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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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 Getting a Restricted Local Access (RLA) Badge - A Primer
As of July 14, 2014, NIH began issuing a new type of identification credential, the Restricted Local Access (RLA) Badge.
The RLA serves the same purpose as the PIV Card, providing both physical and logical (NIH Network and IT systems) access. Candidates for the new badge include:
- Short-term staff (at NIH less than six months)
- Summer Students
- Foreign nationals
When an Administrative Officer requests an ID badge in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) for anyone in these categories, a request for an RLA Badge will automatically be generated.
An RLA Badge is valid for 3 years when issued to foreign nationals. RLA Badges issued to short-term staff are valid for a maximum of 6 months. RLA Badges issued to summer students will be valid through September 30 of the year issued.
Purpose of the RLA Badge
NIH worked with HHS to develop the RLA Badge in order to meet HSPD-12 security guidelines for individuals who do not qualify for an HHS ID Badge (PIV Card).
The new RLA Badge is an NIH-issued smart card that can be used for physical access to NIH facilities and logical access to NIH information systems. The physical appearance of the RLA badge is similar to the HHS ID Badge, including the recognizable embedded computer chip, and is distinguishable by its orange stripe.
The Process for Issuing an RLA Badge
The process for issuing an RLA Badge will be similar to the PIV process used to issue HHS ID Badges.
- Badge Request in NED
When an AO requests an ID badge for anyone in the above categories, NED will automatically default the request to an RLA Badge.
- Enrollment Appointment with DPSAC
All individuals receiving an RLA Badge will require an enrollment appointment with DPSAC that consists of identity proofing, fingerprint capture and a photograph. The individual must bring two forms of acceptable identification as provided on the Federal I-9 form. One must be a federal- or state-issued photo ID and both must be unexpired.
- Background Investigation Forms
Everyone receiving an RLA Badge must complete the appropriate background investigation. Short-term staff and summer students will undergo a fingerprint check only. Foreign nationals will undergo the appropriate investigation based on their position at NIH and length of time in the United States. DPSAC will ensure that individuals receive the appropriate forms to complete (as required).
- Badge Issuance
Once these initial steps are complete, individuals will be instructed to schedule an appointment to pick up their RLA Badge. Badge issuance takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and individuals must bring a photo ID to their appointment.
Foreign nationals currently possessing an HHS ID Badge or NIH legacy badge will receive an RLA badge upon renewal; those categorized as 'short-term' staff will be issued an HHS ID Badge upon renewal since, by definition, they will no longer be short term.
RLA Badging Policies and Foreign Nationals
Badge Expiration Dates: NIH sees a large number of foreign nationals who join its workforce each July. Badge requests for foreign nationals now default to a 3-year RLA Badge.
No Social Security Number: Please be advised that DPSAC will NOT issue any type of ID badge to individuals without a Social Security Number (SSN) who plan to be working at NIH longer than six (6) months. Individuals without an SSN who fall into this category must access the NIH facilities as a daily visitor.
Alien Authorized to Work Until Date (AAWUD): The Division of International Services (DIS), ORS, must clear all foreign nationals assigned to the NIH before badge issuance. This clearance ensures that foreign nationals are lawful to be in the U.S. and are authorized to work at the NIH.
Please note that if the AAWUD lapses, NED will immediately initiate a revocation of the affected foreign national's ID badge. Therefore, it is important for the NIH administrative community to coordinate with DIS to ensure that DIS updates a foreign national's AAWUD if appropriate.
At the three-year mark of residence in the U.S., a background investigation will be required.
Foreign National PIV Card (HHS ID Badge) Renewals: Due to limitations in the HHS card management system, AOs who are in the process of renewing the PIV Card for a foreign national after July 14, 2014 will cause the individual's current PIV card to be immediately deactivated.
DPSAC is recommending that the badge appointment be made on the same day as the sponsorship action to help avoid any interruption of physical or logical access due to a deactivated (revoked) badge.
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NED Training Schedule: June - September, 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].
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Helpful Tips
Need help understanding the HHS ID badging process or other badge-related issues? -- you can get most of your questions answered by searching the DPSAC website: www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dpsac/Pages/Home.aspx (a.k.a., www.idbadge.nih.gov).
This site provides comprehensive information about Getting a Badge, Background Checks, HSPD-12, Resources and Forms and Training. The main page also features updates and helpful tools, including videos on 'Using your PIV Card to Enter the NIH Campus' and 'Getting an HHS ID Badge.'
The "2015 NED Class Schedule" banner is a click-able link that takes the reader to all remaining NED classes scheduled for 'FY 15. Plus, all past issues of DPSAC News can be found under 'Resources and Forms.'
'Track Badge Status' reports in NED can now generate two additional status categories: "Waiting for DPSAC to authorize ID badge issuance" & "DPSAC authorized ID Badge issuance." See the April 1, 2015 issue of DPSAC News for a discussion of these new categories.
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).
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.
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FAQs
Q. I work at the NIH, but I need my daughter to drive me to work every day because I am not physically able to drive myself. I heard the process to obtain an extended visitor badge for my daughter has changed since 2014. What is that process?
A. Before visitors can be issued an ID badge giving them access to NIH facilities, they must complete the Extended Visitor form that will be approved by an Administrative Officer (AO) with PIV Sponsor authority and be fingerprinted. Applicants will have their photo taken and their fingerprints electronically captured and submitted through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for criminal history screening.
In the past, any federal employee could sponsor someone for an Extended Visitor Badge. This sponsorship capability is now limited to NED AOs who also hold the NED Sponsor role. As a result, NED AO Sponsors may now receive requests to approve Extended Visitor Badge.
Please note that before a NED AO can sign off on the required Extended Visitor forms, s/he will need to hold the NED Sponsor role. AO Sponsors will be responsible for authorizing and sponsoring an individual to obtain employee-like access to NIH. AO Sponsors will also serve as the point of contact with the responsibility for fielding questions from individuals who are requesting Extended Visitor Badge.
Sponsorship of non-NIH personnel will cost the sponsoring IC $21.50 per person based on the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) FY15 rates and must include a justification statement by the Sponsor as to why the individual requires employee-like access to the NIH campus.
The justification statement for sponsorship of non-NIH personnel for an Extended Visitor Badge must be mission-related and is subject to approval by the NIH Police and/or DPSAC.
The new NIH Extended Visitor ID Badge Application form is posted at: http://security.nih.gov/Documents/Extended%20Visitor%20Form.pdf.
Q. What is the difference between "revocation" of a person's ID badge and "deactivation" of their NED record?
A. Revocation refers to the disabling of a person's ID badge in the NIH Physical Access Control System (PACS) and the HHS Smart Card Management System (SCMS). When this occurs, the person is no longer able to use the badge for physical and/or logical access (i.e., in the case of a smart card).
For example, when an Administrative Officer (AO) reports a person's badge as lost in the NED Portal, or the expiration date printed on the badge is in the past, the person's badge is revoked, but the NED record remains "active."
NED deactivation occurs when a person separates from NIH and their NED record status changes from active to inactive. For example, when an AO submits a 'deactivate' task in the NED Portal, or NED deactivates the record based on a person's 'not to exceed' (NTE) date, the deactivation (of the NED record) initiates the revocation of the person's ID badge and/or NIH network account.
Note: external systems that use NED as a data source (e.g., NBS, GovTrip, ServiceNow) may also be affected following the deactivation of a person's NED record.
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 NIH badging statistics from HHS as of May 1, 2015 Sponsored: 37,443 Enrolled: 36,703 Issued:35,868 *
*This figure represents 96.0% 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 Newsreports the latest Departmental figures for NIH in the first issue published for that month.
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The Fire Safety Dangers of Having Too Much 'Stuff' in the Workplace and in the Home
The following fire safety awareness article was prepared by the Division of the Fire Marshal, ORS. 'Hoarding' in the workplace and in the home is a major fire hazard and creates especially hazardous conditions for firefighters and other emergency responders. The term hoarding is generally described as obtaining and refusing to throw out a large number of items that would appear to have little or no value to others. In the home it is described as severe cluttering to the point a space is no longer able to function as a viable living space. Items usually hoarded in the workplace and in the home include such things as: newspapers, magazines, journals, personal papers and items, clothing, furniture, appliances, equipment, boxes and rubbish. Hoarding is different and much more than having simple clutter in your workplace or home. While the exact underlying causes of compulsive hoarding continue to be studied and the relationship between hoarding and fire safety is currently being documented by the National Fire Protection Association, anecdotal reports from the fire service clearly reveal a significant fire threat. In fact, a 2009 study found that hoarding fires are tougher for the fire service to fight and make rescue operations extremely difficult. Also, hoarding fires in the home are far deadlier than other types of residential fires. Heeding the Fire Safety Dangers Resulting from HoardingThe fire safety dangers to be aware of when having too much 'stuff' in the workplace and in the home include: - Increased risk of fire due to the accumulation of combustibles such as papers, clothing and rubbish
- Increased fire severity due to an abnormal amount of fuel that will overtax existing automatic sprinkler systems
- Blocked escape from fire due to the exits, hallways, windows and doors being obstructed by clutter
- Extreme risk to fire-emergency response personnel
- Risk of structural damage or building collapse due to the excessive fire-loading and weight of the items
- Risk of injury or death due to being trapped under falling items
If you have questions about any of these fire safety dangers, please contact the Division of the Fire Marshal, Office of Research Services at 301-496-0487. |
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News Briefs
White House gives agencies the lead role in combating ID theft
Excerpts from an October 17, 2014 federalnewsradio.com article by Jason Miller
New, more secure government credit cards and multi-factor authentication for federal websites dealing with sensitive citizen data are two ways the White House wants the government to lead a nationwide effort to reduce identity theft and fraud.
President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order on Oct. 17 (2014) outlining a series of steps with short and longer term deadlines to transition to more secure online transactions under a new Buy Secure initiative.
"First, starting next year, we're going to begin making sure that credit cards and credit-card readers issued by the United States government come equipped with two new layers of protection: a microchip in the card that's harder for thieves to clone than a magnetic strip, and a pin number you enter into the reader just as you do with an ATM," Obama said during a speech at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington.
"We know this technology works. When Britain switched to a chip-and-pin system, they cut fraud in stores by 70 percent. Of course, no one security measure, no matter how powerful, can stop fraud on its own. So today, I'm also directing federal law enforcement to share more information with the private sector when they discover identity theft rings."
To read more, click here.
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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.
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