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Personnel Security Branch Newsletter - February 2024

MEMORANDUM

DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
TO: Personnel Security Agency Point of Contact 
FROM: Lynette M. Murray, Chief, Security and Drug & Alcohol Testing Division 
SUBJECT: Personnel Security Branch Newsletter - February 2024

Valued Customers:

The Security Drug and Alcohol Testing Division (SDATD) extends its wishes for a prosperous New Year to you and your family. We look forward to continuing to serve you for all your Personnel Security needs and inform you of the changes that are on the horizon. This quarter, we wanted to share some recent changes that we’ve sent out and ensure that your agency is tracking all the updates.   

PSB Forum Thursday, May 2, 2024: Mark your calendar for the next Personnel Security Branch forum, tentatively scheduled for Thursday May 2, 2024. We look forward to seeing you and updating you on ongoing developments in the Personnel Security field. Additionally, we would like to inform you of some upcoming changes to the Personnel Security business processes, updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Service Level Agreement (SLA) Language. Please bring any questions that you may have for the management team as your shared service provider. 

New OF-306: The Declaration of Federal Employment was recently updated to support the implementation of the “Fair Chance Act.” OPM’s final rule to implement the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 (see National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020) posted in the Federal Register September 1, 2023. The regulations govern when, during the hiring process, a hiring agency can request information typically collected during a background investigation from an applicant for Federal employment. Additionally, the regulations implement complaint procedures under which an applicant for a position in the civil service may submit a complaint, or any other information, relating to compliance by an employee of an agency in reference to the timing of collection of criminal history information. Furthermore, the final rule outlines adverse action procedures that apply when it is alleged that an agency employee violated the requirements. Please see also the OPM Press Release.

  • What does this mean when submitting security packages to SDATD? A submitted form needs to include a signed copy of the latest “Revised August 2023” OF-306 (version located in the bottom right corner).
  • When was this sent to agencies? SDATD notified customers on November 21, 2023. 

T2 Req Role Holder Project: Per the discussions in the July 26, 2022, and January 17, 2023, USAccess Customer Advisory Board meetings, the General Services Administration (GSA) Managed Service Office (MSO) is providing official notification that all USAccess Role Holders are required to hold a Tier 2 background investigation since these positions handle Personally Identifiable Information (PII). All USAccess agencies are required to comply. This is pursuant to the OPM Position Designation guidelines and Suitability Requirements for Moderate Risk (Public Trust) positions found here. The MSO is asking that all USAccess customer agencies develop a plan to comply with the requirement no later than April 1, 2023. SDATD has started reaching out to agencies to confirm role holders and has a strategic plan to meet this requirement before the required deadline. If you have any questions related to this requirement, please contact the IBC Credentialing team via email at psb_credentialing@ibc.doi.gov.

V8 PIV Card Update: To comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s new technical specifications that enhance security features to verify employees' and contractors' identities, IBC will be replacing all legacy Personal Identification Verification (PIV) cards (v7) with new v8.1 cards. The v7 cards are considered obsolete by NIST due to a security vulnerability and are no longer being manufactured by the cardstock producer. Over the next month, you may receive communications about your PIV card. To identify if you have a v7 card, look at the series of numbers on the top right corner on the back of your card. If the number series starts with “4820”, then you have a v7 card. By July 1, 2024, you should receive an email from USAccess (HSPD12Admin@usaccess.gsa.gov) notifying you that: 1) A new PIV card has been ordered, 2) You need to visit a Credentialing Center to re-enroll (10-year re-enrollment requirement from USAccess; not all employees with a new card will need to re-enroll). Once you have received this notification and completed the re-enrollment process if required, you will receive an email notification that your PIV card is ready for pick up.

SDATD Employee Spotlight: Chris serves as one of our Senior Personnel Security Assistants (PSA), he has been on the front lines of IBC PSB for a little over two years and was recently promoted. As one of the initial points of contact for the Personnel Security Branch (PSB) customers, Chris initiates new investigations at the appropriate sensitivity levels, verifies, and obtains prior investigations, aids each applicant in completing all the necessary PSB forms and works collaboratively with your HR Staff and COR’s to quickly resolve onboarding issues. He recently filled some big shoes by becoming one of our most experienced Security Assistants. Chris stepped up to the challenge with no hesitation, with this increased responsibility, he has been a part of several projects, change management processes and voluntarily led training for our newest Personnel Security Assistants. We’re glad to have Chris as part of the team and thankful for everything he does to provide the best customer service to our clients. From the words of Chris “One of my main goals is to provide the highest level of customer service to each customer throughout the entire PSB process.”

Important Contact Information: Please find below a list of some important numbers and emails to make note of for any of your Personnel Security needs. As a gentle reminder, kindly ensure to send your employee separations to the PSB_Credentialing@ibc.doi.gov as soon as possible (or for IBC-only personnel, via the online Access Change Form process). Please be advised that PIV cards will incur monthly charges until separation notification is received by IBC.

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