11/14/2016
As a reminder, Personnel Security inquiries to include e-QIP (option #2) of
the DSS Knowledge Center closes the last business day of each month for the
purpose of conducting internal training to deliver the highest quality
customer service to Industry and Government callers. Please note, we will
be closed on Friday, November 25, for this month only, and will reopen
Monday, November 28.
11/9/2016
Click here to review new DIA Polygraph Security
Notice
10/6/2016
REMINDER on Identifying Government Customer on Investigations for Personnel Clearances
The Defense Security Service (DSS) requests assistance in assuring that all
of your requests for personnel security investigations (PSIs) in the Joint
Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) identify the government customer in the
contract number field when requesting PCLs. Accurate data entry of the
source of the investigative requirement for a clearance is essential to
effectively manage and validate industry's PSI submissions with the
government customers. We have provided guidance here for your ease of reference and implementation.
9/29/2016
Attention! DISS Portal (EX101.16) and DISS Hierarchy Management (EX100.16) shorts are now available on STEPP
Individuals must have or create a STEPP account in order to access these shorts. Once signed into STEPP, students can locate the shorts by entering "DISS" or the corresponding codes listed above into the STEPP Search function. For questions, contact CDSE.
9/28/2016
Personnel security inquiries to include e-QIP (option #2) of the DSS
Knowledge Center will be unavailable on Friday, September 30, 2016, but will
resume normal business hours on Monday, October 3, 2016.
9/8/2016
REMINDER about upcoming electronic fingerprint deadline
Effective October 1, 2016, all fingerprints associated with SON 346W must be
submitted electronically to the Office of Personnel Management, or the
fingerprint will be rejected. This will also result in the rejection of any
investigation requests if an electronic fingerprint is not received within
14 days of the investigation request being received by OPM. Click here to view the electronic fingerprint capture options for Industry.
9/8/2016
Tier 5 Implementation of Federal Investigative Standards
In December 2012, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) jointly issued revised federal
investigative standards on the conduct of background investigations for
individuals that work for, or on behalf of, the federal government in order
to bring consistency to investigative quality expectations. Effective Oct.
1, 2016, the Tier 5 investigation is being implemented as part of the phased
approach for implementation of the federal investigative standards. As a
result, the Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) is being replaced
with the Tier 5 investigation when Top Secret and SCI access to classified
information are required.(more)
Effective Oct. 1, 2016, users may notice the Tier 5 investigations versus
SSBI when reviewing investigative information in JPAS; for example, an
investigation line may appear as "T5 From OPM, Case #: 16000000 RECEIVED,
Closing Action: , Seriousness: , File Available: N" vice "SSBI From OPM,
Case #: 16000000 RECEIVED, Closing Action: , Seriousness: , File Available:
N". Periodic Reinvestigation will be designated as "T5R" to represent Tier 5
Reinvestigation, substituting SBPR.
9/7/2016
DIA Update: On Feb. 10, 2016, the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF)
signed an Action Memo that directed the transfer of the DoD SCI adjudicative
mission from the Defense Intelligence Agency Central Adjudication Facility
to the DoD Consolidated Adjudication Facility. The agreed IOC date for this
transfer was July 1, 2016. For more information about this transfer please
submit your questions to 4thestatetransinfo@dodiis.mil. For all other
inquiries email DIActrAdjudications@dodiis.mil. Answers to frequently asked
questions regarding DIA conducting SCI determinations can be found here
9/1/2016
Access the recent Interim
Determination Process webinar slides and audio recording here.
8/11/2016
Personnel security inquiries to include e-QIP (option #2) of the DSS Knowledge Center will be unavailable on Monday, August 15, 2016, but will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.
7/28/2016
AskPSMO-I Presents: Interim Determinations Process.
The PSMO-I will host
this webinar on Aug. 11, at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Please register for the webinar
here
There will be a live Q&A; session during this webinar. Please submit your PCL
related questions to dss.ncr.dss-isfo.mbx.psmo-i@mail.mil to be answered
during the webinar session. Please note status inquiries will not be
addressed. Please call the DSS Knowledge Center at (888) 282-7682 (select
Option #2 for PSMO) for questions related to individual cases.
7/22/2016
2016 Industry interim Secret determinations
Effective August 1, 2016, Industry interim Secret determinations will be based on the following: Acceptable proof of citizenship, favorable review of a completed Standard Form 86, favorable review of local personnel, base, military police, medical, and security records as applicable, an appropriate investigation opened by the Investigation Service Provider, and favorable review of the Federal Bureau Investigations Criminal History Report (fingerprint report). The interim Secret determination will be processed after the Personnel Security Management Office for Industry submits the investigation request to the Office of Personnel Management and receives the fingerprint results.
7/6/2016
Personnel Security Investigation for Industry (PSI-I) Update
To stay within its budget authority for PSI-Is, DSS metered the expenditure of PSI-I funds and maintained a daily limit on the number of cases submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
(more)
This limit caused a delay in processing industry submissions to OPM, increasing the inventory workload. DSS recently received additional funding for the PSI-I program through a reprogramming approved by Congress. With this reprogramming, DSS will continue to process all PSI-I requests and will continue to work down the inventory. As a result, industry should begin to see improved timelines. Industry should continue to submit initial requests as well as requests for periodic reinvestigations. DSS will continue to monitor the PSI-I program and its expenditures.
4/21/2016
The Electronic Fingerprint Guide has been updated. To view, click here.
2/24/2016
Current OPM investigation inventory and investigation timelines:
On Feb. 9, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provided an update on
the timeliness of personnel security investigations for awareness.
(more)
The current OPM investigation inventory is 464,800. In addition, OPM reported
that the inventory of fieldwork intensive cases continues to increase.
Current investigation timelines:
SSBI - 230 days
SSBI PR - 275 days
Phase PR - 204 days
T3 - 74 days
T3R - 75 days
2/24/2016
PSMO will be hosting a webinar entitled "PSMO Updates" on March 22, 2016 at
1:30 p.m. EDT. Click here for more information and to register.
2/16/2016
Effective October 1, 2016, all fingerprints associated with SON 346W, must be submitted electronically to OPM or the fingerprint will be rejected. This will also result in the rejection of any investigation request if an electronic fingerprint is not received within 14 days of the investigation request being received by OPM. (more)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence issued a requirement for Department of Defense (DoD) components to begin transition to electronic capture and submission of fingerprint images in support of all background investigations by December 31, 2013. The National Industrial Security Program (NISP) is among the leading components in submitting electronic fingerprints to Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT) application with more than 6,500 electronic fingerprints submitted to OPM in December 2015 and less than one percent, or just 99 fingerprint cards, submitted in hardcopy. The Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) will be contacting the Facility Security Officer and Requesting Official of recent companies submitting hardcopy fingerprints in order to close the gap and achieve 100 percent electronic submission. Click here to view the electronic fingerprint capture options for Industry.
1/15/2016
PSMO-I resumes processing SF86 submissions to OPM
Effective, January 4, 2016, the Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) resumed processing SF86 investigation requests to the Office of Personnel Management upon receiving funding for the Personnel Security Investigations for Industry. (more)
The workload in the JPAS queue is approximately 10,000 with the oldest request dating back to mid-December. PMSO-I is projecting mid-April 2016 to achieve normal processing within the 2-day time frame.
Questions be directed to AskPSMO-I@dss.mil.
1/11/2016
OPM processing timelines have been updated. Click here to view. Please keep these metrics in mind before submitting status checks to AskPSMO-I@dss.mil as OPM is still experiencing some delays in processing.
12/21/2015
Click-to-Sign Users
When an applicant ops-out of click-to-sign (C2S), please submit signature pages within three business days from the date an investigation request is sent to the Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I). (more)
The signature pages can be transmitted to PSMO-I via Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) (https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/SAFE/). Please complete the SAFE request, following these specific instructions: Annotate "SF86 Signature Pages" in the Description of File(s) box and click2sign@dss.mil in the Recipient Information Email Address box. When manually entering the click2sign@dss.mil email address, ignore the warning "Do not send SAFE packages to group email accounts." Under Email Settings select the first three checkboxes only, Encryption and Notifications. Please upload the signature pages as separate documents using the following naming convention: LAST NAME.PAGE TYPE.DOCUMENT TYPE. For the page type please use: CER for the certification page, REL for the general release, FCR for the credit release and MED for the medical release. Naming convention example: "Smith.CERT.pdf".
11/17/2015
The PSMO-I will be hosting another informational webinar introducing Click
to Sign on 20 November at 130PM EST. To register for this webinar or future
dates, click here.
11/17/2015
Effective December 1, 2015, the Defense Security Service (DSS), Personnel
Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) will accept requests for
periodic reinvestigation that are within 90 days of the investigation
anniversary date.
(more)
This is a change from the current 180-day timeframe.
Requests initiated prior to December 1st under the 180 day timeframe will
NOT be rejected by PSMO-I and will be processed as normal.
11/10/2015
Click here for information regarding OPM INV 41 (Investigative Request for Employment Data and Supervisor Information), as well as Tier 3 Implementation.
11/05/2015
Effective December 1, 2015, the DSS Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) will accept requests for periodic reinvestigation that are within 90 days of the investigation anniversary date. This is a change from the current 180-day timeframe. Requests initiated prior to December 1 under the 180 day timeframe will NOT be rejected by PSMO-I and will be processed as normal.
10/30/2015
The PSMO-I will be hosting a series of Click to Sign Informational Webinars click here for more information.
10/09/2015
Tier 3 Implementation of Federal Investigative Standards
(more)
9/30/2015
Fingerprints required to schedule an Investigation and within 14 days of receipt by OPM
(more)
Beginning on October 1, 2015 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will enforce the requirement for fingerprints to be received before OPM will schedule the investigation. Upon receipt of an investigation request, OPM will hold the e-QIP up to 14 calendar days waiting for fingerprints. If the fingerprints are not received within the 14 days, OPM will return the investigation request as unacceptable. Fingerprints should be sent to OPM prior to submitting the investigation request, as fingerprint submissions are valid for 120 days and OPM will complete a Special Agency Check (SAC) and merge the SAC results with investigation requests received subsequently. Click here for more details.
8/19/2015
e-QIP Registration Code Solution for Investigation Requests and Processing of Periodic Reinvestigations
(more)
Effective immediately, JPAS will provide the initiating Security Management Office (SMO) a JPAS Notification containing e-QIP user instructions with Registration Code. This solution is in place for e-QIP requests initiated via JPAS after 8:00 PM ET on August 19, 2015. Investigation requests initiated prior to this date and time will continue to follow the manual process and require submission of JPAS RRU or contact with the DoD Security Services (Call) Center to obtain the Registration Code. Click here for more details. Also, effective immediately, DSS is accepting and processing requests for periodic reinvestigations.
8/04/2015
Stop Manual Process of SF86:
Effective immediately, DSS will no longer process manual submissions of the SF86 per the DNI memo "Interim Procedures during the Temporary Suspension of e-QIP" dated July 2, 2015. (more)
Please submit investigation requests via the instructions provided 3 August
2015.
8/03/2015
e-QIP is now operational for Industry (more)
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) made numerous changes to increase
the security of the e-QIP system. These improvements enhance password
protections, secure transmission of data within the application, and
implement protections against external threats. The enhanced security
process includes a new PIN, named "Registration Code." Prioritization of
investigation requests should be limited to initial investigations, unless
periodic reinvestigation request is mission critical or KMP. (Note: This
process will remain in place until an automated solution between e-QIP and
JPAS is implemented.) In order for existing applicants or new applicants to
log onto e-QIP, FSOs must follow these instructions:
Existing e-QIP Industry Applicants (applicants in-process when e-QIP was
temporarily suspended):
FSO must validate the applicant still requires a background investigation to
access classified information. If not, post a separation date in JPAS and no
further action is required. If yes, either submit an RRU (Research) to DoD
CAF-IND or contact the DoD Security Services Call Center (888) 282-7682 to
request e-QIP Authentication Reset. (Please select only one method)
New Initiations of Industry Applicants:
If a new applicant is needed to support a classified contract, FSO can
initiate applicant in JPAS and, until further notice, submit an RRU
(Research) to DoD CAF-IND or contact the DoD Security Services Call Center
(888) 282-7682 to request e-QIP Registration Code. (Please select only one
method)
5/07/2015
Visit the DoDCAF's newly launched website:
http://www.dodcaf.whs.mil
5/07/2015
Recent ASKPSMO-I Webinar slides and audio recording have been uploaded,
please click here to access archived materials.
3/27/2015
Attention FSOs: (more)
JPAS users are prohibited from looking up subjects of whom they have no need-to-know or authority. For more information, click here.
3/17/2015
ATTENTION: The PSMO-I fax number has changed. (more)
Please send your relevant documents (i.e., SF312s, etc.) to (571)305-6011 or psmo-i.fax@dss.mil. If you have any questions, email the PSMO at AskPSMO-I@dss.mil.
1/23/2015
Data Quality Initiative 85299 - Overdue PRs result in downgrade (more)
On 1/22/2015, a Data Quality Initiative (DQI 85299) was run in coordination with USD(I), DSS and DMDC. After 30 days of non-compliance to the request for an investigation request, personnel that had an overdue periodic reinvestigation (PR) were downgraded to an eligibility level compliant with the scope of their last investigation. The previous eligibility may be recertified upon the successful submission of a PR. If any records were affected in error, please submit a "Research Eligibility" (RRU) in JPAS to the DoD CAF Industry division and we will promptly review the record for possible correction.
12/19/2014
Complying with DNI Memo, "Strategy to Reduce the Periodic Reinvestigation Backlog Using a Risk-Based Approach" (more)
To complete the requirements identified in the Director of National Intelligence memo, "Strategy to Reduce the Periodic Reinvestigation Backlog Using a Risk-Based Approach," the Defense Manpower Data Center, the Defense Security Service and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence created Data Quality Initiative (DQI) 838, which will downgrade INDUSTRY ONLY subjects with an overdue Periodic Reinvestigation (PR) who have not complied with official notifications. DQI 838 is scheduled to run in early January 2015.
In order to maintain in-scope eligibilities for subjects with Industry categories in JPAS, a PR must be submitted. Corresponding accesses will also be removed during these downgrades (DQI 597), and record archive rules will still be in effect. If you believe there was an error made, you may submit an RRU to DOD CAF Industry for possible correction.
For more information, visit Defense Manpower Data Center - PSA Division / JPAS website at: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/psawebdocs/docPage.jsp?p=JPAS.
11/13/2014
The PSMO-I has updated Option 4 of the eFP Implementation Guide, for more information click here.
10/27/2014
DMDC has released new guidance on overdue Periodic Reinvestigations click here for information.
10/07/2014
Click here to register for the upcoming AskPSMO-I webinar, "Security Violations" on Oct. 28, 2014. For questions about webinar registration, please contact AskPSMO-I@dss.mil.
04/16/2014
Next AskPSMO-I webinar
03/11/2014
Click here to access the most recent JPAS Functional Release Notes.
02/19/2014
JPAS Account Holders, please click here for information regarding new policy affecting Inactive JPAS Accounts
02/10/2014
An updated Electronic Fingerprint Capture Options for Industry guide can be found here
01/07/2014
Personnel Security Investigations for Industry Submission Update
01/06/2014
The December 2013 deadline for implementing an eFP solution has passed. Still need help implementing a solution? Click here for more details.
12/19/2013
The December 2013 electronic fingerprint deadline is quickly approaching. Still need help implementing a solution? Click here for more details.
12/11/2013
PSMO-I Releases Updated RRU Guidance
11/01/2013
The Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) has moved! Our new contact information is as follows:
10/24/2013
Resumption of PSI-I processing
10/15/2013
Webinar Cancellation Notice:
09/09/2013
View latest AskPSMO-I Webinar here
09/06/2013
Correction made to SF-312 Webinar re: Oral Attestation
08/28/2013
Updated guide for Electronic Fingerprint Capture Options for Industry
08/27/2013
DSS will resume processing Top Secret PRs for industry
08/15/2013
Sign up for the upcoming AskPSMO-I webinar.
07/30/2013
New PSMO-I Trifold 2013 posted
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