High Hopes for New Background Investigation System
A new information technology system from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is set to improve how the federal government conducts background investigations.
More than 4.08 million individuals hold a federal security clearance, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), National Counterintelligence and Security Center’s Annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations. And it can take federal agencies more than 500 days to process security clearance cases, including background investigations.
The agency that conducts 95 percent of such activities, the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is facing 710,000 unfinished investigations, NBIB Director Charles Phalen reported to Congress this spring.
Leaders hope that the new National Background Investigation System, known as NBIS, will help clear this backlog.
DISA led the development and implementation of NBIS, including designing, building, testing, fielding, operating, maintaining and securing the system. DISA unveiled NBIS at AFCEA’s Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium (DCOS) in Baltimore last month.
Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, USN, director of DISA and commander of the Joint Force Headquarters–Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN), explained at DCOS that NBIS uses an integrated case management system with an automated workflow and automatic validation of data from multiple sources. The system will collect and validate submitted information, validate previous security clearance investigations and maintain security, she said.
Users will submit security clearance background investigation application forms through a new interface called eAPP, according to DISA.
“This is going to dramatically improve how our government conducts our background investigations,” Adm. Norton stressed.
Phalen purported that NBIS will help increase efficiencies. In addition to serving as NBIB’s IT system to perform background investigations, NBIS will also be a platform for shared services for the end-to-end processes for all government agencies and departments, he said.
DISA was tasked in 2016 with creating an IT system to support NBIB’s background investigations of all federal civilian employees, military personnel and contractors. NBIS will replace NBIB’s legacy background investigation system.
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Still nothing has changed.
Still nothing has changed. Still using E-qip through OPM for the NBIB. I have submitted the clearance request form 4 times over a 6 month period for it to continue to return with the smallest of errors resulting in 6 months of not being able to work at my actual job i am paid to do nor the invstigation even being started.
In 6 months of having my form sent back here are some examples why- a middle inital of a neighbor or being sure I write the same cell phone number in all spaces for that contacts phone number- such as placing the cell number in all 3 home, work and cell space. Am i sure my mother did not take my fathers name. Again still no investigation has been started. Very very very frustrating and a poor system still in place. They are either buying time or pretending to be doing a 'thorough job" during a time we abusively waste tax payer dollars. I'm not sure what the investigators get paid to do if they are incapable of finding someone without a middle initial or using the cell number even if i leave the home and work blank because I dont have a home or work number for someone from 5 years ago or even today.
I am told to track down contact numbers and email addresses of people and places I haven't spoken to, ever met face to face or visited in years as though i myself am investigating myself.
These are the problems of why these BI's are taking so long. Please continue to follow this story i have a good mind of continuously report this to fraud waste and abuse department as it is out of control in how long these BIs are taking.
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