• Benefits: Insurance and Retirement Programs
  • Federal Employees Health Benefit Program 
  • Insurance Comparison 
  • Insurance Form SF 2809 (See REE-FORMS)
  • Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) 
  • FEGLI Forms 
  • Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
  • Retirement and Insurance Forms 
  • Retirement Information and Services 
  • Retirement Calculator 
  • WAEPA(a non-government web site detailing a life insurance option for government employees and their families)
  • Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 
  • Employee Personal Page 
     
  Directories
  • Directories and other contact information throughout ARS can be found here. (NPACOP website)
  • NPARL Office Extensions (PDF; 13KB)
     
• Emergency
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Reporting Employee Absences (PDF; 35 KB)
  • NPARL Office Dismissal or Closure Procedures (PDF; 56 KB) 
     
• Health and Safety
  • ARS Emergency Readiness
  • Employee Assistance Program 
  • Federal Occupational Health 
  • NPARL Safety Information
  • Requests for repairs or maintenance (PDF; 240 KB)
  • USDA Employee Wellness   
    

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• Frequently Asked Questions for New Employees

  • What are the office hours?
    Core office hours are 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, although employees are allowed a flexible schedule with supervisor permission.

  • How many people are employed here?
    There are 47 permanent full time employees. During the summer season, employment can increase up to 70-75 people.

  • How often do I get paid?
    Paychecks are issued bi-weekly and you will receive your first pay check 3 weeks after you begin duty.  

  • How do I access SharePoint?(use MS Internet Explorer only)
    Go to https://arsnet.usda.gov/sites/NPA/default.aspx and sign on using your email ID and password.

  • Can I use government owned property for personal use?
    Read  USDA Office of Ethics Rulesfor more information.

  • Can I use work computers or other government property for personal use?
    Please read P&P 253.4and/or USDA's Office of Ethics Newsletter, page 5.

  • What do I do if I need to remove government owned items off location?
    A Property Pass (Form AD-873) must be on file. Please check with the property management officer or administrative officer for further questions .

  • How do I get repair or maintenance done in my office or lab?
    Fill out a work order (PDF; 240 KB) and turn in to the maintenance department.

  • How do I get keys to perform my duties in other buildings?
    See standard procedures for key dissemination (PDF; 103 KB).

  • What needs to be done if I am expecting a foreign visitor?
    Click here (PDF; 24 KB) for NPARL standard operating procedures.

  • What to do if I am expecting a visitor?
     All visitors must sign in at the front desk and receive a visitors badge.

  • Where can I look for a permanent federal job?

    • ARS Career Page 

    • NPA Career Page 

    • NPARL Career Page 

    • Scientist Postings 

    • USA Jobs 

    • USDA Job Search  

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• Pay and Leave

  • Where is my time sheet?
    The Location Administrative Officer will advise what type of time sheet you have. Electronic sheets are kept on the public drive at P://Timesheets, hard copies are kept near the in/out board in alphabetical order. Partial hours are recorded as .00, .25, .5, .75 for 15 minute increments. See SOP (PDF; 20 KB) for more information in PDF format.

  • Your regular scheduled work hours must be accounted for each day. Time will be recorded as different transaction codes; they can be regular hours worked, annual leave (vacation), sick leave, family sick leave, credit, compensatory, travel compensatory and other (administrative leave or holiday).  

  • Change of Hours Request(PDF; 16 KB)
  • Electronic Official Personnel Folder Access
       (use MS Internet Explorer)
  • Electronic Official Personnel Folder-Frequently Asked Questions
       (link to PDF) 
  • Employee Personal Page
  • Leave Requests
    • Leave Request OPM-71 (Needed for 3 or more consecutive days. See REE-FORMS)
    • Leave Transfer Program (This links to HR Forms page, scroll down to "R" and click the form link)
      • Recipient Application (Personal;REE-3A; Word 71 KB)
      • Recipient Application (Family; REE-3B; 84 KB)
      • Donor Application (REE-4; 41 KB)
      • Leave Transfer Program Donor(OPM630-B, outside of agency-See REE-FORMS)  
  • Preapproved Overtime/Comp Time Authorization
    • Blanket Memo(PDF; 21 KB)
         (click here for an example; PDF; 18 KB)
    • Case by Case Form (PDF; 44 KB)
  • What is Comp Travel time?

    • What is the difference between credit and compensatory time?
      1. Credit time is accrued when you choose to work more than your scheduled hours with supervisor permission and the maximum balance.
      2. Comp time is when your supervisor requires you to work over your regular scheduled hours. (Click here for more information.)

    • Basic Question and Answer Sheet (PDF; 29 KB) 
    • Limits on Comp Travel (PDF; 77 KB)
    • Overview Chart of Comp Travel (PDF; 28 KB) 
    • Visual Chart of Comp Travel (PDF; 77 KB)
    • Figuring Your Comp Travel Hours Worksheet (PDF; 297 KB)
  • Pay and Leave Resources
  • Salary Tables
       (scroll to end of page, click "REST OF UNITED STATES")
  • Time Sheet (PDF; 122 KB)
     
• Policies
  • Policies, Procedures and Manuals 
  • Bulletins (Bulletins outline revised policy and procedures)
  • NPA Policy Memorandums 

• Purchasing Information

  • Acquisition Tool Kit

  • Forms

    • Purchase Request AD-700(See REE-FORMS 

    • Reimbursement Claim SF-1164 (See REE-FORMS)

  • Integrated Acquisition System

  • Micro-Purchase Guide

  • NPA Purchase Information 

  • NPARL P&P(PDF; 44 KB)

  • Purchase Card Program

  • Vendors (Specified Order)

    • Activity Inventory (On-Hand Stock/Cupboard Stock)

    • Excess Personal Property

    • UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries)

    • AbilityOne(JWOD, NIB, NISH included)

    • GSA Federal Acquisition Service ( GSA Advantage| GSA Global Supply| GSA Excess)

    • Mandatory Federal Supply Schedules

    • Intramall

    • Optional Federal Supply Schedules

    • Commercial Sources 
        

• Training
  • AFM Training Resources
  • Ag-Learn 
  • Annual Ethics Training 
  • Employee Development P&P 
  • Employee Development Plan / Training 
  • Government Online Learning Center (GoLearn) 
  • Standard Procedures for Training Request (PDF; 40 KB)   
    • Training Request Form SF-182 
      ( Online Instructions; PDF; 13 KB (Available on  AgLearnafter completing the online tutorial)  
  • USDA e-Authentication
     

• Travel

Travel Steps| Travel Card| Contributed or Foreign| Relocation