Approach to Reform
Guided by the PAC, the goals of reform are being achieved through the following seven-step process. The PAC uses this construct regularly to define, focus and manage reform objectives and activities. The seven process modules provide the approach for reporting deliverables and measuring performance.
Approach Reform
VALIDATE NEED (VN)
For agencies that request investigations, Validate Need will provide a standard method to ensure that requests for investigations meet and do not exceed the needs of the positions being filled and do not duplicate prior investigations or adjudicative determinations that meet standards for those positions, thereby eliminating unnecessary investigations, improving timeliness, and reducing costs.
eAPPLICATION (eAPP)
For applicants and agency users who submit requests for background investigations, eApplication will collect information required for investigations, adjudications, and continuous evaluation through the use of information technology to minimize the need for manual review for data correction, leveraging storage of data to eliminate redundant data collection and support complete, accurate, and timely initiation of requests for investigations.
AUTOMATED RECORDS CHECKS (ARC)
For authorized investigating agencies and investigative service providers, ARC will provide an automated process to run subject data against appropriate government and validated commercial databases to collect, analyze, and validate data, and to flag potential issues, thereby providing cost, consistency, and time efficiencies.
eADJUDICATE (eADJ)
eAdjudication will provide standard sets of business rules to be computer executed for consistent, automated, electronic determinations, and provide adjudicative decision support tools.
ENHANCED SUBJECT INTERVIEW (ESI)
For investigators who interview subjects, ESI will provide a common framework for the complete collection and full development of favorable, unfavorable, and explanatory information from the subject.
EXPANDABLE FOCUSED INVESTIGATION (EFI)
For investigative service providers, EFI will provide a common framework to focus investigative resources on flagged cases to fully resolve all known and developed issues.
CONTINUOUS EVALUATION (CE)/PERIODIC REINVESTIGATION (PR)
For agencies with personnel who are eligible for access to classified information, CE will more frequently evaluate those personnel by using periodic, aperiodic, and event-driven assessments to better identify risks to national security.