Section 4--Official Records and Files in General

A.  1. No personnel record may be collected, maintained, or retained except
in accordance with law, government-wide regulations, SSA Personnel Manual for Supervisors, S-293, and this agreement. All personnel records are confidential, shall be viewed or disseminated by officials/employees only with a legitimate administrative need to know, and must be retained in a secure location, at the employee's permanent duty    station.  Official personnel folders may be located at certain  administrative centers.

2. All basic policies on the maintenance of personnel records, record keeping standards, and special safeguards for automated and/or electronic records will be followed in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

3. An employee has the right to be informed about records that are maintained about him or her and are filed, in a system of records, under his/her personal identifier (e.g., social security number).  Upon request, an employee may also see such records and have a copy made of them.  The Employer will provide an annual notice to each employee regarding these rights.

B.    1. Employees and/or their authorized representatives shall have the right
and be granted a reasonable amount of time to examine any of their personnel records on duty time in the presence of a management official. The employee shall have the right to prepare and enter on the record, while on duty status, a response to material placed in such records.

2. Employees will be allowed to enter into their SF-7B file additional information or documents, within reason, that are appropriate, relevant, work related and that are not in violation of law or government-wide rules or regulations.

C. Access to personnel records of the employee by the employee and/or the authorized representative normally shall be granted within two (2) working days of the request if such records are maintained on the premises in which the employee is located and are immediately available. If the records are not so maintained as available, the Employer will initiate prompt action to obtain the records from their location.