On behalf of the NIH Division of Personnel Security (DPS), the following are important security requirements that apply to all NIH staff.
In January 2021, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued Executive Memorandum, Transforming Federal Personnel Vetting: Continuous Vetting and Other Measures to Expedite Reform and Transition to Trusted Workforce 2.0, which required federal departments and agencies to transition to Trusted Workforce 2.0 Continuous Vetting requirements.
DPS has begun enrolling NIH staff into the Trusted Workforce Continuous Vetting and FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI) Rap Back Service per OPM requirements.
DPS is required to enroll all NIH staff that hold a Moderate or High-Risk Public Trust position (Tier 2 and 4 positions) into Trusted Workforce Continuous Vetting and the FBI NGI Rap Back program by October 2025. Further, DPS will be required to enroll individuals who hold a Low-Risk Tier 1 position in 2027. Efforts to transition to Trusted Workforce have been underway for several years. All staff in Sensitive (Tier 3 and 5) positions are already enrolled.
Please review the FBI NGI Rap Back Privacy Act Statement about how all NIH staff fingerprints will be used in compliance with Trusted Workforce 2.0 guidelines.
What is required of NIH Staff now?
- Review the FBI NGI Rap Back Privacy Act Statement (the webpage takes a few seconds to load; this is normal).
- Current staff who do not have a recent set of classifiable fingerprints as of 2014 will be contacted by DPS to complete a new set of fingerprints in order to be enrolled into NGI Rap Back.
- New staff that onboard to NIH will be notified of Rap Back Enrollment in the DPS Badge Appointment emails they receive, and when they complete their fingerprinting appointments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trusted Workforce 2.0? Trusted Workforce 2.0 is the whole-of-government approach to reform the personnel security process and establish a single vetting system for the U.S. Government. Trusted Workforce implementation began in 2018 following extensive planning and interagency coordination. For more information, please visit the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) website.
What is Continuous Vetting (CV)? Continuous Vetting (CV) is a process that involves regularly reviewing a cleared individual's background to ensure they continue to meet security eligibility and suitability requirements to hold positions of trust.
What is NGI Rap Back? NGI Rap Back provides continual real-time notifications of changes in criminal history using classifiable fingerprints.
How is NGI Rap Back enrollment connected to Trusted Workforce? NGI Rap Back supports CV efforts as defined in E.O. 13467, as amended, and Trusted Workforce 2.0.
How does Trusted Workforce CV differ from the previous Federal Government vetting process? Traditional Background Investigations for entry and retention into the federal government will still be conducted. However, agencies are no longer permitted to request periodic reinvestigations and are instead required to transition to the CV model. CV involves regularly reviewing a cleared individual's background through the duration of their affiliation with the Federal Government, rather than waiting 5, 7 or 10 years to conduct a reinvestigation. Under CV, agencies are notified in real-time of issues that could pose a concern.
Who does this apply to? This requirement applies to all NIH staff to include federal employees, contractors, affiliates, volunteers, etc. who work for, or on behalf of, the NIH in paid or voluntary status.
How do I know my Position Designation Tier? A staff member's position designation tier is reflected in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) system under “Self Service – My Record" at the top of the page under “Position Designation Tier." Additionally, federal employees can find their position designation on their Official Position Description (OF-8) form. Please note: the Position Designation Tier, which refers to a position's sensitivity/risk background investigation requirement, is not to be confused with Emergency Tier Designation.
