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August 3, 2016 issue of the DPSAC NEWS  


In This Issue

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Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC),  

Office of Research Services  

 

Building 31, Room 1B03
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

             Monday - Friday  

 

Personnel Security 

Helpdesk: 301-402-9755

E-mail: orspersonnelsecurity@ 

mail.nih.gov

 

Access Control

Helpdesk: 301-451-4766

E-mail: facilityaccesscontrol@ 

mail.nih.gov

 

       

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"Waiting for ..." Status Messages in NED Allow NED Portal Users to Monitor the Badging Process

DPSAC News begins a new series to help the Administrative Community better understand some of the status messages associated with the sponsorship, enrollment and badging processes the NED Portal displays under "View Badge History."

To access View Badge History, login to the NED Portal (https://ned.nih.gov/ned) and select the View Badge History menu option under the "View Record/Status" section.

Knowing how to monitor, interpret and act on status messages that appear under View Badge History in the NED Portal are valuable skills that Administrative Officers (AOs) and Administrative Technicians (ATs) and other NED portal users can use to help shepherd an individual through the sponsorship, enrollment and badging process and make sure an applicant receives his or her ID badge in a timely manner.

While View Badge History displays a number of status messages that give NED Portal users a useful snapshot of steps that have either been completed or that might be underway, there are six status messages that require action, either by the applicant, DPSAC or the AO before the next step in the badging process can begin. These are the 'Waiting for' messages displayed in sequential order under View Badge History.

Over the coming weeks, DPSAC News will go behind the scenes to examine each of these status messages in some detail, describing the purpose of each message, the steps necessary to move the badge process forward, and tips and tricks to help expedite the process.

An AO/AT who knows what is required to complete each task is more likely to spot where a delay may be occurring and intervene to move the process forward.

The goal is to ensure that the applicant can get his or her HHS ID Badge/PIV card and start work as soon as s/he arrives for duty at NIH.

Below are the six 'Waiting for' messages that DPSAC News will cover in some detail over the next several weeks:
  1. Waiting for individual to submit personal information online
  2. Waiting for Sponsor to substantiate the need for the ID badge
  3. Waiting for DIS to validate work status
  4. Waiting for DPSAC to determine investigation requirements
  5. Waiting for DPSAC to authorize ID badge issuance
  6. Waiting for the individual to pick up new ID badge
 
"Waiting for individual to submit personal information online" is the first 'Waiting for' task that an AO/AT may see under View Badge History after initiating a NED Portal Register/Activate task for an applicant coming on board.

Once an AO/AT receives instructions to register and request a badge for a new hire, s/he will complete a Register/Activate task in the NED Portal. This task will provide, among other things, the necessary information for DPSAC to initiate the appropriate background investigation, if necessary, and issue the person his/her ID badge.

The Register/Activate task starts with Pre-Registration, where the AO/AT identifies the applicant's classification, his or her access information, and the period of time the applicant needs an ID badge (more than six months or six months or less).
 
The Register/Activate task advances to the collection of 'Position Organization/Contact Information' and then 'Position Information.' Once the AO/AT enters the appropriate position information, NED calculates the applicant's position sensitivity level and necessary background investigation type.
 
The Register/Activate task then advances to the collection of 'Personal Information.' After entering the applicant's name, phone number and e-mail address, the AO/AT is given the option of entering the applicant's PII (Personally Identifiable Information) on behalf of the applicant or asking the applicant to provide this information.

If the AO/AT enters the applicant's PII, View Badge History will not display a "Waiting for individual to submit personal information online" status message.

However, if the AO selects "Send E-mail to Applicant," NED sends an e-mail to the applicant with the subject line: "Getting your ID badge at NIH: Please provide the information needed to start the identity verification process (Applicant's Name)."  The e-mail contains a secure, one-time use hyperlink that the applicant can use to provide his/her PII online in NED.
 
As soon as NED e-mails the applicant, View Badge History displays the status message, "Waiting for individual to submit personal information online."
 
The NED-generated e-mail that goes to the applicant states, in part:

"You received this message because [Administrator's name] requested that you receive an ID badge from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH Personnel Security is required to verify the identity of all staff who will receive an ID badge and to validate their suitability for a position at NIH. To do that, they need some information about you."
 
"You need to provide your personal information in order to create your personnel record in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED)."
 
As mentioned, the e-mail contains a secure, one-time-use hyperlink for the applicant to enter his/her Personally Identifiable Information (PII) online in NED. Once the applicant opens the link, s/he must complete filling in his/her PII. There is no starting now and finishing later. The applicant has 7 calendar days to submit the information.
 
If the applicant is uncomfortable with the online method of submitting PII, s/he has the option of downloading, printing, and completing the paper form HHS-745 (HHS ID Badge Request Form). After signing and dating the completed form, the applicant is instructed to mail it "to the person who invited you to receive this message [the AO] at the mailing address shown below."
 
The e-mail further states that "once your personnel record in NED has been created, you will receive an e-mail telling you that the person responsible for substantiating the need for your badge has formally sponsored you." After that, NIH Personnel Security will check to see if you need to have a background investigation.
 
Important points to remember with regard to submitting PII:
  • An applicant can only use the NED hyperlink once...there is no starting now and finishing later

  • An applicant has 7 calendar days to submit his/her PII using the NED hyperlink. After 7 calendar days the NED Register/Activate task goes back to the AO/AT who invited the applicant to provide his/her PII and the AO/AT must then enter the PII on behalf of the applicant

  • If an applicant is uncomfortable with the online method of submitting PII, s/he has the option of printing the form HHS-745 and sending the completed, signed and dated paper form to the AO/AT who invited the applicant to provide his/her PII
Helpful tip: The AO should give the Applicant a heads up that the NED e-mail is coming so s/he doesn't think s/he's receiving a phishing e-mail.

This series will continue in the August 17, 2016 DPSAC News with an in-depth look at the status message: "Waiting for Sponsor to substantiate the need for the ID badge."

                                     
DIS Asking AOs to Update Citizenship
Status in NED for Foreign Nationals Who Have Become U.S. Citizens
According to the Division of International Services (DIS), while many eligible U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs) apply for, and are granted, U.S. citizenship within 3-5 years of obtaining their LPR status, they may not remember to report their change of citizenship status to their IC.*
DIS is in the process of updating the NED data it maintains for foreign nationals at NIH and is asking the Administrative Community for their help by speaking with their scientists and updating the NED records of LPRs who have secured U.S. citizenship.

Filing Fees to increase for U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Applications

DIS reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a filing fee increase for many U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) applications, including the N-400 Application for Naturalization which is used to apply for U.S. citizenship. Although USCIS has not yet published the date that the increased USCIS filing fees will take effect, DIS recommends that individuals who are eligible to naturalize may want to begin the process soon to avoid the anticipated fee increase.

* Lawful Permanent Resident: Any person not a citizen of the United States who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence as an immigrant.  Also known as "Permanent Resident Alien", "Resident Alien Permit Holder" and "Green Card Holder." (U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Advanced Accompanied Visitor Pass (AAVP) Requests Now Handled 100% Online
This article first appeared in the July 20, 2016 DPSAC News.
 
On the heels of the DPSAC News spotlight on Accompanied Visitors in the June 8, 2016 issue, the NIH police activated a new and better web-based Advanced Accompanied Visitor Pass (AAVP) application process as part of its new Pre-Cleared Visitor Program (PCVP) designed to help employees facilitate campus access for their guests. 
 
Two or more business days before the guest's arrival, an NIH employee/sponsor can fill out the appropriate request with the guest's information. The information is then forwarded to the NIH Police, who will review the request and provide the appropriate pass if everything is in order.

With the new system in place, NIH employees who want to request an AAVP on behalf of an incoming visitor will now complete the appropriate NIH Police form posted on the NIH Security website as a fillable pdf. Upon completing the form, the employee/sponsor will electronically submit it to the NIH Police service to administer a name check on the visitor against an FBI database.
 
Once the NIH Police are in receipt of a successful name check, they will e-mail an approval along with a Visitor Pass that the employee/sponsor will print out to present to the guard or police when s/he accompanies the visitor at one of the staffed entrances.

For the AAVP, the NIH requires the employee/sponsor requesting the pass to accompany the guest at the point of entry.

Further description and the process for requesting a pass within the PCVP is posted on the NIH Security website: http://security.nih.gov/Pages/Home.aspx
 
Video Spells Out New Streamlined Process for Obtaining an AAVP
To assist NIH employees who plan to serve as visitor sponsors (n.b., only NIH employees can sponsor a visitor to the NIH campus), the NIH Police, in collaboration with the HSPD-12 Program Office, developed a brief video that walks the viewer through the new streamlined AAVP application and issuance process for requesting an AAVP.

This video is posted on the NIH security website as 'Instructional Video' at: http://cm.security.nih.gov/Pages/PCVP.aspx.

News Briefs 

Increased Police Patrols and Inspections of Common Areas on NIH Campus
 
Beginning July 1, 2016 NIH police and associated K-9 units stepped up patrols and inspections of common areas on the NIH campus, including vehicles in parking lots and multi-level parking garages and building common spaces (e.g., building atria).

These security measures were put in place to comply with the Department of Homeland Security Interagency Security Committee's (https://www.dhs.gov/interagency-security-committee) 2016 edition of "Physical Security Criteria for Federal Facilities."

These changes should not interfere with normal operations.

For more information and answers to your questions about security procedures on the NIH campus, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) posted on the NIH Security website at: http://www.security.nih.gov/FAQ/Pages/default.aspx
  
Helpful Tips
 
All Building 31 badging services - Enrollment, Badge Issuance and Customer Service -- now offered at a single, convenient location in 1B03.  All badging services in Building 31 are available between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. DPSAC will continue to offer Enrollment and Badging services in the South Lobby of the Clinical Center from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

AOs who wish to obtain sponsor authority --
must complete the sponsor training (see: 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. Please note: ONLY individuals with Administrative Officer access to NED are eligible to be an HHS ID Badge/PIV Card Sponsor.

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
*    the hours of operation of the Lifecycle Work Station

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 301-402-9755 to schedule an appointment with the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control located in Building 31, Room 1B03 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.  

Know someone who should be reading DPSAC News? -- have the person contact Lanny Newman, [email protected], and ask to be put on the mailing list.   

FAQs

Q. If a Contractor is converting to an FTE, should I be advising the AO to wait until the expected EOD date before reclassifying the person to avoid having his/her Contractor badge cut off?
 
A. The "Contractor" badge (green stripe) is still good - and live - until the person picks up his/her HHS ID Badge (presumably at EOD).


Q. I've heard from several Administrative Officers (AOs) who seem to have lost their NED Portal Sponsor role for no apparent reason.  Does the Sponsor role need to be renewed each year?
 
A. No. The NED Portal Sponsor role does not need to be renewed. Once granted, the role should remain with a person unless they change ICs, convert to a non-FTE, or someone revokes their AO role.  That said, NED has a known defect that results in revocation of an AO's Sponsor role when someone modifies the AO's SAC coverage.  According to the NED team, if this happens, the affected NED Portal user should submit a request to the NIH IT Service Desk to have NED Support restore the Sponsor role.

NED Training Schedule

New and relatively inexperienced NED Portal users with an Administrative Officer (AO) or Administrative Technician (AT) role are invited to take advantage of one of the hands-on NED training classes being offered (once a month) through the end of fiscal year 2016.

Each class will provide an overview of the NED Portal and the NIH business functions it supports from the perspective of a NED Portal user with the AO or AT role.

Upon completing the course, students will have a solid working knowledge of the NED Portal and be able to perform the following tasks: Register/Activate, Update, Modify, Transfer, Badge Renewal and Deactivate.

The course will also familiarize students with other aspects of the NED Portal so they can set their primary SAC coverage using 'Preferences,' determine the status of a person's ID badge and/or network account request, look up and view information in a person's NED record and utilize NED reporting capabilities.

To register for one of the classes listed below, go to: http://training.cit.nih.gov/class_details.aspx?cId=NIHCIT-GN142.  

   
 
 
 
NIH badging statistics from HHS as of July 29, 2016  

Sponsored: 37,593   Enrolled: 36,604   Issued: 35,368*
 
*This figure represents 94.0% 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.   
 
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.