|
DPSAC News
A bi-weekly newsletter from the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control
|
Providing timely information to help keep NIH safe and secure
|
|
November 6, 2019 Issue of DPSAC News
In this issue:
- DPSAC to Launch Its New, Improved Website November 8, 2019
- Remote Enrollment & Badging Services Suspended Except for PIN Resets, Certificate Renewals
- DPSAC Begins Deactivating PIV Badges of Individuals Who Have Not Completed All or Part of Their Required Background Investigation
- What to Expect When Your Badge is Due for Renewal
- National Background Investigations Bureau Transferred to DoD's Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
- Helpful Tips - Avoiding Additional Delays in Processing New Hires, and more
- FAQ - Updating a Classification Change to FTE
|
|
DPSAC to Launch Its New, Improved Website November 8, 2019
|
|
Dear
DPSAC News
Subscribers –
I am delighted to announce that DPSAC will launch a new and improved version of its website on November 8, 2019. Among its improvements, users will discover faster, more intuitive search capabilities, as well as a visually pleasing and user-friendly web environment.
Some of the major updates or changes include:
- A new navigation structure to help users easily find the information they need, whether to enroll as an NIH employee, contractor or affiliate, obtain access to NIH facilities or the NIH IT network or be issued their federal ID credentials (PIV Card or RLA Badge).
- Services are presented in easy to follow, step-by-step sequences, beginning with an introductory ‘Know Before You Go’ section designed to help answer many of the basic questions newly arriving employees and contractors may have about background investigations, the badge issuance process at NIH, and a host of other topics before they visit the DPSAC offices.
- Users will be able to follow the Personal Identity Verification and Badging processes from start to finish with the help of easy-to-follow visual aids. Along the way, individuals will have their questions answered regarding Government Background Investigations, Intake, Prescreening and the Adjudication Process and using your badge to access NIH facilities. There are also sections to help Short Term and Intermittent Employees as well as Foreign Nationals.
- A ‘Resource’ section includes a review of the investigation requirements for a position (i.e. how positions are properly classified and designated within the Federal Government) as well as Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) investigation billing rates, acceptable identification documents, relevant policies and regulations, resources and training for administrators and more.
- Outreach platforms, such as DPSAC News (including archived issues), will continue with no changes.
We are excited to present this new and improved version of the DPSAC website to the NIH community and visitors.
We hope your experience with the site is a positive one. If you have suggestions on how we might improve the website, please contact the
DPSAC News
editor Lanny Newman at:
Lanny.Newman@nih.gov
Thank you.
T'Nae Brown, Director,
Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC), ORS, NIH
|
|
Remote Enrollment & Badging Services Suspended Except for PIN Resets and Certificate Renewals
|
|
All remote enrollment and badging services are suspended except for PIN resets and certificate renewals until further notice. If you have any questions, please contact DPSAC at 301-402-9755 or
ORSPersonnelSecurity@mail.nih.gov
.
Please note: For purposes of enrollment and badging services, the following NIH locations are considered NIH 'satellite' facilities and NOT ‘remote’ facilities:
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (Ft. Detrick), MD (formerly NCI-Frederick)
- Bayview Biomedical Research Center (Baltimore, MD)
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Research Triangle Park, NC)
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID (Hamilton, MT)
|
|
DPSAC Begins Deactivating PIV Badges of Individuals Who Have Not Completed All or Part of Their Required Background Investigation
|
|
To ensure that NIH is compliant with all applicable background investigation and credentialing regulations, the Division of Personnel Security & Access Control (DPSAC) has begun deactivating the PIV badges of individuals who have not completed all or part of their required background investigation.
The badge deactivation process occurs in two phases. Phase one includes the loss of physical access to NIH facilities. Phase two, which occurs approximately 5 days after phase one, involves the loss of logical access to NIH information systems.
DPSAC will be deactivating badges on a continuous basis with approximately 38 deactivations occurring this week. Individuals impacted will receive an email that their badge has been approved for deactivation.
To prevent the loss of physical and logical access to NIH facilities and information systems, individuals should contact DPSAC immediately at 301-402-9755. Once a badge has been deactivated, individuals must complete all the investigation requirements before the badge is approved for reactivation. Badge reactivation typically occurs within 24 hours of approval.
|
|
What to Expect When Your Badge is Due for Renewal
|
|
The badge renewal process for both HHS ID Badges and RLA badges automatically begins in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED)
42 days before the existing badge expires
. If required, individuals may have their badges renewed up to 6 months prior to badge expiration, where the Administrative Officer (AO) can run a manual badge renewal task in NED.
Once the AO has sponsored the individual for the renewal, DPSAC is notified of the request and will determine if additional information is required from the individual.
Stricter compliance
Stricter compliance with HSPD-12 policies along with prescreening requirements at NIH will affect the badge renewal process for some individuals.
Recently, the standards for PIV card badge holders to be in compliance with
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12)
at NIH have become more stringent. At the same time, NIH has begun its third round of re-issuances for badge holders. These stricter guidelines along with NIH’s prescreening requirements have prompted DPSAC to re-validate badge holders’
suitability
. In some cases, the guidelines may require DPSAC to collect additional information for certain individuals, including some who have worked at NIH for several years.
What to expect
Individuals whose badges are coming up for renewal may be asked to make a fingerprint appointment and complete and submit a new OF-306 (Declaration of Federal Employment). Completing these two requirements will be necessary for DPSAC to authorize and issue the new badge. DPSAC is requiring these updated documents from individuals to ensure that all NIH employees, contractors and affiliates have current fingerprints and an OF-306 in their DPSAC record.
Once the OF 306 and fingerprints have been submitted, DPSAC will review the provided information and approve the person’s badge for renewal. The applicant will get an email instructing her/him to schedule a badge issuance appointment.
Between November 2019 and April 2020, there will be approximately 4,200 badges coming due for expiration. Since April 2019, DPSAC has processed approximately 4,900 renewals.
IMPORTANT:
If DPSAC does not receive the OF-306 and updated fingerprints prior to badge expiration, the badge will expire and DPSAC will not authorize a new badge until the material is submitted.
Applicants are urged to complete these tasks as soon as possible. Not completing these tasks before the badge expiration date could result in the individual not being able to conduct his or her work.
Helpful tip
– Keep an eye on your personal email account and your current NIH account to make sure you can receive important reminders.
|
|
National Background Investigations Bureau Transferred to DoD's Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
|
|
On October 1, 2019 The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) completed the transfer of the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) from OPM to the DoD's Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
This action is pursuant to
Executive Order 13869
, Transferring Responsibility for Background Investigations to the Department of Defense, issued April 24, 2019.
The transfer of NBIB to DCSA provides economy of scale in addressing the Federal Government's background investigations workload, promotes ongoing efforts to align vetting of federal employees and contractors, and facilitates needed reforms in this critical area. With the
merger, DCSA becomes the largest security organization in the Federal Government. The agency, previously known as the Defense Security Service, has four 'mission centers' focused on counterintelligence, critical technology protection, personnel vetting, as well as training, education and certification, according to the DCSA website.
The background investigation inventory has dipped dramatically over the past year, from a peak of 725,000 cases in April 2018, to 324,000 as of September, according to data posted on the Performance.gov website. The government's goal is a "steady-state inventory target" of 200,000 cases.
Please visit the
DCSA website
to learn more about its mission and the services it offers.
|
|
Avoiding Additional Delays in Processing New Hires
Processing times are often delayed due to reasons outside of DPSAC control, which include, but are not limited to:
- Incomplete or not submitted OF-306
- Candidate response time
- Issues requiring clarification by the candidate
- Untimely submission of initial e-QIP or corrected e-QIP
How the AO and HR communities can assist:
- By ensuring all required documents have been uploaded into HR's 'Onboarding Manager' prior to establishing a NED account
- By entering candidates as early as possible but no later than 8 weeks prior to their Entry on Duty (EOD) date
- By working with DPSAC to ensure candidates respond in a timely manner to inquiries.
|
|
Administrative Officers (AOs) who wish to obtain sponsor authority
must complete the sponsor training. To access the training module, click on:
Sponsor
.
Upon completion, the AO should sign and email a copy of the certificate found at the end of the training module to Alex Salah at:
salaha@ors.od.nih.gov
. Upon receipt of the certificate, Mr. Salah will authorize the AO as a Sponsor.
Note: ONLY individuals with an Administrative Officer role in NED are eligible to be HHS ID Badge/PIV Card Sponsors.
|
|
Q.
How should the AO enter the classification change to FTE without disabling the current badge until the FTE position Entry on Duty (EOD) date commences?
A.
The AO can update the classification to FTE using the ‘Update’ task in NED without scheduling and the background investigation will initiate. This will not affect the current badge.
If the AO schedules the task, it will not process until the scheduled date. Please consult with the NED team on any questions related to the Update task.
|
|
Are there topics you would like to read more about in future issues of DPSAC News?
|
|
A biweekly e-newsletter from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Research Services, Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (ORS/DPSAC) to keep its readers informed of personnel security and access control policies and practices designed to safeguard the NIH and its workforce. DPSAC is responsible for verifying personal identity, validating suitability, reviewing background checks, authorizing facility access and issuing ID badges for NIH personnel.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Office of Management
Office of Research Services
Division of Personnel Security and Access Control
|
|
Keep up with the latest NIH updates
|
|
|
|
|
|
|