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.

July 3, 2019 Issue of DPSAC News
 In this issue:
  • Guidelines to Request Badge Services at Remote Locations
  • DPSAC Offers Tutorial on How to Complete e-QIP
  • FAQs: What Types of IDs Are Required for Enrollment?
  • Helpful Tips -- Avoiding Additional Delays in New Hires
- Have a Happy and Safe Holiday -
Guidelines to Request Badge
Services at Remote Locations
The Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC) can help to coordinate non-routine enrollments (photo/fingerprints), badge issuance, and badge maintenance services with other HHS Operating Divisions for employees who reside in areas that are far removed from NIH campus locations (i.e., Bethesda, MD; Baltimore, MD/Bayview Research Center; Frederick, MD/Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research; Research Triangle Park, NC; and Rocky Mountain Labs, MT).
  
Requests for remote services can only be submitted by the servicing AO/AT. Service availability is limited and these requests require an extensive approval process which can be lengthy. 

Employees in remote locations who will be visiting an NIH campus for meetings, house-hunting, or other reasons prior to their official arrival for work are encouraged to take full advantage of NIH Enrollment/Badging services on NIH campuses (DPSAC’s main Bethesda campus office at Building 31, Room 1B03 takes routine walk-ins from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM).
  
For NIH badge applicants or badge holders who will not be working on an NIH campus or visiting an NIH campus, remote enrollment and issuance services may be the only option. HHS has Program Support Center (PSC) offices located in the following cities:  Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City (MO), Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, and Irvine (CA ).  Additional locations may also be available on a case by case basis through other HHS Operating Divisions.

When remote services are needed, Administrative Officers (AOs) should provide the following information to DPSAC so that the coordination/approval process can be initiated:
REQUEST FOR REMOTE BADGE SERVICES  (Click this link to view the form. Hitting the 'Escape' key once prompts MS Word to open the document to view an editable version) 

AOs should check the "View Badge History" screen in the NED system  as part of the request, confirming the customer is "Awaiting Enrollment" and/or "Badge Issuance" prior to submitting the request. Requests that are not ready for services in NED cannot be processed. (note: NED will not reflect situations involving Certificate Renewals, Broken Badges and PIN Resets).

AOs should also pay close attention to (and adjust as needed) the Entry on Duty date (EOD) in NED to ensure the badge transaction does not terminate before the badge is issued. The NED transaction will terminate if the badge is not issued/picked up within 120 days of the EOD Date.  Requests should be sent by AOs to:  ORSPersonnelsecurity@mail.nih.gov. *

Once DPSAC is in receipt of this information, a request for approval will be submitted to the HHS Program Support Center (PSC). DPSAC will coordinate with the local PSC office to schedule an appointment. Requests must be fully submitted and fully approved before any remote badging services are delivered. Accurate email addresses and phone numbers are particularly important.

* The period after which the NED transaction will terminate if the badge is not issued/picked up was recently extended from 60 days to 120 days.
DPSAC Website Offers Tutorial on How to Complete e-QIP
This article is updated and published periodically as a resource for the NIH administrative community who will be assisting their new hires prepare for and complete the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP).

As part of the HHS PIV process, all NIH employees, contractors and affiliates must have a completed, favorably adjudicated background investigation on file.

Prior to the start of each applicant’s employment with NIH, and periodically throughout their employment, each NIH employee, contractor and affiliate will be required to complete a background investigation which includes the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) secure online system.*

Note: The DPSAC website offers detailed information about the e-QIP process, including a link to a helpful tutorial, " e-QIP Tips for New Federal Employees, Contractors and Affiliate s." Additional instructions and frequently asked questions are located on the  OPM website  .

The steps in the e-QIP process
The tutorial guides the applicant through all of the steps in the e-QIP process including:

1. Getting to e-QIP (browser compatibility)
2. Registering for e-QIP
3. How to navigate between sections of the form
4. The final steps in the e-QIP process ask the applicant to validate, review and certify
the information that s/he is providing on the questionnaire.
5. At the end of the questionnaire, applicants must digitally sign any signature forms that
appear in e-QIP. Additionally, upload all documents into e-QIP included in the initial e-
QIP invitation e-mail (and include the completed OF-306, HHS Credit Release and
OF-612).

Upon submission of all e-QIP materials,  DPSAC will review them to check for completeness and accuracy. If items are missing, DPSAC will send the e-QIP materials back to the applicant with additional instructions.

Failure to complete the e-QIP process will prevent the applicant form being issued an HHS ID Badge.  For those who already have a badge, failure to complete their investigation will result in their ID badge being disabled and confiscated at the perimeter gate when they attempt to enter the NIH campus. The individual will need to contact DPSAC to re-initiate his/her background investigation should this occur.

* Before an applicant is asked to complete e-QIP, DPSAC will determine whether the individual has a favorable government background investigation on file that is equal to or greater than the background investigation required for his/her new position. If DPSAC determines that the individual has an appropriate background investigation on file, s/he will not be required to complete e-QIP.

Q .  What types of IDs do I need to provide when enrolling?

A .Two forms of original and unexpired government issued identification are required.

For an Enrollment appointment:
NIH REQUIRES THE APPLICANT TO SHOW TWO FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE A FEDERAL OR STATE ISSUED PHOTO ID.

For an ID Badge Issuance appointment:
NIH REQUIRES THE APPLICANT TO SHOW A FEDERAL OR STATE ISSUED PHOTO ID.

The most commonly used types of identification are drivers’ licenses, voter registration cards, passports, birth certificates and social security cards. All documents must be valid and unexpired.

Please visit the DPSAC website at https://www.idbadge.nih.gov for more information. 
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 6 weeks prior to their Entry on Duty (EOD) date
  • By working with DPSAC to ensure candidates respond in a timely manner to inquiries. 

ALT cards -- should be returned to the  IC ALT card coordinator - NOT to DPSAC.
 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 e-mail 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.  
Return Your Badge When Leaving NIH
If you plan to leave the employ of NIH, whether you’re an employee, contractor or affiliate, you will need to turn in your PIV or RLA badge to your Administrative Officer (AO) so that s/he can deactivate your badge in NED.

The AO will turn over the deactivated badge to the badging office.
Are there topics you would like to read more about in future issues of DPSAC News? Please send your suggestions to: Lanny.Newman@nih.gov. Your input is greatly appreciated.
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. 

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