Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Interim Guidance on Public Lands Corps Tracking and Certification -- Revised

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov/

December 3, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
1115 (420) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 12/03/2014
Instruction Memorandum No 2015-026
Expires: 09/30/2018

To:                        All State Directors
                             Attn:  State Youth Leads

From:          Assistant Director, National Landscape Conservation System and Community Partnerships

Subject:       Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Interim Guidance on Public Lands Corps Tracking and Certification – Revised                    DD: 12/31/2014                                                  

Program Area: Education, Interpretation and Partnerships.

Purpose: Pursuant to the recently issued Instruction Memorandum (IM) 2014-075 from Human Capital Management on the Public Lands Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority, this IM provides interim guidance on:

• tracking the hours of PLC participants using the PLC Work Hours Verification Form; and
• providing a Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring Based on PLC Service to those participants who meet established criteria.

An online system is being developed that will enable PLC participants and their project supervisors to track hours electronically. But until that system is launched, the attached paper forms are to be used. This IM replaces IM 2014-123, which was originally issued in August 2014. A revision was needed to address privacy concerns and clarify age requirements for PLC participants. Note that Attachment 1 has also been revised since the earlier IM was issued.

Policy/Action: The attached revised versions of the Public Lands Corps Work Hours Verification Form (Attachment 1) and the Certificate of Eligibility for

Noncompetitive Hiring Based on PLC Service (Attachment 2) include instructions on what information is to be provided on the forms and on who should sign them - specifically, whether BLM staff members or partner organization representatives are responsible.

In order to facilitate the PLC tracking and certification process, State Directors should designate a Federal Youth Coordinator for the PLC program in the State along with at least one alternate.

The Federal Youth Coordinator for the PLC program will be responsible for signing the Work Hours Verification Form after verifying that all the information requested has been provided and that the PLC member as well as the Project Supervisor from the partner organization and the Project Team Lead from the BLM have signed it. If the PLC member has completed 640 hours of satisfactory service on an appropriate conservation project that included at least 120 hours of service on Federal public lands, the Federal Youth Coordinator is also authorized to sign the Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring. In addition, the Federal Youth Coordinator should be responsible for returning completed, signed paperwork to the PLC participant and for maintaining copies of the documents on file. Since these documents contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they must be secured in locked cabinets or locked rooms when not in use. Each cabinet must have a proper warning label affixed to it as described in Instruction Memorandum 2014-022: Safeguarding Privacy Information. This IM also outlines additional precautions that must be taken to avoid exposing protected information.

The forms should be returned to the PLC participant because it is the participant who is responsible for providing signed copies of the PLC Certificate of Eligibility and the Work Hours Verification Form as part of his/her application package for any vacancy. Copies of the forms should be retained in a secure, central location as described above for at least three months after the participant's noncompetitive hiring eligibility ends. It is suggested that these copies be filed in State Human Resource offices. This will ensure that the certificates and verification forms are secure but still available during the hiring process and will also assist Human Resource Officers with matching potential PLC applicants with open or upcoming vacancies.

In addition to designating a Federal Youth Coordinator, State Directors should also ensure that a Project Team Lead is identified for each PLC project in the state. The Project Team Lead is responsible for signing the Work Hours Verification Form after confirming with the Project Supervisor from the partner organization that the PLC participant has satisfactorily completed the reported hours on the project. A Project Team Lead should be an individual who is familiar with the project and the partner organization. Possible Project Team Leads could include the Program Officer for the agreement with the partner organization, a staff member who oversees the project, or a supervisor or manager in the particular office where the project took place.

When the PLC participant has completed the required 640 hours of satisfactory service on an appropriate conservation project that included at least 120 hours of service on Federal public lands, the Project Team Lead for that final project is also required to sign the Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring along with the designated Federal Youth Coordinator.

A Statewide Information Bulletin should be issued with the name of the Federal Youth Coordinator for the PLC program and his/her alternate; the process for identifying Project Team Leads for each PLC project; and the procedure for maintaining copies of the PLC certificates and verification forms. The names of the designated Federal Youth Coordinator and alternates should also be provided to Betsy Wooster (ewooster@blm.gov) in the Washington Office Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships (WO-420). Names should be provided to the WO by December 31, 2014.

Timeframe: Effective immediately

Background: Based on Title 16 USC Sec 1721-1726, the Department of the Interior Personnel Bulletin No. 12-13 (Attachment 3) provides additional background on Public Lands Corps program implementation in DOI. Section 4 includes the criteria for youth eligible to be enrolled in the PLC. According to that Personnel Bulletin and the subsequently issued IM 2014-075 from BLM Human Capital Management, the BLM is authorized to offer noncompetitive hiring status to a PLC participant who:
* has completed 640 hours of satisfactory service on an appropriate conservation project that included at least 120 hours of service on Federal public lands (a certified PLC project);

*is between the ages of 16 and 25, inclusive, at the time the individual begins his/her term of service; and
* meets Office of Personnel Management (OPM) qualification standards and any other qualification requirements as stated in the vacancy announcement.
This status is provided for 120 days following completion of the participant's final PLC project. That period of time cannot be extended.

Please note that some PLC participants may accumulate their 640 hours through participation in numerous projects for several different state, local, and federal agencies. BLM staff members may be asked to review the Work Hours Verification Form that includes hours worked on non-BLM projects. Before signing the Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring, designated BLM staff members must ensure that the PLC participant worked at least 120 hours on Federal public lands.

Since PLC participants are only eligible for hiring for 120 days following completion of their PLC projects, participants should be able to get their forms signed as expeditiously as possible. For this reason, State Directors are strongly encouraged not only to designate staff with primary responsibility for tracking, verification, and certification but also to ensure that alternates are clearly identified.

Budget Impact: Possible, depending on the number of PLC participants who qualify for noncompetitive hiring eligibility and the workload involved in processing the forms and certificates.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None

Coordination: The Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships (WO-420) coordinated preparation of this IM with the Office of Recruitment and Retention Programs (WO-711) and State Youth Program Leads.

Contact: Refer questions related to the PLC Program, including requirements and expectations for BLM Youth Program and Resource Program staff as well as youth partner organizations, to Betsy Wooster, Youth Programs Lead, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships at (202) 912-7454 or ewooster@blm.gov. Questions related to the PLC Hiring Authority should be referred to Jessica Sobarzo, Program Coordinator, Office of Recruitment and Retention Programs at (202) 912-7536 or jsobarzo@blm.gov.

Signed by: 

Chris McAlear

Acting, Assistant Director

National Landscape Conservation System

and Community Partnerships

Authenticated by: 

Robert M. Williams

Division of IRM Governance, WO-860 

3 Attachments:

      1 - PLC Participant Verification of Partnership Work Hours (2 pp)
      2 - PLC Certificate of Eligibility (1 p)
      3 - DOI Personnel Bulletin 12-13 (9 pp)