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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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December 29, 2021 Issue of DPSAC News
In this issue:
- Happy New Year!
- Year-End Message from the DPSAC Director
- DPSAC Plans Early Renewal of 19,000+ NIH PIV Cards Set to Expire in CY2023
- FAQs – Why do some PIV cards have colored stripes on them?
- Badge Processing Times
- 2021 DPSAC News in Review
- Helpful Tips: Avoiding Additional Delays in Processing New Hires
- Provide Your Feedback to the DPSAC Office
- AOs Who Wish to Obtain Sponsor Authority
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DPSAC News wishes its readers Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year!
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Year-End Message from the DPSAC Director
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Dear valued DPSAC News subscriber,
As we close the door on 2021, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank the NIH administrative community for all of your hard work across the NIH. DPSAC truly appreciates all of your efforts in supporting our work to help keep the NIH community safe. Your cooperation and coordination with our staff on a daily basis allows us to execute our mission in support of the NIH.
Our dedicated DPSAC staff has continued to enroll new employees and contractors and issue and renew ID badges throughout the year. Case reviewers and adjudicators also have worked to make sure that background investigations continue without interruption. Additionally, after some modifications to their physical work space, our customer service staff have been able to continue assisting customers promptly.
Throughout the year, DPSAC has remained busy, providing assistance and responding to over an estimated 85,000 inquiries at its customer service desks, e-mail and telephone help lines. For the year, DPSAC recorded 41,893 transactions involving enrollment, case review, adjudication and badge issuance. Through the first week in December, DPSAC enrolled 9,481 individuals (identity verification, fingerprints, photographs), case-reviewed 8,602 sets of background investigation forms, issued 15,119 HHS ID and RLA badges, and adjudicated 8,691 background investigations.
DPSAC has also completed a reorganization of the Division, moving from 3 to 4 branches to streamline our processes and better serve the community. Originally, we had three branches: (1) the Case Review and Customer Service branch, (2) the Access Control branch, and (3) the Adjudication branch. Now, our Case Review and Customer Service branch has split into two branches. Each has its own dedicated branch chief, which will allow them to better focus on their customer mission.
Additionally, DPSAC has implemented Trusted Workforce 1.25. The TW 1.25 program was designed to enroll DOD and non-DOD agencies into an initial version of the CV system, offering high-value, continuous record checks by October 1, 2021. For more information, please look on the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DSCA) website here.
There’s much reason to be optimistic as we get ready to welcome in the new year. Just as NIH will continue to turn discovery into health, DPSAC will continue to provide consistent, high-level customer service and support to protect our people and secure our science.
DPSAC will continue to reach out to its subscribers (including the NIH administrative community and other stakeholders) with articles in its bi-weekly DPSAC News newsletter to help readers minimize delays in the prescreening and badge issuance processes, avoid e-QIP errors, navigate DPSAC’s personnel security/badging processes, and more.
In 2022, as new policies, procedures and security measures affecting personnel security and access control at NIH are announced, DPSAC News will make sure that its subscribers are kept informed in a timely manner.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe and productive New Year to you and your families.
Sincerely,
T’Nae Brown, Director
Division of Personnel Security and Access Control
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DPSAC Plans Early
Renewal of 19,000+
NIH PIV Cards Set to
Expire in CY2023
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The Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC) predicts that during Calendar Year (CY) 2023, over 19,000 NIH PIV badges will be due to expire (see figure below), a number that will far outstrip DPSAC’s operational capacity to process in one calendar year.
The below image shows the predicted surge occurring in 2023. Please note these numbers are subject to change and are only intended for visual demonstration purposes.
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This surge in renewals is a result of the normal 5-year renewal cycle for badges issued in 2018, and 4-year renewal for badges issued in 2019; effectively doubling normal expiration volume. Also included in this surge are badges on the third renewal cycle after the initial HSPD-12 badge roll-out in 2008.
Beyond having to address this surge, DPSAC is also expecting approximately 1,500 summer interns and several hundred fellows to enter the NIH workforce and require new badges during the summer 2023 further straining resources. All of this is in addition to DPSAC’s daily duties of enrolling and issuing badges to a steady stream of new hires during this period.
In order to address this surge, DPSAC is coordinating plans to begin early, or “forced”, renewals of the thousands of NIH PIV badges that would normally expire during Calendar Year (CY) 2023.
Pre-emptive action to ease the burden for DPSAC staff, expedite badging for affected badge holders
Working closely with the NED team, DPSAC plans to process 250 forced renewals each week beginning November 2021 through the end of CY2023 or when badge expiration spikes have been reduced to a manageable level. By accelerating the renewal process for these selected badge holders, DPSAC will be able to 'even out' the load of enrollment and badge issuance appointments over a longer period, thereby giving badge holders sufficient time to renew their PIV Cards and DPSAC staff the opportunity to provide the best possible customer service.
Completing Badge Renewal Tasks in NED
The overall success of this effort will be dependent on AOs completing badge renewal tasks as they appear in their NED inboxes. Individuals are not notified to schedule an appointment with DPSAC until the badge renewal task is complete in NED. Once the badge renewal task is complete in NED, individuals will receive an email asking them to schedule an appointment. We are encouraging people to make appointments (versus walking in) to ensure there will be someone ready to assist them. Most badge renewals will be conducted at DPSAC's Badge Issuance locations in Building 31 (Room 1B03) and Building 10 (South Lobby).
By taking this proactive approach, DPSAC can make sure its customers are well served and that there is sufficient time to renew customers' badges before they expire. Providing continuous, uninterrupted access to NIH facilities and networks is a high priority.
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Spreading the Word
DPSAC and the NED team plan to carry out an ongoing communications effort to keep the administrative community and affected badge holders informed of these badge smoothing efforts. One of their goals is to make sure affected individuals understand that an early renewal notification is not a mistake; that even though their badges expire in CY2023 (i.e., the date printed on their badges) DPSAC will be renewing their badges well in advance.
DPSAC also wants to remind badge holders that early renewals will reset the 5-year expiration cycle on their PIV and contribute to reduced wait times at enrollment and issuance stations. Also, badge holders will be able to customize their appointments by selecting a location, date, and time that best fits into their busy schedules.
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Q: Why do some PIV cards have colored stripes on them?
A: PIV cards issued to non-federal employees (e.g., contractors) contain a green stripe to denote that they are not a government employee. Blue stripes are issued to all non-US citizens. Blue stripes are issued to both federal employees and non-employees. The blue stripe takes precedence over the green stripe. So, a contractor who is not a US citizen would get a blue stripe as opposed to a green one.
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For the SEP/OCT/NOV time frame, the average processing time for issuing an ID badge is 23.7 calendar days. |
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2021 DPSAC
News in Review
(Click the DPSAC News edition
links below to see the full article)
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For a full list of the 2021 DPSAC newsletters, please visit our DPSAC website here.
Visitors Arriving at NIH Bethesda Campus for Credentialing Appointments Asked to Present DPSAC Confirmation Email at Gateway Center or CVIF
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.
Marijuana Still Considered a Controlled Substance Under Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act
In recent years, several states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized the use of marijuana, allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and/or for limited recreational use. These changes to state law have raised questions about whether federal employees in these jurisdictions may use marijuana as provided for in state law. Federal law on marijuana remains unchanged. Marijuana is categorized as a controlled substance under Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act.
AOs & ATs: Anticipate Badge Revocations to Help Individuals Transition to a New Badge Without Service Interruptions
AOs can help their customers avoid the inconvenience of losing their access to the NIH campus (physical access) or to the NIH network (logical access) during the badge renewal process by coordinating the renewal process with the individual badge holder. If possible, the AO should plan on submitting the renewal request when the individual is on campus and pre-emptively schedule enrollment and issuance appointments on the day of the action to limit any interruption to his/her physical access.
New Remote Fingerprinting Service for NIH Staff
DPSAC recently established a new remote fingerprinting service via a company called Fieldprint. With over 1,300 Fieldprint locations across all 50 states, this new service significantly expands the ability of DPSAC to capture electronic fingerprints for individuals who are not located near an NIH facility.
REAL ID Full Enforcement Date Extended to May 3, 2023
On April 27, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that the REAL ID full enforcement date will be extended by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023. This extension is due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
NED Records Disappearing During Registration
The NED team is receiving support requests for NED records which disappear during the registration process. The problem seems to occur when a user inadvertently terminates the task (and deletes gathered information) by clicking on the “Cancel Task” button at the bottom left of the Activate-Register screen.
NIST FIPS 201-2 Approved Identity Documents for HSPD-12 PIV Enrollment and Badge Issuance
In order to receive a badge, an applicant will need to provide two current forms of approved identity source documents in the original form (one must have a current photo) for enrollment and badge issuance. Please read this full article to understand what is considered to be a primary identity source document and a secondary identity source document. A primary identity source document shall be neither expired nor cancelled; a secondary identity source document may be from the list of primary identity sources, but cannot be of the same type as the primary identity source document. Please note that any other forms of ID that are not listed in the article will not be accepted and may delay the applicant's enrollment and badge issuance process.
Watch for Those "Awaiting Individual Enrollment" Badge Tracking Statuses!
While the person has completed all the necessary corrections on the investigation forms and DPSAC completed their final review, the individual has not yet completed the enrollment (fingerprints/photograph) process; therefore, the NED status will display both “Awaiting Individual Enrollment” and “Individual corrected background investigation paperwork” until Enrollment is completed. After their Enrollment is completed, then their NED status will update to “Waiting for Individual to pick up new ID Badge.”
Guide to Common e-QIP Errors
DPSAC encourages individuals to review its “Guide to Common e-QIP Errors” before completing their e-QIP questionnaire so that they can avoid such delays. The administrative community can also use the 'Guide' to help applicants navigate the e-QIP process.
Differentiating Between Emergency Designation Tier vs. Background Investigation Tier
The Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC) has noticed that there would be occasional requests for a Tier II background investigation. After investigating, we have learned that several of these requests were inadvertent updates to the Background Investigation Tier indicated in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) as opposed to the person’s Emergency Designation Tier. This article will help distinguish between these two categories of “Tiers.”
Badging Process: Background Investigations vs. Security Clearances
DPSAC would like to remind our readers the difference between a background investigation and a security clearance. In summary, when issuing any badge that provides the subject with unescorted access, the badge holder must go through some level of background investigation. Very few of the NIH staff require security clearances. The security clearance process is a separate process from the background investigation process. Staff needing a security clearance would require a minimum of a Tier 3 or Tier 5 level background investigation to request a security clearance.
DPSAC Plans Early Renewal of 19,000+ NIH PIV Cards Set to Expire in CY2023
The Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC) predicts that during Calendar Year (CY) 2023, over 19,000 NIH PIV badges will be due to expire (see figure below), a number that will far outstrip DPSAC’s operational capacity to process in one calendar year. To address this surge, DPSAC has been coordinating plans with the NED Team to begin early, or “force,” renewals for thousands of these NIH PIV badges that would normally expire during CY2023. DPSAC intends to initially focus on NIH staff who are currently working onsite at an NIH-owned or leased facility. This will minimize asking people to come to the NIH campus who have been working entirely from home and may be hesitant coming to campus due to COVID-19.
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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?
Please send your suggestions to: Judie.Kuo@nih.gov. Your input is greatly appreciated.
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Want to share some feedback?
We at DPSAC would love to hear from you regarding any feedback you may have for our office and how we can continue to improve. As part of your feedback, please answer the following survey questions here. This should not take more than two (2) minutes. Thank you for taking the time to provide such feedback, as your thoughts are very valuable to us.
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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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