Individuals entering federal service (including contractors) must complete a background investigation for their position at NIH. Part of this background investigation involves filling out a questionnaire through the National Background Investigation Bureau (NBIB) online system:
Electronic
Questionnaires for
Investigations
Processing (e-QIP).
The applicant is also required to complete several mandatory forms for the background investigation. These supplemental forms are sent along with the initial e-QIP invitation email as attachments.
Despite the title of these forms, they are
not optional – they are
REQUIRED for the background investigation. Without them, OPM will not initiate the background investigation.
These forms include the “
Declaration of Federal Employment (OF-306),” the “
Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612)” the “
HHS Credit Release,” and for those in public trust positions, the “
Additional Questions for Moderate Risk Public Trust Positions.”
Additionally, individuals who are required to work with or around children at NIH will be required to complete the “OFI 86C Special Agreement Check” form in addition to supplemental documentation required for their Child Care Investigation (per the Crime Control Act of 1990).
Badging Delays Traced to Errors and Omissions on Supplemental Forms
Approximately 70% of e-QIP or Supplemental Forms reviewed by DPSAC case reviewers prior to releasing to OPM are either incomplete, filled out improperly or contain erroneous information.
When DPSAC case reviewers discover incomplete or faulty entries on the e-QIP or Supplemental Form submissions, they must send the e-QIP package back to the applicant for correction. Many of these issues can be avoided if the applicant follows the detailed instructions included on the forms
Unfortunately, a returned questionnaire can cause delays in the badging process and can result in the badge being disabled and confiscated at the perimeter gate when the person attempts to enter the NIH campus.
In instances when the individual’s badge is confiscated, the badge holder will need to contact Personnel Security [
orspersonnelsecurity@mail.nih.gov; 301-402-9755] to re-initiate his/her background investigation. Submitting the background investigation to NBIB is a Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) requirement before an applicant can be issued a PIV badge at NIH.
Only after DPSAC has successfully completed its review of the applicant’s e-QIP and Additional Forms will it submit the e-QIP package to NBIB for the appropriate background investigation.
When "Optional" is NOT Optional
Even though the OF-306 and OF-612 forms contain the word ‘Optional’ in their titles, completing these forms is NOT optional. According to DPSAC case reviewers, this may be one reason that applicants take the supplemental forms less seriously. As with the e-QIP questionnaire, responses in the supplemental forms must adhere to NBIB guidelines or they will be rejected.
