OOOK00001
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of paper and paper products is a matter of
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support this priority, has opted to use
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Therefore, when you dispose of this publi-
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Office of Human Resources Management
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EPA
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL
ACT (IPA) HANDBOOK
A GUIDE FOR SUPERVISORS, MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES
°!Ii£i2l ^nilkk
Office of ^H •• ^& Human Resources Management
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
IPA ASSIGNMENT 3
IPA POLICY AND PROGRAM GOALS 7
RULES OF THE ROAD 11
MANAGEMENT AND IPA ASSIGNMENTS 15
The IPA is an integral part of our Agency's out-
reach program to States and local communities.
It gives EPA and the environmental community
unique flexibilities in communicating environ-
mental concerns and exchanging information.
We intend to expand our use of the IPA program
in addressing our nation's environmental
problems.
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Introduction
This booklet has been
developed to provide a general
description of the IPA Program
and to answer the most frequent-
ly asked questions about IPA as-
signments. As the following
pages will show, the IPA
Program allows managers con-
siderable flexibility and ingenuity
when participating in the
program, so the booklet cannot
anticipate all situations and ques-
tions which might arise.
However, we have attempted to
cover all the high points. Your
local Human Resources Office
can answer additional questions.
IPA Handbook
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IPA ASSIGNMENT
IPA Handbook
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Chapter 1
IPA Assignment
An "IPA assignment" is a short-
hand term for a personnel assign-
ment authorized under the Inter-
governmental Personnel Act
(1970) (IPA). This Act permits
and encourages the interchange
of employees from two broad
sectors:
•Federal employees with
career or career conditional
appointments including
career appointments in the
SES and excepted service of
equivalent tenure, e.g. attor-
neys.
•Non-Federal employees
specifically: employees from
state, county, municipal
government; Indian tribal
governments; and employees
from educational institutions
and certain nonprofit or-
ganizations (e.g., professional
societies and nonprofit re-
search organizations).
An IPA assignment occurs
when a Federal or non-Federal
employee temporarily leaves a
"home" organization to work for
a "hosting" organization in the
I—I
IPA Handbook
-------
other government sector. The
Act stipulates that assignments
must be designed for the mutual
interest and benefit of the
"home" and "hosting" organiza-
tion.
Mutual benefit is important be-
cause the Act is focused on
employee interchange as a
means of solving common
problems and sharing hard-to-
find expertise. The Act provides
the legal means to temporarily
assign skilled people between ap-
propriate organizations when-
ever there is sufficient need and
a common interest.
Historically, EPA is among the
most active Federal agencies in
the use of IPA assignments, but,
this is not surprising. The mutual-
ly beneficial character of IPA as-
signments is clearly in line with
EPA's traditional emphasis on
maximizing the involvement of
state and local governments in
the solution of environmental
problems. In addition, the kinds
of environmental problems faced
by EPA clearly require that both
EPA employees and their
counterparts in the non-Federal
sector should be knowledgeable
about and sensitive to common
interests and concerns.
IPA Handbook
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IPA POLICY AND PROGRAM
GOALS
IPA Handbook
-------
Chapter 2
IPA Policy and Program Goals
In accordance with the Inter-
governmental Personnel Act,
EPA approves IPA assig iments
which demonstrate a clear
mutual benefit to a particular
EPA program or component and
to its counterpart in the non-
Federal sector. The EPA policy
on IPA assignments is to en-
courage them to the maximum
extent possible, consistent with
the goals of the EPA IPA
Program as follows:
•To improve delivery of
government services to the
citizen - from all levels of
government.
•To foster closer and better in-
tergovernmental relations.
•To strengthen environmental
programs and services offered
by non-profit organizations
and institutions of higher
learning.
IPA Handbook
•To increase and broaden the
perspective and expertise of
both IPA assignees and host-
ing organizations.
Examples of IPA Assignments
The different kinds of assign-
ments which are possible under
the IPA Program are as varied as
the environmental programs ad-
ministered by EPA and as dif-
ferent as the local governments
and institutions affected by those
programs. However, IPA assign-
ments do fall into two broad
categories.
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1) IPA assignments where EPA
employees work in the non-
Federal sector:
A lexicologist from an EPA
laboratory is assigned to the test-
ing facility of a state environmen-
tal department to advise on test-
ing procedures and techniques.
An environmental specialist
from a Region is assigned to a
municipal government to help
implement Federal and state en-
vironmental standards on hazard-
ous waste.
2) IPA assignments where
employees from the non-Federal
sector work at EPA:
A professor of chemistry is as-
signed to an EPA laboratory to
conduct research and advise on
the theories and techniques of
testing for air quality.
An advisor to the director of a
state environmental protection
department is assigned to EPA
Headquarters to work on
programs to improve EPA's
Hazardous Evaluation programs.
As can be seen from the ex-
amples above, IPA assignments
serve the Agency in two prin-
cipal ways:
•They are a means of acquiring
hard-to-find expertise and
skills for the solution of com-
mon problems.
•They provide a training
ground where EPA
employees can experience
first-hand the application of
environmental programs and
regulations at the grass roots
level.
I PA Hand book
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RULES OF THE ROAD
I PA Handbook
11
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Chapter 3
Rules of the Road
Although the IPA Program al-
lows considerable flexibility to
managers in designing IPA as-
signments, there are still rules
and procedures to be followed.
The discussion below highlights
the primary rules and limitations
on IPA assignments. For more in-
formation see the HQ IPA Coor-
dinator or your Human Resour-
ces Office.
Proposing an IPA Assignment
All officials initiating IPA as-
signments inside and outside of
EPA must sign a standard agree-
ment form (OF-69) certifying
the accuracy of a job description,
fiscal arrangements, employee
benefits, rights and obligations.
Individual employees are not
authorized to initiate discussions
with outside organizations about
IPA assignments. The most com-
mon way that IPA assignments
are proposed is through personal
contacts or official correspon-
dence between EPA managers
and their non-Federal counter-
parts.
Criteria for IPA Assignments
As mentioned earlier, mutual
benefit is the key test for an IPA
assignment. The assignment
should provide a clear benefit to
EPA either through some direct
impact on a program and/or on
the IPA assignee, or a clear gain
in knowledge, skill or effective-
ness. The benefits must be ex-
plained in writing on the IPA
proposal form.
Length of IPA Assignments
Assignments can be made on a
full-time, part-time, or intermit-
tent basis but will be initially
limited to two years. A single as-
signment may be extended not to
exceed four years maximum. In
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IPA Handbook
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addition, no Federal employee
may exceed a personal total of
six years on IPA assignments in a
career. Assignments should be
kept to the minimum time
period necessary to complete the
assigned task.
Assignments that are extended
beyond two years require written
justification for the extension, in-
cluding a description of the addi-
tional mutual benefits.
most assignments of EPA
employees to other organiza-
tions, it is expected that EPA's
cost-share should be 50% or less.
At a cost-share of 50% or less, the
EPA employee does not count
against ceiling.
Managers have real freedom
of action to negotiate on costs
and all costs are open to negotia-
tion. For example, if a prospec-
tive assignee has a base salary of
Paying the Costs of an IPA As-
signment
The organization benefiting
the most from an assignment is
expected to bear the greater
share of costs. Where benefits
are primarily on one side, that or-
ganization can pay all costs. In
$30,000, the cost of the salary
can be negotiated so that both or-
ganizations pay equal shares, or
any other proportion. Generally,
the costs of an IPA assignment
will include salary, fringe
benefits (health insurance, life in-
surance, etc.), travel and moving
IPA Handbook
13
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expenses.Equal Employment Op-
portunity
Employees will be selected for
IPA assignments without regard
to political affiliation, race,
color, national origin, age, sex,
religious creed or physical hand-
icap.
Approving IPA Assignments
After an IPA agreement is
prepared, it must be approved by
an authorized official of both or-
ganizations. The level of approv-
ing official within EPA depends
on the proportion of salaiy costs
to be paid by EPA, as follows:
•If EPA pays 30% of salary or
less — the IPA agreement is
approved by an Assistant Ad-
ministrator, Associate Ad-
ministrator, Inspector
General, General Counsel or
Regional Administrator and
reviewed by the Head-
quarters IPA Coordinator.
•If EPA pays more than 30%
of salary — the agreement
must be approved by the IPA
Coordinator located in the Ex-
ecutive Resources and Special
Programs Staff in the Head-
quarters Office of Human
Resources Management.
Copies of all agreements are
kept by the Headquarters IPA
Coordinator.
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IPA Handbook
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MANAGEMENT AND IPA
ASSIGNMENTS
IPA Handbook
15
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I
55
UJ
CD
Chapter 4
Management and IPA Assignments
The flexibilities built into the
IPA Program permit EPA
managers to supplement their
workforce with assignees from
outside organizations, to develop
their permanent employees, and
to provide assistance to state and
local governments, etc. IPA as-
signments are not large in num-
ber compared to the overall
EPA workforce. On average, ac-
tive IPA assignments including
both EPA arid non-EPA
employees total less than 1% of
workforce. The IPA Program is
not designed to produce large
numbers of assignees. Rather,
the Program provides managers
with a vehicle for meeting the
special needs of the program
they direct and the state and
local governments that they
serve.
This section, in a question and
answer format, will provide infor-
mation on the technical and
regulatory aspects of IPA assign-
ments. If you need further infor-
mation, please contact the Head-
quarters IPA Coordinator or
your local Human Resources Of-
fice.
Questions and Answers
Q. How do IPA assignments get
started?
A. Officials of non-Federal or-
ganizations and Federal agencies
may initiate an IPA mobility as-
signment by addressing an assign-
ment proposal directly to a
counterpart agency in another
jurisdiction that shares a mutual
concern in strengthening a
program or solving a problem.
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IPA Handbook
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Q. What should an assignment
proposal contain?
A. In order to give the or-
ganization to which the proposal
is addressed a basis for evaluat-
ing the request and deciding how
it can help, an assignment
proposal should outline the:
•Purpose of the assignment, in-
cluding its general priority;
•Benefits of assignment for the
organizations and employee
involved;
•Employee's skills and back-
ground required (position
description);
•Estimated length of the assign-
ment; and
• Share of salary and other ex-
penses the requesting or-
ganization is willing to assume.
Q. How is an assignment put
into effect?
A. Once EPA, the outside or-
ganization and the employee
have agreed upon the assign-
ment and all terms and condi-
tions for the assignment, it is put
into effect by a written assign-
ment agreement. The written
agreement is reviewed by the ser-
vicing Human Resources Office
(HRO) or the Headquarters IPA
Coordinator before final ap-
proval.
Q. What is the purpose of the as-
signment agreement?
A. The assignment agreement
is used to:
•Document the terms and con-
ditions of the assignment that
the two agencies have agreed
upon;
•Document the employee's
consent to the assignment by
his or her signature; and
•Provide a record of the rights
and responsibilities of each of
the three parties to the agree-
ment.
Q. Can an employee be assigned
to another jurisdiction without
his or her consent?
A. No. IPA assignments can be
made only with the consent of
the employee.
Q. How do employees indicate
an interest in IPA assignment
possibilities?
A. Since assignment proposals
are initiated and responded to by
Agency managers, employees
IPA Handbook
17
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should inform the appropriate
program and personnel officials
in their respective organizations
of their interest.
Q. What should the employee do
when he or she knows of a need
for his or her services in another
organization?
A. An employee may bring to
the attention of appropriate offi-
cials in EPA any specific needs
that another jurisdiction might
have for which he or she would
like to be considered. Proposals
will be evaluated by EPA
management officials on the
basis of the mutual benefit that
the two organizations will derive
from the proposed assignment.
Q. How long does the IPA assign-
ment last?
A. The assignment may last for
an initial length of time up to
two years depending upon the
needs of the organizations in-
volved. Assignments may also be
part-time, for example 20 hours
per week, or intermittent, such
as one week per month for six
months.
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IPA Handbook
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Q. Can an assignment be ex-
tended beyond two years?
A. Yes. Under special cir-
cumstances, such as when a
project takes longer to complete
than anticipated, an assignment
may be extended for up to an ad-
ditional two years. Such an exten-
sion can be made only if it is for
the mutual benefit of the agen-
cies concerned. It should be
documented with a letter stating
the extended date of termination
and signed by all three parties to
the agreement.
Q. Under what conditions would
an assignment be terminated
early?
A. An assignment may be ter-
minated at any time at the option
of either organization. Normally,
this might occur if a project is
completed ahead of schedule or
if the desired results are not
being achieved. An early ter-
mination should be documented
with a letter giving the revised
termination date.
Q. What is the status of an
employee on an IPA mobility as-
signment?
A. Employees of EPA and non-
Federal organizations may be as-
signed either on detail or on a
leave-without-pay basis. In either
case, the assignee remains an
employee of his or her original
organization and retains the
rights and benefits attached to
that status.
Q. What are the rights, benefits,
and obligations of an EPA
employee?
A. On detail, an EPA
employee:
•Retains his or her pay, al-
lowances, privileges, rights,
seniority, and other benefits;
•Continues to have employee
contributions for retirement,
life insurance, and health
benefits withheld from his or
her pay;
•Continues to earn leave under
the Federal system and has ap-
propriate absence from duty
with the other jurisdiction
charged against that leave;
•Is subject to the 40-hour
workweek and 8-hour non-
overtime requirement for
Federal employees although
the employee's workweek and
hours of duty are determined
by the other jurisdiction; and
IPA Handbook
19
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•Is entitled to all Federal
holidays or overtime pay if re-
quired to work on a Federal
holiday.
On leave-without-pay from his
or her Federal agency, an EPA
employee:
•Is given an appointment by
the other jurisdiction in ac-
cordance with the assignment
agreement and is paid by that
jurisdiction;
•Is paid a supplemental salary
by the Federal agency when
the rate of basic pay of the
position in the other j urisdic-
tion is less than the rate of
basic pay the employee would
have received by remaining in
the Federal position;
•Has his or her workweek,
hours of duty, and holidays es-
tablished by the other jurisdic-
tion in accordance with its
policies;
•May elect to retain his or her
Federal leave entitlement sub-
ject to Federal leave regula-
tions (leave is earned,
credited, charged, and for-
feited as though he or she
were in pay status);
•May elect to retain his or her
coverage under the Federal
life insurance program, retire-
ment system, and health
benefits program or par-
ticipate in comparable
programs offered by the other
jurisdiction;
•Is subject to the 40-hour
workweek and 8-hour non
overtime requirement for
Federal employees although
the employee's workweek and
hours of duty are determined
by the other jurisdiction; and
•Is entitled to all Federal
holidays or overtime pay if re-
quired to work on a Federal
holiday;
•Is considered for promotion
purposes on equal basis with
Federal employees in the
same agency under the ap-
plicable merit promotion plan
as if still serving in the
Federal agency; and
• Must be returned to the posi-
tion he or she occupied at the
time the assignment began or
be reassigned to a position of
like pay and grade.
Whether assigned by detail or
leave-without-pay, an EPA
employee must agree as a condi-
tion of accepting an assignment
to serve in the civil service upon
the completion of the assign-
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IPA Handbook
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ment for a period equal to the
length of the assignment.
Q. May an EPA employee as-
signed under the leave-without-
pay provisions of the IPA
authority, and thus holding an
appointment from the "other or-
ganization," be promoted within
that employer's system?
A. Yes, but the written agree-
ment should provide for any
promotions and changes in salary
during the assignment, or the
agreement may be amended
provided all parties agree.
Q. What are the rights, benefits
and obligations of a non-
Federal employee on mobility as-
signment?
A. On detail, a non-Federal
employee:
•Remains an employee of his
or her original employing
jurisdiction for most purposes
(non-Federal organizations in-
terested in participating are
being urged to provide protec-
tion for their employees com-
parable to that which is ex-
tended to Federal employees);
IPA Handbook
21
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•Continues to be paid at his or
her regular salary rate.
However, the assignee is en-
titled to supplemental pay to
the extent that his or her
regular pay is less than the ap-
propriate rate of pay which
the duties would warrant
under applicable Federal pay
provisions;
•Is considered a Federal
employee for purposes of ap-
plicable conflict of interest
laws and standards of conduct.
On leave to a Federal agency,
a non-Federal employee may be
given an appointment in the
Federal service for up to a 2-year
period without regard to the
provisions governing appoint-
ment in the competitive service.
Q. Do non-Federal employees on
an IPA appointment get Federal
Health Benefits, Life Insurance,
Retirement?
A. No, but if the State or local
government fails to continue the
employee's contribution to State
or local government retirement,
life insurance or health benefits
plan, the Federal Agency may
pay the employer's contributions
(or any part of them) for the
employee's period of assign-
ment. The employee must con-
tinue his or her contribution to
the applicable benefit program.
This can occur only on an ap-
pointment to a Federal position.
Q. When a non-Federal IPA
employee is given an appoint-
ment in the Federal service, is
the employee eligible for within-
grade increases under the
Federal Government's General
Schedule?
A. Yes. If the appointment is
for more than a year.
Q. Who pays the costs of an as-
signment?
A. The costs of an assignment
may be shared by the two juris-
dictions or be paid entirely by
one or the other. This is subject
to negotiation between the two
agencies cooperating on the as-
signment. In general, an
organization's share of costs
should relate to the degree to
which its interests are carried out
under the assignment. The or-
ganization which benefits more
from the assignment might
reasonably expect to pay the
larger share of the costs.
However, there may be cir-
cumstances in which one jurisdic-
tion or the other will want to as-
22
IPA Handbook
-------
sume the full costs because it
feels it will benefit enough from
the assignment to justify such an
arrangement.
Q. What do assignment costs in-
clude?
A. Such costs may include
employee pay, supplemental pay,
and certain fringe benefits, travel
and relocation costs. Federal
agencies may not reimburse non-
Federal organizations for tuition
credits or for any indirect or ad-
ministrative overhead costs as-
sociated with an assignment.
Q. Are assignees counted against
a Federal agency's "ceiling" on
the Monthly Report of Civilian
Employment (SF 113-A)?
A. EPA employees on detail to
non-Federal organizations
should not be reported on SF
113-A, if the organization to
which an assignment is made
reimburses the Federal agency
for at least 50 percent of the
employee's salary.
EPA employees on detail to
IPA assignments should be
reported on SF 113-A, if the or-
ganization to which an assign-
ment is made does not reim-
burse the Federal agency for at
least 50 percent of the
employee's salary.
EPA employees placed on
leave-without-pay while on as-
signment with non-Federal or-
ganizations should not be
reported on SF 113-A if their as-
signments are for more than 30
days; such employees should be
reported only if their IPA
mobility assignment is for 30
days or less.
Non-Federal employees on
detail to IPA mobility assign-
ments with Federal agencies
should not be reported on SF
113-A. Non-Federal employees
on IPA mobility assignments,
who have received Federal ap-
pointments, should be reported
on SF 113-A, if their assignments
are for more than 30 days; they
should not be reported if their as-
signments are for 30 days or less.
Q. Can an EPA assignee receive
pay in excess of his or her
Federal salary?
A. Yes. A Federal employee
who is placed in a leave-without-
pay status while on an assign-
ment would ordinarily receive
the appropriate rate of pay for
the position he or she occupies
with the "other organization."
IPA Handbook
23
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Thus, he or she could receive a
higher rate of pay than
authorized for his or her Federal
position. A Federal employee on
detail to an IPA assignment is en-
titled to his or her Federal rate
of pay. However, such an assig-
nee may receive a supplemental
salary from a non-Federal or-
ganization when the position to
which he or she is being assigned
has a higher established rate of
pay.
Q. Can an EPA assignee receive
a QSI while on an IPA assign-
ment?
A. No. EPA employees on an
IPA assignment may not receive
a QSI because of the temporary
nature of the assignment.
Q. Can an EPA assignee receive
a cash award while on an IPA as-
signment?
A. Yes. If the host organiza-
tion wishes to grant one, with the
concurrence of the assignee's
agency.
Q. Can a non-Federal assignee
receive a QSI while on an IPA as-
signment whether by detail or
appointment?
A. No, but they may receive
honor awards or if the assignee is
given a temporary appointment
to a Federal agency he/she may
receive a cash award.
Q. What travel and transporta-
tion expenses can EPA pay?
A. Under the IPA one or more
of the following expenses may be
paid:
•Travel, including a per diem
allowance, to and from the as-
signment location for the
employee;
•Travel, including a per diem
allowance, for official busi-
ness away from the duty sta-
tion during the assignment;
•Change of station allowance
for travel and transportation
of the employee's immediate
family, household goods, and
24 IPA Handbook
-------
personal effects to and from
the assignment location;
•Subsistence expenses for the
employee and his or her im-
mediate family while occupy-
ing temporary quarters (up to
30 days) at the assignment
location and on return to the
former post of duty;
•Temporary storage of
household goods (up to 60
days) in connection with the
assignment;
•Per diem allowance at the as-
signment location; and
•Miscellaneous expenses re-
lated to change of station
where movement or storage
of household goods is in-
volved.
An IPA assignee may receive
either the per diem allowance at
the assignment location or the
change of station allowances but
not both. Cost to the government
is considered in determining
which procedure to use.
Pre-assignment house-hunting
trips and payment of certain real
estate costs allowed in connec-
tion with permanent moves are
not allowed due to the tem-
porary nature of IPA assign-
ments and the expectation that
employees will return to their
original employment locations at
the close of their assignments.
Q. What are the responsibilities
of an employee while on an IPA
assignment?
A. An employee on an IPA as-
signment:
•Is expected to conduct himself
or herself according to con-
flict of interest laws and stand-
ards of conduct provisions ap-
plicable to Federal employees
and similar standards main-
tained by non-Federal or-
ganizations;
•Is expected to return to his or
her original employer upon
completion of the assignment;
and
•May be held responsible for
travel and transportation ex-
penses to and from the assign-
ment location if he or she
does not serve the length of
the assignment upon return to
the Agency, or one year,
whichever is less, unless the
reasons for early termination
of the assignment are beyond
the control of the employee.
IPA Handbook
25
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We encourage you to participate
in the IPA program as we work
in partnership to...
Make the world a better place.
26
IPA Handbook
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OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE RESOURCES
AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS DIVISION
Front Cover Photo by BRAD STEVENS
Inside Photos by STEVE DELANEY
IPA Handbook 27
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