Roles & Responsibilities
There are many roles and responsibilities included in the USAccess program. These roles include:
The activator is the individual who is responsible for processing USAccess PIV credential activations. The activator verifies that an applicant is the person to whom a USAccess credential is to be issued and guides the applicant through the activation process. Activators close the chain of trust begun by the registrar when they verify the identity of an applicant activating a credential. The activator may also create requests to unlock credentials and reset cards.
Activators are subject to the directive that all departments and agencies shall implement the PIV system in accordance with the spirit and letter of all federal privacy laws and policies.
The agency adjudicator is the individual who is authorized to record or update the status of adjudication result for an applicant in the USAccess system. A positive adjudication result will initiate the PIV credential issuance process. The adjudicator is assigned to this role by the agency's role administrator. You must hold a valid PIV credential, receive training, and be certified before you can be assigned the adjudicator role. The adjudicator serves as a gatekeeper to the granting of PIV credentials. Being in a position of such trust requires that the individual serving as the adjudicator to be fully aware of all federal privacy laws and policies.
Adjudicators are subject to the directive that all departments and agencies shall implement the PIV system in accordance with the spirit and letter of all federal privacy laws and policies.
The registrar is the individual who has the important role of ensuring that federal government employees and contractors are properly identity proofed and issued policy compliant credentials, which the federal government can use for authentication. Your roles as a PIV credential holder and registrar for the USAccess program are essential to maintaining its security and integrity.
Prior to assuming this role, you will be required to be trained in these areas:
- Overview and background information about the USAccess program;
- Comprehension of the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credential and its use;
- Specific requirements for performing the registrar role in the USAccess system, including the proper procedures for identity proofing and fingerprinting applicants;
- How to manage and operate the credentialing center, and;
- Requisite material for applying the appropriate security measures and protecting personal privacy information.
The agency role administrator is the individual responsible for managing the agency's sponsor, adjudicator, registrar, security officer, and activator roles. Being in a position of such trust also requires that person to be fully aware of all federal privacy laws and policies. The agency role administrator must be designated in writing by a senior level agency official. Aside from any agency-required training and experience, the role administrator needs to be trained and certified to work within the USAccess system.
It is the role administrator's responsibility to:
- Verify that the appropriate separation of duties policies are followed;
- Verify that all training certification requirements have been met.
The agency role administrator is not allowed to perform any other role in the PIV process. This prevents the ability to both assign and perform the roles, adhering to the separation of duties requirement.
Role Administrators are subject to the directive that all departments and agencies shall implement the PIV system in accordance with the spirit and letter of all federal privacy laws and policies.
The security officer has multiple duties within the USAccess system. It is the security officer's responsibility to:
- Batch importing sponsorship records;
- Review identity documents flagged by the USAccess registrar as requiring more validation and investigating any potential identity impersonation events;
- Suspend and terminate credentials for security related threats;
- Collect and destroy credentials at termination of employment, and;
- Act as the interface for his or her agency for any inquiries on specific identity issues as related to law enforcement activities.
The sponsor is the individual responsible for ensuring that federal government employees and contractors are issued policy compliant credentials that the federal government can use for authentication. The sponsor is the individual responsible for creating PIV records in the USAccess system. In many agencies, the sponsor serves as a gate keeper, determining who the agency will sponsor for enrollment. The sponsor is the only person who can create, edit, and manage USAccess PIV records. A sponsor has the ability to perform many tasks, such as:
- Edit biographic data and sponsorship information;
- Select the address where an applicant's credential will be delivered;
- Reassign sponsorship;
- Request credential reissuance, prints, and certificate updates, and;
- Resend sponsorship complete and credential check-in emails.
USAccess Sponsors are subject to the directive that all departments and agencies shall implement the PIV system in accordance with the spirit and letter of all federal privacy laws and policies.
Agency Lead Portal (ALP)
The Agency Lead Portal (ALP) is a secure password protected website built for agency participants in the USAccess program. Access is granted through the General Services Administration - Managed Service Office (GSA MSO) and is restricted to employees and approved contractors of USAccess participating agencies. If you feel you need access to the Agency Lead Portal, you may request credentials from GSA by completing Submit a Question form and choosing Access to the Agency Lead Portal from the Nature of Request drop down list.
The site contains important information on deployment plans, schedules, and signage to put a USAccess Credentialing Center into service. The GSA MSO uses this site to maintain operational documentation and to collaborate with customers about future program developments. It also houses Registrar Refresher Training presentations, security tips that appear in the Blue Top Newsletter, job aids, and other training and reference materials.
Follow the link below to access the Agency Lead Portal:
https://usaccess-alp.gsa.gov
If you are having a problem accessing the Agency Lead Portal or do not remember your login information please contact us using the Submit a Question form. Choose Problem with Agency Lead Portal Credentials from the Nature of Request drop down list and explain the problem in the problem in the request field.