Effective June 12, 2014, the Postal Service™ will revise Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement, subchapter 56, to incorporate changes related to National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) and Special Agency Check with Inquiries (SACIs) investigations, as follows:
n The heading for section 56, which formerly read “OPM Investigations,” is updated since the Office of Personnel Management no longer processes these investigations.
n 561 is now headed General and addresses the type of investigation required for career and noncareer employees.
Content concerning NACI investigations formerly in part 561 is now in part 562. The formatting for part 562 is revised for ease of use and updated as follows:
n Item a now refers to the Office of Personnel Management instead of “OPM”.
n Item c combines item c and previous item f to more accurately state the content of the FBI Criminal History Check.
n Item e now contains the phrase “within the past 5 years” to more accurately state the scope of the criminal history conviction search.
n Language concerning automatic checks of military personnel records is eliminated.
562 now also states:
n When Human Resources initiates completion of the SF 85 for newly selected applicants for career appointments.
n That hand-printed SF 85s are not accepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Security Investigations Service Center (USPIS-SISC).
n That two sets of SF 87, Fingerprint Charts, are required.
n That fingerprints may be obtained from an electronic fingerprinting system.
n Exactly what must be submitted to USPIS-SISC to request a NACI.
n The address for USPIS-SISC.
n What may be submitted for an employee for whom a SACI was completed within the past 6 months.
n Content concerning SACI investigations formerly in part 562 is now in part 563. The formatting for 563 is revised for ease of use and iupdated with minor editorial changes.
n Content formerly in part 563 is moved to new part 564, which is titled Investigation Results. A new first paragraph has been added to state that results of NACI investigations are reviewed and adjudicated by personnel security professionals with the USPIS-SISC. The second paragraph is revised with minor editorial changes and to clarify that it addresses SACI investigations only. The last paragraph is revised with minor changes to clarify instructions for handling adjudicated NACI investigations and eliminate references to OPM.
Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement
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5 Suitability
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[Revise the title of 56 to read as follows:]
56 New Hire Investigations
[Insert new title for intro paragraph as part 561 and revise the text to read as follows:]
561 General
A National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) is required for newly selected career employees and a Special Agency Check with Inquiries (SACI) is required for newly selected noncareer employees.
[Renumber old part 561 as 562 and revise the text to read as follows:]
562 National Agency Check With Inquiries
The National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) consists of checks of:
a. The Office of Personnel Management’s Security/Suitability Investigations Index (SII).
b. Defense Clearance and Investigations Index (DCII).
c. Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal History Check (based on fingerprints and name).
d. Employment history (except postal employment) for the last 5 years.
e. Criminal conviction history in locations where the employee resided, worked, and went to school within the past 5 years.
f. Education verification.
g. References.
h. Residence verification.
Human Resources initiates completion of Standard Form (SF) 85, Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, no sooner than the date the job offer is made for newly selected applicants for career appointments.
n A fillable SF 85 form should be completed.
n Hand-printed SF 85s will not be accepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Security Investigations Service Center (USPIS-SISC) for processing.
The appointee must also be fingerprinted using one of the following methods:
n Two fingerprint cards must be provided on SF 87, Fingerprint Charts; or
n Fingerprints may be obtained through an electronic fingerprinting system (for example, LiveScan systems), printed and hardcopies submitted.
To request a NACI, hiring officials must submit:
a. A cover sheet;
b. The completed and signed SF 85;
c. A PS Form 2181-A, Pre-Employment Screening — Authorization and Release, dated within the past 12 months; and
d. The appointee’s fingerprints.
These items must be mailed to:
USPIS-SISC
ATTN: HR-NACI SECURITY CLEARANCES
225 N. HUMPHREYS BLVD, 4TH FL SOUTH
MEMPHIS, TN 38161-0001
If a NACI was completed for the initial appointment, a new NACI is not required when an individual is reappointed unless the individual had a break in service of more than 90 days.
If a SACI has been completed within the past 6 months, with no break in service, fingerprints are not required. Only the following are required:
a. SACI CCT (Closed Case Transmittal);
b. Current PS Form 2181-A;
c. SF-85; and
d. Cover sheet.
[Renumber old part 562 as 563 to read as follows:]
563 Special Agency Check With Inquiries
[Revise the first sentence of 563 to read as follows:]
The Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Special Agency Check with Inquiries (SACI) consists of checks of:***
[Revise the first sentence of the second paragraph to read as follows:]
As needed, OPM also performs checks of military personnel records (MILR). Office of Personnel Management–Investigative Services (OPM-IS) SF 86C, Special Agreement Check, August 1995 or later, must be completed by all newly selected noncareer applicants.***
[Revise the intro sentence as well as items a, b, and c to read as follows:]
To request a SACI, hiring officials must submit the following:
a. An SF 86C;
b. A copy of the employee’s signed PS Form 2591, Application for Employment; and
c. Fingerprints (electronically or on one SF 87 chart).
These items must be mailed to:
OPM-IS
FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS PROCESSING CENTER
BOYERS, PA 16018-0618
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[Renumber old part 563 as 564 and revise the text to read as follows:]
564 Investigation Results
Personnel security professionals, with the Postal Inspection Service’s Security Investigations Service Center (SISC), will review and adjudicate the results of the NACI.
For SACIs, two separate cases are set up in OPM’s system if:
a. Sending fingerprints electronically; or
b. The fingerprint submission is initiated first and the SACI questionnaire is submitted subsequently.
Therefore, Human Resources will receive a separate closing case transmittal (CCT) for each. The fingerprint request will be closed out by OPM and forwarded to Human Resources as soon as the fingerprint results are received from the FBI. The final CCT will integrate results from the initial fingerprint search with results of the other searches and inquiries.
Office of Personnel Management–Investigative Services (OPM-IS) will bill submitting offices monthly for services rendered during the previous month. OPM-IS will forward all results — except those that have potentially actionable issues from the Security/Suitability Investigations Index (SII) and the Defense Clearance and Investigations Index (DCII) — directly to the submitting Human Resources office in a single document within 60 calendar days. Human Resources verifies the disposition of any arrest record, including those shown as pending, and determines if additional investigation is necessary. OPM-IS will forward all results from the checks of the SII and DCII containing pertinent issues to the Inspection Service for follow-up attention.
A Certificate of Completed NACI Investigation is prepared and forwarded to the submitting office for favorably adjudicated NACI investigations. The submitting office is responsible for follow-up, as needed, to finalize the personal suitability determination and ensuring that the Certificate is filed in the employee’s electronic Official Personnel Folder. In cases where an unfavorable adjudication is made, the Inspection Service will notify the requester who, in turn, will notify the appropriate HR manager. The local Inspection Service Inspector in Charge is to be notified in all instances where administrative action, such as termination or removal, is taken in response to an investigation and the information becomes part of the disciplinary file. When information requires no action, the investigation documents, including any reports, statements, and correspondence, are placed in the employee’s preemployment investigation file. A log of requests and results should be maintained and available to the Inspection Service at least semi-annually for review.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement, which is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n Click Handbooks.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Human Resources (HQ),
Employee Resource Management, 6-12-14
