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April 1, 2015 issue of the DPSAC NEWS

In This Issue

   

 

Contact Us

 

Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC),  

Office of Research Services  

 

Personnel Security 

Helpdesk: 301-402-9755

e-QIP: 301-402-9735

Appointment Line: 301-496-0051

E-mail: orspersonnelsecurity@ 

mail.nih.gov

 

Access Control

Helpdesk: 301-451-4766

E-mail: facilityaccesscontrol@ 

mail.nih.gov

 

       

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Summer Student Class of '15 to Get
RLA Badge


DPSAC will be issuing the new Restricted Local Access (RLA) badge for physical and logical access to all summer students this year.

The RLA Badge requires the normal two appointments. During the first appointment the student will be identity proofed, fingerprinted and photographed; at the second appointment, the student will be issued his or her RLA Badge. Issuance is subject to DPSAC's successful review of the fingerprint-check results.

Any issues identified through the fingerprint check (i.e., issues that might impact the suitability of the summer student to do the proposed work at NIH), must be reviewed by the Personnel Security Office in DPSAC and the respective IC prior to issuance of an RLA Badge.

DPSAC Adds Badging Stations
DPSAC will temporarily expand enrollment and badging capabilities in the south lobby of the Clinical Center to ensure that the badging experience for these new arrivals is easy, quick and uneventful.


Helpful tip: DPSAC is encouraging ICs to advise their incoming students to make their enrollment and badging appointments as soon as they are able to do so to avoid a possible badging 'crunch.' The sooner a student can get on the DPSAC appointment calendar, the more likely he or she will find a convenient time and avoid any delay in the ID badging process. 

The RLA Badge Lifecycle

An RLA Badge will be valid for the duration of the summer student's appointment, but will expire no later than September 30 of the year it is issued. The badge will provide perimeter physical access to NIH. Summer students must remain under escort in restricted areas.

Badges should be collected and returned to the appropriate badge issuance office when the summer student leaves.

To learn more about summer student badging policies and procedures at NIH, including the badging of summer students at remote locations and the processing of foreign summer students, click on:
http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dpsac/badge/Pages/students.aspx 

 

Two Categories Added to "NED Badge Status' Reports

Change reflects new policy requiring DPSAC to release suitability documents to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before badges can be issued

 
When an AO uses Track Badge Status in NED, s/he will see two new possible status categories under the "What" column (Figure 1): "Waiting for DPSAC to authorize ID badge issuance" & "DPSAC authorized ID Badge issuance."

                                                 Figure 1.

These categories were added to NED's Badge Activation reports to reflect new requirements for PIV Card issuance announced in the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publication 201-2. The earlier standards (FIPS 201-1) allowed DPSAC to issue a PIV Card (HHS ID Badge) once a 'clean' fingerprint report came back from OPM and the applicant was on record as submitting his or her e-QIP to DPSAC.

FIPS 201-2 introduces a third requirement for the issuance of a PIV Card, namely, that DPSAC must review the e-QIP submission and related forms for accuracy and completeness and then release the reviewed background investigation package to OPM.

The steps in authorizing an HHS ID Badge
After an applicant is enrolled, NED's Badge Activation status screen will show "Waiting  for DPSAC to authorize ID Badge Issuance." 

Once DPSAC has reviewed all of the documents from the applicant for accuracy, and has determined that there are no gaps or obvious errors, DPSAC will release the materials to OPM.

The action of releasing the reviewed documents to OPM triggers a new status message in NED, "DPSAC Authorized ID Badge Issuance." Once authorization has been confirmed, the applicant will automatically receive an e-mail advising him or her to schedule an appointment.

Note: DPSAC personnel typically require seven calendar days to review and follow up on incomplete submissions before it releases the completed package to OPM.

If DPSAC is unable to release these materials due to missing or inaccurate information, the applicant should expect his/her badge issuance will be delayed.

In practical terms, a delay in the badge issuance process will mean that the individual will have to access NIH facilities as a visitor every day that s/he doesn't have a PIV Card, and, s/he may have no logical access until s/he receives a PIV Card.


NED Training Schedule for 2nd Half of FY 2015        


Whether you are new to NED or an advanced NED user who needs to hone your NED skills, the HSPD-12 Program Office has a training program for you. These classes are designed to help beginners and advanced users quickly master NED in a hands-on computer lab environment. All classes are FREE!    

   

       

How to Enroll

The NED courses are posted on the CIT Training site where visitors can view availability for any class and receive a confirmation immediately after registering. The catalog of NED classes is posted at: http://training.cit.nih.gov/coursecatalog.aspx under "General Seminars." 

 

When you see a course you want to take, just click on the course name (listed in the right column of the table). You will be taken to the HHS Learning Management System (LMS) where you can register for the course online.

 

To log on to the HHS Learning Management System, you can use either your PIV card and PIN or your NIH credentials. If you experience any difficulties accessing the LMS, please contact the CIT Training Program at 301-594-6248 or send an e-mail to: [email protected].  

 

         

Helpful Tips

Reminder: submitting a completed e-QIP is mandatory before badge issuance -- recent changes to federal policy stipulate that before an NIH employee, contractor or affiliate can be issued a PIV Card (HHS ID Badge) to access NIH facilities and NIH IT resources, s/he must first accurately complete and submit the e-QIP and related investigation forms in a timely manner to allow DPSAC time to review and release them to OPM.

If DPSAC determines the application forms are incomplete, DPSAC will be required to send the documents back to the individual for completion, thus delaying the ID badging process. All new employees, contractors and affiliates must follow these guidelines. There are no exceptions! 

 
ICs that want to add Lifecycle Work Station (LWS) operators to the approved roster -- send a written request to Richie Taffet at: [email protected]. Your request should include:
  • the new operator's name
  • his/her IC
  • his/her NED number
  • the operator's e-mail address, building/room and phone number
Once Mr. Taffet has approved the request, he will forward the name(s) to [email protected] to complete the approval process, add the name(s) to the LWS operator roster, and inform the IC that the individual is now approved to operate the LWS.

Need to make changes to the LWS operator directories?
-- drop an e-mail to Lanny Newman,
[email protected], and let him know what needs changing (e.g., adding new operators or LWS locations, removing operators, etc.). Remember, before a new operator can be added to the LWS directory, s/he must first be approved by Richie Taffet (see preceding Helpful Tip).

AOs who wish to obtain sponsor authority -- must complete the sponsor training (available at: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dpsac/Training/Pages/administrators.aspx) and e-mail a copy of your signed certificate to the NIH HSPD-12 Program Office at [email protected]. Upon receipt of the certificate, the Program Office will authorize the AO as a sponsor.  

If an LWS is not available in your IC or your immediate area, and you work in the greater Bethesda or Rockville area
-- please call 301-451-4766 or 301-402-9755 to schedule an appointment with the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control located in Building 31, Room B1A26 or in Building 10, South Lobby, Room 1C52.

If you work outside the Bethesda/Rockville area, contact your
local badge issuance office. You can find contact information for all badge issuance offices at: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dpsac/Pages/contactinfo.aspx.


FAQs
 

Q.I'm an AO and I want to make sure that my new hires are able to get their HHS ID Badges when they arrive for their first day of work (EOD day). Any suggestions? 


A.
Yes. Make sure you input the individual to the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) as a new employee, contractor or affiliate at least two weeks prior to their first day of work.
  
Also, you can help remind them that they are required to have their fingerprint check completed and their completed background investigation forms (e-QIP) submitted to the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC). Remember, DPSAC must review the e-QIP and related forms for accuracy and completeness and release the documents to OPM before issuing an HHS ID Badge.   

 

For FTEs to get a badge on their EOD, they will have to come in for enrollment BEFORE their EOD. The only exceptions are individuals who already have a closed background investigation on file.  

 

To summarize, individuals who have been entered into NED and have completed the steps outlined above can expect to be issued their ID badge when they show up for orientation on their EOD. 

 

 

   

 

NIH badging statistics from HHS as of March 27, 2015 


Sponsored: 37,328  Enrolled: 36,795  Issued: 36,080*

 

*This figure represents 97.0% of individuals who have been sponsored.

 

Note: the Department reports weekly on the number of individuals who have been sponsored, enrolled and issued new HHS ID Badges for each OPDIV.

DPSAC News reports the latest Departmental figures for NIH in the first issue published for that month.   


Safety Corner 

Emergency Lighting for NIH Buildings 
The following fire safety awareness article was prepared by the Division of the Fire Marshal, ORS
 
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) requires most medium to large buildings to be equipped with emergency lighting for the means of egress.

Emergency lighting is required throughout an exit (e.g., an enclosed exit stair or exit passageway) and typically in only the designated egress paths, such as aisles, corridors, stairs, and ramps.

The Code requires emergency lighting to be arranged to provide the required illumination automatically in the event of any interruption of normal lighting such as when the primary power supply to a building is lost. In addition, emergency illumination is required for a minimum of 90 minutes in the event of failure of normal lighting.

It is extremely important to note that the Code does not consider a building to be safe for routine occupancy when a loss of normal lighting has occurred. The aforementioned 90 minutes of emergency illumination is based strictly on the need to provide building occupants a reasonable amount of time to evacuate the building until normal lighting has been restored.

If you have any questions concerning emergency lighting for NIH buildings, please contact the Division of the Fire Marshal, Office of Research Services, at 301-496-0487.


A biweekly e-newsletter from the Office of Research Services, Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (ORS/DPSAC) to keep you informed as NIH rolls out "Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12" (HSPD-12) establishing a common identification standard to better safeguard NIH and its workforce.