Identity management has become an important part of our homeland security since September 11, 2001 and it directly affects you, the Federal employee and Federal contractor. The 9/11 Commission Report recommended screening people with biometric identifiers across agencies and governments as one of its global strategies to protect against terrorist attacks.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) developed the USAccess program as an efficient way for Federal agencies to issue common HSPD-12 approved credentials to their employees and contractors. You will receive a USAccess credential if your agency has elected to participate in the USAccess Program. (You may hear the credential referred to as some other name within your agency because some agencies have opted to re-brand their program and credential.)
Most of the contents of this page are also printed in the About The USAccess Credential Guide.
Why Do I Need This Card?
As a Federal employee or contractor, you may need your USAccess credential in order to gain access to buildings and systems for which you are authorized. Over time, all existing Federally issued badges will be replaced with a PIV-compliant credential. Without a PIV credential, you may not be able to enter certain buildings, or will need to be registered as a guest.
What Information about Me is Stored on This Card?
The credential itself displays a printed picture of your face, your full name, agency, organization, credential expiration date, credential serial number, agency particular data and an issuer identification number. The credential also stores a Personal Identification Number (PIN), two electronic fingerprint templates, and digital certificates for functions such as authenticating the credential holder, digital signatures, and encrypting email.
How Does This Credential Ensure My Security?
An important mission of HSPD-12 and the USAccess program is to ensure that a person can easily and quickly identify him or herself reliably and to any federal agency using a single credential. With your USAccess credential, you can easily identify yourself, and more importantly, trust the identity of other USAccess credential holders.
Your Roles and Responsibilities as a Credential Holder
As a USAccess credential holder, you have important responsibilities to do your part to safeguard the security of the nation, your fellow employees, and yourself.
1. Safeguard Your PIN:
When your card becomes activated, you will be prompted to select a unique PIN. Your new PIN:
- Must contain 6-8 numbers
- Must not be too simple (e.g., 1234)
- Must not contain number strings (e.g., 4444)
- Must be correctly confirmed
IMPORTANT: Never store your PIN with your USAccess credential or share this information
2. Report Lost or Stolen Cards Immediately:
Contact your agency’s Security Officer if you have lost your credential or believe it has been tampered with. Your current credential will be terminated, and the process for issuing you a new credential will be initiated.
3. Know Your Privacy Rights:
View the complete directives and policies governing the USAccess program available on this Web site and the USAccess Privacy Statement. It is important that you understand how data is collected and stored for your USAccess credential not only for you security, but as a reminder of how important is is to protect and safeguard your credential.
Maintaining Your USAccess Credential
It is your responsibility to protect your USAccess credential and exercise the same care with it as you do with other identification credentials. For best protection, please keep your card in your badge holder when not in use.
Other Protective Measures:
- Do not mark on, punch holes in, or bend our credential, as this will void the card warranty and could cause the protective plastic covering to peel away prematurely.
- Do not scratch the magnetic stripe on your credential
- Avoid storing your credential in areas subject to excessive heat (e.g., clothes dryer) or in direct sunlight (e.g. car dashboards) as the card could warp.
- Do not allow the credential near magnetic fields (e.g., stereo equipment, magnets, or other magnetic stripe cards, etc.)
Updating or Rekeying Your Credential Certificates
Your USAccess credential contains digital certificates. The certificates must be renewed 3 years after initial activation to keep your credential active. The start of the 3 year period begins on the day your credential is activated when the certificates are encoded on your card. As the certificate renewal date of your credential nears you will be contacted by email (i.e., 90, 60 and 30 days before expiration) to make an appointment at a nearby enrollment/activation center to update the certificates. If you do not update your certificates your credential will be terminated.
Renewing Your Credential:
Your USAccess credential is active for a period of 5 years. The credential expiration date appears on the front of your credential. As the expiration date of your credential nears, you will be notified by email to make an appointment at a nearby enrollment/activation center to renew your credential.