and studies of interest to the Government, as requested by the Office of the Chief Human Capitol Officer (OCHCO) or the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO). 

In-Processing

The NSSC In-Processing Team provides service to new NASA civil servants, transferred employees, reemployed annuitants, reinstated, converted, and reassigned employees.

Leave Programs

NASA leave programs work in coordination with one another to provide the most flexibility possible to NASA employees who are experiencing a personal or family medical emergency.

Payroll

The NSSC) Payroll Office (NPO) reviews, validates, and delivers time and attendance data to the Department of the Interior (DOI) Interior Business Center (IBC) for NASA Centers.  NPO acts as liaison between Centers, employees and IBC for other payroll related activities such as supplemental payments, prior pay period adjustments and settlement agreements.

Personnel Action Request (PAR)

PAP covers transactional HR activities that are necessary to appoint, separate, record, and maintain personnel changes for NASA employees.

Retirement

The NSSC provides general administrative, advisory, and transactional support for federal benefits programs to all NASA employees, calculates retirement estimates, and processes retirements packages.

Senior Executive Services (SES) and Presidential Rank Award (PRA)

The NSSC provides documentation support for NASA’s Senior Executive Service (SES) appointments and Presidential Rank Award (PRA) nominations.

Staffing

Staffing Services works directly with hiring managers across the Agency to fill their vacancies and hire the talent they need. OCHCO Executive Services Division and the Office of Inspector General provide these services to their respective areas.

Suitability Adjudication

The NSSC Suitability team ensures consistent, timely, and quality adjudication decisions to meet the hiring requirements delineated in the 2010 Presidential Memorandum (Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process) and adhering to OPM’s adjudication metrics.

Survivor Benefits

In the event of an employee’s passing, a NASA Benefits Specialist will help your survivor file all necessary claims for any survivor and dependent annuities, life insurance and other benefits which may be available to them. Your surviving family members are our highest priority.

Training Administration

The NSSC provides training purchases and training administration support for specified needs that are standard across the Agency.  Training Purchases includes procuring standard training classes, “reserving” seats for specific on-site courses, updating data in NASA’s learning management system (LMS), and completing acquisitions.

Training Administration, which transitioned to the NSSC in FY 2020, consists of administering Federal, Agency, and Center-mandated/required training to include entering training course information and employee training data into the LMS for updated training histories, supporting documents for offsite and onsite course requests, learning history, approved training forms, attendance and completion data, and course information; supporting Center Training Offices with the administration and payment of courses, and providing post-training support to include deploying course evaluations and compiling survey results, closing scheduled offerings and inactivating course items; and administering the Agency’s LMS (i.e., System for Administration, Training, and Educational Resources for NASA (SATERN).

Unemployment Compensation

The Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program provides a weekly income for a limited period of time to unemployed former Federal civilian workers who meet eligibility requirements, to help them meet basic needs while searching for employment.

Workers’ Compensation

The NSSC provides Workers’ Compensation case management support for all NASA employees to assist injured employees in a timely and safe return to work.

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