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OPM.gov / Frequently Asked Questions / Performance Management FAQ (Pre-2013) / General
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General

Questions and answers

OPM's electronic signature requirements for performance appraisals are the same as those found in the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions for SF 50/52's and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 113. You can find the OPM requirements for SF 50/52/s in chapter 3 of the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions. The requirements dealing specifically with electronic signatures are:
  • the signal or symbol must be unique to the signer
  • the "signature" must be capable of being verified and must be linked to the data being transmitted, including the effective date
  • control features must be in place to insure the authenticity of data on the form, including the electronic signature
  • such controls must provide reasonable assurance that deliberate or inadvertent manipulation, modification or loss of data on the electronically stored form is detected.
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