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.

April 11, 2018 Issue of DPSAC News

Background Investigation 'Tiers' to Replace Current Naming Conventions in NED

DPSAC reported in the July 5, 2017 DPSAC News on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), modifying the naming conventions for standard background investigations to a 5-Tiered Background Investigation Model and naming convention.

As OPM transitioned to using the ‘Tiers’ DPSAC also adopted the revised naming convention in its operations and now uses the ‘Tiers’ exclusively.

NED Team to integrate updated Naming Convention in NED Portal for Background Investigations in the coming months

Each position at NIH is assigned a risk and sensitivity designation used to determine the kind of background investigation required for a position. In the upcoming months the NED team will be updating the terminology currently displayed in the NED Portal in order to align with the required standard OPM naming conventions (Tiers).

Updating the NIH 2866

Currently, AO’s complete the NIH 2866 ‘Position Sensitivity Worksheet’ that was developed by the NIH Personnel Security Subcommittee and later integrated directly into the NED Portal.

The NIH 2866 in the NED Portal was intended to be used as a guide for an AO or AT when entering position information when they needed to determine a “minimum” background investigation for a selected positions at NIH.

Proper position designation is the foundation of an effective and consistent suitability and personnel security program. In order to ensure NIH is using a systematic, dependable, and uniform way of determining position designations, DPSAC is working to modify the NIH 2866 to be in line with the OPM Position Designation Automated Tool (PDT) . DPSAC anticipates the NIH 2866 updates to be operational in NED sometime in FY 2019.

In The News

Do not lend your ID badge to anyone! -- lending out your ID badge is prohibited. The issuance of ID badges is based on strict identity proofing and the determination of one's suitability for a specific position classification. To do so is a criminal offense!

Administrative Officers (AOs) who wish to obtain sponsor authority -- must complete the sponsor training (click here ) and e-mail a copy of your signed certificate 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. I’m working with a Special Government Employee (SGE) who recently received an e-mail requesting that she complete e-QIP. What should she do?

A. As reported in the March 28, 2018 DPSAC News, ["Update on Issues Related to Special Government Employees (SGEs)"] DPSAC has determined that when network accounts are being requested for SGEs, DPSAC is receiving incorrect information related to the necessary background check.

While the "Physical Access" only and "Physical and Logical Access" use cases are being processed correctly, the "Logical Access Only" use case is not working correctly at this time.

News Briefs

Please be aware that the Badging Authority by Classification Chart (Rev.11-16-2017) reflects a policy change regarding the issuance of NIH Legacy badges to Extended Visitors.

Safety Corner

Understanding the Proper Use of Fire Doors

This fire safety awareness article was prepared by the Division of the Fire Marshal, ORS

If you are located in one of the many research laboratories on the NIH Bethesda Campus, it is very likely that the door you use to enter and leave your laboratory is a "fire-rated" door. Doors you use to enter stairwells located in your building are also fire doors.

Fire doors are typically of steel or solid wood construction and are provided with specially tested components including closers, latching hardware, and fire-rated glass view windows.

Do not lend your ID badge to anyone!

Checking Your Badge Status in the NED Portal

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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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