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September 14, 2016 issue of the DPSAC NEWS  
In This Issue
"Waiting for ..." Status Messages in NED Allow NED Portal Users to Monitor the Badging Process
Visitor Badges: The ONLY Option for Applicants Awaiting their PIV Cards
Common Mistakes PIV Card Applicants Make on their e-QIP Submissions
Reminder to AOs: Return Summer Student RLA Badges to DPSAC When Student's Employment Period Ends
Helpful Tips
NED Training Schedule Announced for FY'17
Safety Corner
NIH badging statistics from HHS

Contact Us

 

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 DPSAC to determine investigation requirements"
This is the fourth in a series exploring the "Waiting for ..." status messages in NED that allow NED Portal users to monitor the badging process.  
The NED Portal's "View Badge History" displays a number of status messages that give Portal users useful snapshots of tasks that have either been completed or that might be underway in the badging process.

Six of these status messages are unique in that they require action, either by the applicant, DPSAC or the Administrative Officer (AO) before the next step in the badging process can begin. These are the View Badge History 'Waiting for' status messages.

In this series, DPSAC News is going 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.

Knowing how to monitor, interpret and act on these status messages are valuable skills that Administrative Officers (AOs) and Administrative Technicians (ATs) and other NED portal users can use to help an applicant navigate the sponsorship, enrollment and badge issuance procedures so that s/he can get an ID badge in a timely manner.

AOs/ATs who understand the badge process as displayed in View Badge History are more likely to spot where a delay may be occurring and intervene to move the process forward.

The goal is to ensure that applicants can get their HHS ID Badge/PIV card and start work as soon as they arrive for duty at NIH.
Below are the six 'Waiting for' messages that DPSAC News will cover in this series:
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

A review of the first three "Waiting for" status messages:
 
- The series' first installment, featured in the August 3, 2016 DPSAC News,
   highlighted the NED status message, 'Waiting for individual to submit
   personal information online."

- The second installment "Waiting for Sponsor to substantiate the
   need for the ID badge" was featured in the August 17, 2016 DPSAC
   News.

- Following sponsorship of a non-U.S. citizen who is not a lawful  
  permanent resident (LPR), View Badge History displays " Waiting
  for DIS to validate work status." This third status message was
  featured in the August 31, 2016 DPSAC News.


The fourth "Waiting for" message: "Waiting for DPSAC to Determine Investigation Requirements"

Once the Sponsor of a U.S. Citizen (or LPR) applicant has substantiated the need for the ID Badge, or the Division of International Services (DIS) has validated the work status of a non-Lawful Permanent Resident, foreign national, 'View Badge History' displays the following sequential status messages: "NED sent position information to DPSAC" and "Waiting for DPSAC to Determine Investigation Requirements."
Determining the need for a background investigation
At this point, the applicant must wait for DPSAC to determine if a new background investigation is required. Once a determination has been made, DPSAC can notify the applicant to make an enrollment appointment. 
The 'Waiting for DPSAC to Determine Investigation Requirements' status message is a signal to DPSAC to access the OPM database of completed background investigations to see if the individual has a previous investigation on file that meets the requirements for his/her position at NIH.
With the OPM background investigation information in hand, DPSAC manually updates the NIH Background Information Tracking System (BITS) database which in turn notifies the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED).
NED then uses the investigation requirements to determine who can be enrolled and issued their ID badge on the same day (i.e., the applicant has an appropriate background investigation on file) and who can be enrolled, but must wait for their ID badge (i.e., the applicant does not have an appropriate background investigation on file and must first complete and submit his/her e-QIP).
At Enrollment, badge applicants who have an appropriate investigation on file will be identity proofed, photographed and will require only two fingers printed. Badge applicants who require an investigation will be identity proofed, photographed, and will undergo fingerprinting of all ten fingers.
Applicants with an appropriate background check on file
For an applicant who has an appropriate background investigation on file, a badge is authorized for issuance as soon as the applicant completes enrollment and NED submits a badge creation request to the HHS Smart Card Management System.

View Badge History will display the status messages "Badge Creation Request Submitted" and "Waiting for the individual to pick up new ID badge" (see Figure 1). Click here to view an enlarged image of Figure 1.
 
 
Figure 1: This screen shot outlines the process for a badge applicant who has an investigation on file and only gets 2 fingerprints. Since there is an appropriate and verified investigation on file, the badge is authorized for issuance as soon as the person completes enrollment and NED submits a badge creation request to the HHS SCMS.

Applicants without an appropriate background check on file    
For an applicant who still must complete his/her e-QIP and therefore does not yet have an investigation on file, View Badge History displays the following sequential messages: "Applicant Enrollment Complete" and "Waiting for DPSAC to authorize the ID badge for issuance."

The applicant must successfully submit his/her e-QIP to DPSAC before DPSAC can authorize the ID badge for issuance (see Figure 2). Click  here to view an enlarged image of Figure 2. 
Figure 2: For badge applicants who do not have an investigation on file, View Badge History will display "Waiting for DPSAC to authorize the ID badge for issuance."  e-QIP is required.

Points to remember: 
  • Individuals who have an appropriate background check on file (i.e., a background check that matches the requirements of his/her position) will be enrolled using only two fingerprints and can pick up their badge following enrollment.
     
  • Individuals who do not have an appropriate background check on file (either there is no background check on file, or the current background check does not match the elevated requirements of the position) will be enrolled using all ten fingerprints and must wait for DPSAC to authorize the ID badge for issuance.
Visitor Badges: The ONLY Option for Applicants Awaiting their PIV Cards

Use of a temporary or interim ID Badge/Card/Credential is prohibited for individuals who require a PIV card

DPSAC recently learned that some ICs are arranging for the issuance of NIH Legacy badges or other temporary ID cards (some seen with NIH and/or HHS logos) as a temporary 'solution' for individuals who are coming on board at NIH and are awaiting approval for a PIV card. Use of an NIH Legacy badge (or other interim credential) as a temporary means of gaining access to the NIH campus is prohibited.

Individuals who are being processed for an HHS ID Badge (PIV card) and who need to access the NIH campus are required to enter the NIH through the NIH Visitor Center or the NIH Gateway Center and obtain a daily visitor pass until s/he completes his/her Enrollment and Badge Issuance appointments. Similar processes occur in off-campus locations in Maryland, Montana and North Carolina.

Instructions for getting a new HHS ID Badge were spelled out in the August 31 DPSAC News article: Getting a New HHS ID Badge.

Common Mistakes PIV Card Applicants Make on their e-QIP Submissions
 
Plus some errors AOs make when entering related Personally Identifiable Information (PII) into NED

As part of the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process required for the issuance of a PIV card (HHS ID Badge), each applicant must complete a questionnaire through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) secure online system: the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP).

DPSAC, which is required to review the applicant's e-QIP for accuracy and completeness before it releases the questionnaire to OPM, regularly finds errors and omissions in the questionnaires submitted by the applicants.

When DPSAC reviewers discover incomplete or faulty e-QIP submissions, they must send the questionnaires back to the applicant to be corrected or completed.

Unfortunately a returned questionnaire will mean delays in the badging process and/or a disabling and confiscation of a person's badge at the perimeter gate when the person attempts to enter the NIH campus. In instances when the individual's badge is confiscated, s/he will need to contact Personnel Security to re-initiate his or her background investigation.

DPSAC has prepared a list of the most common errors and omissions associated with e-QIP applications. DPSAC hopes that by making applicants aware of these common errors, applicants can avoid problems before they occur and not have to experience delays in the badging process.

Common mistakes by badge applicant completing e-QIP (and other required forms) 
A DPSAC review of e-QIP errors made by applicants reveals that discrepant or inconsistent identifying data, incomplete background data, incomplete mailing addresses and missing forms are the main culprits that cause DPSAC to return e-QIP questionnaires to applicants for correction or completion.

Below are the most common errors or omissions that occur on e-QIP submissions (and on OF-306 and OF-612/Resume forms that accompany the e-QIP).

I. e-QIP Questionnaire
A. Discrepant or Inconsistent Identifying Data
    Date of Birth listed
    City/Country of Birth

B. Incomplete Background Data Item:  
    Missing alien registration number

[The US Lawful Permanent resident is someone who has been granted authorization to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. As proof of that status, a person is granted a permanent resident card (Form I-551), commonly called a 'Green Card,' which contains an Alien #/USCIS# specific to that person].

C. Incomplete Mailing Address:
    Complete school addresses for education listed in e-QIP questionnaire
    or OF-612 or resume.

    [Example: if you attended a state university with campuses at
    different locations, you would need to provide the correct campus
    address to ensure that inquiries were directed to the appropriate
    location.]

D. Complete employer addresses

E. Missing Forms
    OF-306 not submitted along with the e-QIP

F. Failure to hit the 'Release Request/Transmit to Agency' button
    Once the applicant has completed the questionnaire, s/he must be sure
    to click the "Release Request/Transmit to Agency" button. 

    By not clicking the "Release Request/Transmit to Agency" button, the
    individual has failed to complete the e-QIP process. As a result, DPSAC
    will be unable to review the questionnaire and submit it to OPM, and
    OPM will have no way of determining whether the applicant requires a
    background investigation or has a background investigation on file.

    Badges issued to these individuals will be disabled and confiscated at
    the perimeter gate when they attempt to enter the NIH campus. The
    applicant will need to contact Personnel Security to re-initiate his or
    her background investigation.

II. OF-306  
    Question #8 on the 306 (Have you ever served in the U.S. Military?)
    must be answered ON THE FORM

    [If the answer is 'YES' the applicant must provide the following
    complete information]:
     -To/From Dates
     -Branch of military
     -Type of discharge

    Any amendments or additions to the OF-306 need to be initialed and
    dated by the Applicant.

III. OF-612/Resume
    Dates of Attendance for education listed, and year degree received
    Mailing addresses for listed employments
    Signature and date

Common mistakes AOs make when entering badge applicant's personally identifiable information (PII) in NED
AOs entering incorrect or incomplete PII in the NED portal on behalf of a badge applicant can also delay enrollment and badge issuance.

The following report by DPSAC lists the most common errors made by AOs entering PII on behalf of a badge applicant:

A.  AOs putting in the wrong Social Security Number (SSN)
If the AO has entered a wrong SSN into NED, s/he will have to correct it in order for DPSAC to perform the enrollment. According to DPSAC, applicants find this particularly frustrating since they are often in Building 31 waiting to be enrolled and DPSAC must turn them away until they can get in touch with their AO to update their SSN.

B. AOs putting in the wrong personal e-mail address
If the AO has entered a wrong personal e-mail address for the applicant into NED, the applicant will not receive auto-generated e-mails to complete various stages of the background investigation process. The result is a delay in issuing a badge. Unfortunately this issue is usually discovered when the applicant shows up for his/her enrollment appointment and DPSAC has to reach out to the AO to update the e-mail address in NED.

C. AOs putting in the wrong name
If the spelling of an applicant's name is incorrect, DPSAC can fix this issue; however, the e-mail address that is generated for the applicant will also be incorrect. Often, this results in the applicant having to reach out to CIT to have his/her e-mail address corrected with the proper spelling.

D. AOs putting in the wrong place of birth and date of birth
If the place of birth and date of birth are entered incorrectly into NED, the applicant may have difficulty logging into e-QIP.

In order for the applicant to log in to e-QIP, s/he must answer certain security questions including date of birth, place of birth, SSN, full name, etc. Since e-QIP references information entered in NED, if the information entered into NED differs from the information the applicant enters into e-QIP, the applicant will likely be locked out of e-QIP. If this occurs, DPSAC must edit the applicant's personal information in e-QIP to reflect the correct information. 

Reminder to AOs: Return Summer Student RLA Badges to DPSAC When Student's Employment Period Ends

DPSAC wants to remind AO Sponsors to collect the RLA badges from their Summer students once they end their employment/affiliation with the NIH and return them to DPSAC in Building 31, Room 1B03. All Summer Student RLA badges expire on September 30.

Helpful Tips 

Do not lend your ID badge to anyone! -- lending out your ID badge is prohibited. The issuance of ID badges is based on strict identity proofing and the determination of one's suitability for a specific position classification.

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 hspd12@od.nih.gov. Upon receipt of the certificate, the Program Office will authorize the AO as a Sponsor. Please note: ONLY individuals with an Administrative Officer role are eligible to be HHS ID Badge/PIV Card Sponsors.

ICs that want to add Lifecycle Work Station (LWS) operators to the approved roster -- send a written request to Richie Taffet at: taffetr@mail.nih.gov. 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 HHSIdentityAdmins@deloitte.com 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, newmanl@mail.nih.gov, 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, newmanl@mail.nih.gov, and ask to be put on the mailing list.   

NED Training Schedule for FY '17
Description: This course provides 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.
Intended Audience: New or relatively inexperienced NED Portal users with the Administrative Officer (AO) or Administrative Technician (AT) role.
Prerequisites: Basic personal computer skills and experience with web-based computer applications.
Reasonable Accommodations/Interpreting Services: For deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals requiring interpreting services, please enter your request online in the Interpreting Services System at least five (5) days before the start of the class.

If you have any questions regarding this service, you may contact the ORS Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) Interpreting Team at (301-402-8180). Individuals who need other reasonable accommodations to participate in any of the CIT Training courses should let CIT Training know at least 5 days prior to the class.
How to Register: To register for one of the classes listed below, go to: http://training.cit.nih.gov/class_details.aspx?cId=NIHCIT-GN142.   

   
Safety Corner

Fire Safety Alert: Idle Wood Pallet Storage on the NIH Bethesda Campus
The following fire safety awareness article was prepared by the Division of the Fire Marshal, ORS

Idle wood pallets are a common occurrence at the NIH Bethesda Campus. They are usually used to bring in large pieces of equipment or material into buildings by an outside party, however are often left in the building once the equipment has been installed.

Sometimes they are left with equipment on them and sometimes the pallets are abandoned. The pallets are left throughout all buildings on campus including corridors, laboratories, throughout the hospital, etc.

These abandoned wood pallets have two very serious fire life safety risks:
 
1.  Impact egress out of the building
2.  Increase the fire risk
 
Egress
Corridors are designed in buildings to be able to get all occupants out of the building. Wood pallets are often left abandoned in hallways, These pallets minimize the width of the corridor, creating a pinch point and a longer egress time.

During an emergency, occupants need to be able to exit the building as soon as possible. By limiting the corridor width, the pallets stored in the corridor increase the time for occupants to exit the building.
 
Fire Risk
Wood pallets are a combustible product. The dry wood of the pallets can ignite easily, burn rapidly, and cause a lot of damage. Facilities that are meant to store wood pallets are required to have a special sprinkler system designed for the higher hazard.

None of the building sprinkler systems on the NIH campus are designed to handle the higher fuel load. In the event of a wood pallet fire at NIH, the sprinkler systems might not be able to handle the fire and could cause major damage to the occupants and the building.

The pallets must be removed as soon as possible from the buildings to prevent a potentially hazardous situation.
 
How do I get them removed?
If you see an abandoned pallet, submit a maintenance request to have it removed.
 
1.         Go to the NIH employee intranet at http://employees.nih.gov/
2.         Click on 'maintenance requests' under 'popular links'
3.         Click on 'Enter New Service Request'
4.         Sign in to your account
5.         Under the maintenance category tab, click 'unable to categorize'
6.         Under description, write that abandoned wood pallets need to be
            removed. Provide the exact location in the pull down tabs under
            the description.
7.         Submit the request
 
Contact your assigned Facility Manager if unable to submit work requests or have further questions about this process.
 
Whose responsibility is it to get them removed?
Yours! We are all responsible for keeping NIH safe and prevent potential risks. If you see pallets in the building, tell the proper authorities to ensure their removal.
 
For further information or assistance regarding this issue, please contact the Division of the Fire Marshal, Office of Research Services at 301-496-0487.   

 




NIH badging statistics from HHS as of September 9, 2016  

Sponsored: 37,624   Enrolled: 36,748   Issued: 35,488*
 
*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.