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DPSAC News
A bi-weekly newsletter from the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control
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Providing timely information to help keep NIH safe and secure |
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November 4, 2020 Issue of DPSAC News
In this issue:
- Visitors Arriving at NIH Bethesda Campus for Credentialing Appointments Asked to Present DPSAC Confirmation Email at Gateway Center or CVIF
- Revised Visitor Access Procedures for NIH Facilities
- Don’t Confuse Emergency Designation Tier vs. Background Investigation Tier
- All Staff Eligible for Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing
- FAQs: Guidance for Returning Badges to DPSAC During the Covid-19 Pandemic
- AOs Who Wish to Obtain Sponsor Authority
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Visitors Arriving at NIH Bethesda Campus for Credentialing Appointments Asked to Present DPSAC Confirmation Email at Gateway Center or CVIF |
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When an applicant schedules a credentialing appointment with DPSAC (e.g. Enrollment/Badge Issuance/ Prescreening/Certificate Renewals), s/he receives immediate confirmation of the appointment in the form of an email. Recently, DPSAC has added verbiage to this email asking applicants to present a copy of the confirmation appointment email to security screeners upon arrival at the Gateway Center (or CVIF). This new requirement is intended to simplify and expedite the security screening process for these individuals and for the screeners on duty.
The revised appointment confirmation email now contains the following notice:
For customers obtaining credentialing (i.e., Enrollment or Badge Issuance) services at the NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, Maryland:
***Prior to your arrival to the NIH, please print a copy of this email or have it ready to be presented
on your smart phone. Once you have arrived, present this message to the Security Guard or Police Officer at the NIH’s Gateway Center or Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) to ensure you are
expedited through the security screening process. Failure to do so may result in delays or possible denial of
entry to the NIH. ***
Note: Applicants/Customers who already have access to campus can ignore the new message.
Should an applicant have questions about this process, s/he can call DPSAC Case Review and Customer Service Branch Helpdesk at: 301-402-9755.
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Revised Visitor Access Procedures for NIH Facilities |
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Main Visitor Entrance:
- Gateway Center - Building 66
(for pedestrians entering campus)
Other Visitor Entrances:
(for commercial vehicles entering campus)
- Gateway Inspection Station - Building 66A
(for visitors driving onto campus)
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The following message was sent to all NIH staff in the DC area via the ORS Information Line on September 25, 2020. DPSAC News is re-printing this notification to help ensure that NIH staff and visitors are aware of these new visitor access procedures.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) strives to maintain a safe, open and collegial atmosphere throughout our owned and leased facilities. Recent events have led to the community's concern for the safety of the people working in offices and labs, often by themselves. To address this concern, the NIH has decided to modify its visitor procedures to increase safety and promote security awareness for the entire community. Reasonable steps will soon be taken at the Gateway Visitor Center and Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) by limiting visits to the campus to only those persons having a legitimate purpose or sanctioned business reason.
Perimeter Security Access Changes
Beginning Monday, September 28, NIH security personnel will ask all daily visitors the reason for their visit, the location they intend to visit, and if applicable, who they are visiting. The intent of the change is to ensure individuals entering our facilities have a legitimate purpose and where applicable are expected by an NIH employee, contractor or affiliate. It is incumbent on the visitor and the NIH host to coordinate arrival times to ensure when security calls the NIH host is available to confirm the visit. This change does not apply to individuals in possession of an NIH-issued ID badge. The security staff will still conduct their screening activities in the same professional and respectful manner to ensure our visitors have a positive first impression of the NIH. Patient and patient visitor procedures at the West Drive entrance (7 days a week, 6AM – 10PM ) and CVIF (all other hours) will remain unchanged.
Building Access Control Changes
A second initiative will also go into effect on September 28 to enhance the safety and security of the interior of campus. The NIH will convert the following administrative buildings to a "weekend access control" schedule. Buildings 1, 2, 3, 12A, 15K, 16, 30T, 38, 45, 61, T40B and 82RA will transition to this new access control schedule. In order to enter from the exterior of a building, employees will need to use their NIH-issued identification badge with a card reader, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the same procedure used to enter the main campus at any of our employee entrances.
Facility Access Control, part of the Office of Research Services, Division of Personnel Security and Access Control, assures employees that any known occupant with a duty station in a building should already have this access. DPSAC uses the information contained in your NED record to make the proper adjustments for access. If you have recently moved, or require access privileges to more than one building, you must contact your ICO Administrative Officer to update your NED record. If you want to confirm existing building access for your badge, contact Facility Access Control at facilityaccesscontrol@mail.nih.gov or 301-451-4766. Facility Access Control will only confirm existing privileges. They will not modify your badge without an official request from an approved Administrative Officer.
These new procedures will be applied to all NIH-owned and leased facilities to ensure the safety of our personnel.
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Don’t Confuse Emergency Designation Tier vs. Background Investigation Tier |
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DPSAC has seen an increase in Tier II background investigation requests recently for NIH staff. After investigating, we have learned that several of these requests were inadvertent updates to the Background Investigation Tier indicated in NED as opposed to the person’s Emergency Designation Tier. This article is a short primer on distinguishing between these two categories of “Tiers.”
Emergency Designation Tier Overview
The Emergency Designation Tier is a value entered in NED for NIH employees (FTE). This value is used to outline the working status of FTE staff in the event of an emergency impacting NIH operations.
There are three values to select from:
· Tier I – Emergency Employee
· Tier II – Non-Emergency/Teleworker
· Tier III – Non-Emergency/Non-Teleworker
When an FTE record is created in NED, the designation of an Emergency Tier is mandatory. This value is contained in the “Work Information” section of an individual’s NED record. The Emergency Designation Tier can be updated at any time. For assistance in updating someone’s Emergency Designation, NED has created a job aid available at: https://go.usa.gov/x7kY9.
Background Investigation Tier Overview
The Background Investigation Tier is a different designation in NED that is utilized by DPSAC to ensure the correct type of background investigation is completed for a given person. The Background Investigation Tier is required for all NIH staff (employees, contractors, fellows, etc.) who will be at NIH for more than six months.
The different Background Investigation Tiers are as follows:
· Tier 1 – Non-Sensitive [Low Risk]
· Tier 2 – Non-Sensitive Public Trust [Moderate Risk]
· Tier 3 – Noncritical-Sensitive [Moderate Risk]
· Tier 4 – Non-Sensitive Public Trust [High Risk]
· Tier 5 – Critical-Sensitive or Special-Sensitive [High Risk]
These different tiers direct the scope of an individual’s background investigation (e.g., 5 years vs. 10 years of historical data, need for a credit check, etc.). The Background Investigation Tier is a value stored in the “Position Information” section of an individual’s NED record. The correct Background Investigation Tier is determined using the Position Designation Tool located at: https://pdt.nbis.mil/.
For more information on position designation at the NIH, please visit: https://go.usa.gov/x7kYE
Isn’t a Tier a Tier? What Difference Does It Matter?
As you can see, there is a big difference between the Emergency Designation Tier and the Background Investigation Tier. Updating the wrong one could subject someone to an unnecessary background check or show that someone is no longer eligible for telework.
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All Staff Eligible for Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing |
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The NIH Clinical Center is offering asymptomatic testing to all staff for SARS-CoV-2. While this program was launched with the focus on those already working on site, the Clinical Center has sufficient capacity to provide testing for those who have not returned yet. The program is voluntary but strongly encouraged for those working onsite. Staff must complete the safety video and guidance prior to coming on campus for asymptomatic testing.
Contractors are eligible if they have completed the safety video and guidance and if the prime contract has been modified to support asymptomatic testing at NIH. If you are a contractor interested in participating, please check with your supervisor.
Staff are required to notify their supervisor if they want to get a test at NIH during work time. Staff who come to NIH for testing are not authorized to enter their workspace or any other locations within NIH facilities. Entering your workspace or any other locations within NIH facilities continues to require advance approval from your supervisor.
If, after receiving approval from your supervisor, you want to participate, follow the steps to register. You will need to know your NED ID (it’s the same as the 10-digit Personal Identifier on the back of your PIV card) to enroll. (NOTE: Please use either Chrome, Firefox, IE Edge, or Safari web browsers. To access the site you need to be on NIH VPN, NIH IC CITRIX or an NIH Workstation.)
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Q: Can you provide guidance regarding the return of badges while many of us are teleworking during the COVID-19 epidemic?
A. Badges are accountable property and NIH uses software to track every badge from ‘cradle to grave.’ Badges are supposed to be returned to Access Control, DPSAC, Building 31, Room 1B03, within 24 hours of a person’s departure. DPSAC has a process to document the return and properly destroy the badges.
Badges should be mailed back to the address printed on the back of each badge. In the event a badge is not returned, and an HHS audit reveals that DPSAC cannot account for the badges, NIH could lose its ability to print badges locally. The result would be that HHS would have to print and issue badges from one of its PSC locations. This would result in long delays to the badging process.
Q. How do I go about renewing my PIV Card (HHS ID Badge) during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A. DPSAC offers badging services Monday through Friday. Please note: DPSAC will continue to require appointments, with availability between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. DPSAC closes its doors in Building 31/Room 1B03 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. for lunch.
If you need to contact DPSAC to schedule an appointment, please email ORSPersonnelSecurity@mail.nih.gov or call 301-402-9755. DPSAC staff is available to answer email and phone inquiries Monday – Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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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
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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.
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Are there topics you would like to read more about in future issues of DPSAC News?
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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.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Office of Management
Office of Research Services
Division of Personnel Security and Access Control
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