OPM 1655 and OPM 1655A will be used by
retired Administrative Law Judges seeking reemployment to complete
hearings in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act of
1946. These forms will streamline the application process by
providing all needed information on 2 forms.
This is to request an
emergency extension for OPM Forms 1655 and 1655-A, OMB Control
Number: 3206-0248. On October 7, 2010, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) published a 60-day Federal Register Notice Vol.
75, No. 194 regarding a proposed rule to permanently eliminate the
licensure requirement for incumbent Administrative Law Judges
(ALJs) covered under the ALJ Program. Comments regarding this
proposed rule are due on December 6, 2010. The rules concerning
licensure requirements for incumbent ALJs may change, and could
have a direct link to Senior ALJs, who utilize these forms to apply
for the Senior ALJ Program. The final rule may greatly impact the
Senior ALJ Program as the forms will require that revisions be made
once the rule becomes final. As such, we are requesting a 6-month
emergency extension based on the outcome of rulemaking. We
presently anticipate that, at a minimum, a 6-month extension will
be needed for an adequate time for OPM to evaluate public comments
on the proposed rule and to revise the forms, as necessary, in
conjunction with issuing the final rule. The expiration of these
forms will cause unnecessary burden to retired ALJs, as the forms
are tailored toward the specific requirements of the Senior ALJ
Program, and eliminate the need to solicit additional information
from Senior ALJ applicants.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.