DCSA Announces Transition to new 'intuitive' NBIS eApp … – DVIDS

QUANTICO, Va. – The National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) eApplication (eApp) – a new and more user-friendly interface for applicants submitting standard investigative forms – is replacing the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) functionality, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) announced April 12.

The ‘NBIS eApp Transition’ Federal Investigations Notice 23-02 signed by DCSA Director William Lietzau describes the shift to eApp as a “sequential event to meet mandated requirements to transition from legacy systems to the NBIS technology solution.”

The onboarding – conducted in scheduled phases – and transition to NBIS eApp and NBIS Agency as the entry points for background investigation applications is already 90% complete among federal agencies with 11% of federal organizations completing the transition in full and no longer using eQIP. DCSA leaders report that industry is also making good progress in transitioning from eQIP to eApp.

NBIS Agency is the new application allowing security managers to process background applications and manage them through the investigation process. As a single-page solution, based on modern, simple design elements, eApp makes the application process via standard investigative forms more intuitive and easier to use for applicants initiating a background investigation.

Standard investigative forms initiate the background investigation and adjudication process for security clearance decisions and enrollment in the DCSA Continuous Vetting program – an ongoing screening process to review the background of individuals with access to classified information.

“All federal customer agencies should be transitioning users from eQIP accounts to NBIS eApp for the purposes of completing and processing investigative forms (SF86, SF85, SF85P, etc.) to support request for background investigations or enrollment in Continuous Vetting,” according to the Federal Investigations Notice. “DCSA agency liaisons and NBIS onboarding teams are available to assist agencies in this transition.”

NBIS customer agencies are required to begin using eApp to initiate applications, and its partner system, NBIS Agency by Oct. 1, 2023. To support this timeline for adoption, DCSA established an onboarding schedule prioritizing agencies by group depending on their complexity, requirements, and preparedness, among other considerations. At this point, more than 100 agencies have started using eApp (applications) and NBIS Agency (security management).

“As needed, additional guidance regarding eQIP decommissioning activities, such as handling of cases in progress, will be addressed in forthcoming investigative notices,” Lietzau explained in the Federal Investigations Notice to current and potential security clearance applicants who require security clearance approval for jobs in the federal government, Department of Defense, and cleared industry. “We look forward to continuing our partnership as we transition to NBIS. We value your efforts to date and appreciate your continued support through this process. We are here to support.”

Applicants and employees will discover improved access and transparency – compared to the legacy application – when signing into the eApp portal to initiate an investigation or enroll in the continuous evaluation program as directed by an agency that needs to process their personal security actions.

The e-App subject portal will allow better tracking of individual case status. The application itself will be easier to use while providing better information for vetting professionals. Applicants and employees will have the ability to save their applications more easily.

Moreover, eApp improves the overall user experience for applicants step by step throughout the application process from initiation to adjudication as follows:

• eApp is designed to improve the most challenging part of the background investigation process: the application.

• The SF86 investigation application legacy process is replaced with a smart, simple eApp platform guiding users through the application quickly.

• Efficient and effective eApp features – enabling users to complete the application in less time than ever before – includes timeline validation, automatic address checks, real-time feedback, and section previews.

• Real-time validation and help means less errors and less time required to get through the application process.

The eApp portal’s technology improvements feature a modern, user-friendly initiation with more intuitive and logical groupings; applicants only see questions relevant to them; auto saving; U.S. Postal Service address validation to reduce error rate; timeline validation to reduce incomplete or inaccurate input; real-time validation and error detection to catch errors sooner in the process reducing resubmission delays; consistent layout and visual design for smooth user engagement; and additional user help features built in system to provide clarity for users.

The NBIS eApp Transition Federal Investigations Notice 23-02 posted on the DCSA public website and can be accessed via this direct link: https://www.dcsa.mil/Portals/91/Documents/pv/GovHRSec/FINs/FY23/FIN_23-02_Transition_to_NBIS_eApp.pdf.