Background Investigation Process
In compliance with the standards established in Homeland Security
Presidential Directive HSPD-12, Independent Contractors are required
to complete a background investigation process as a condition of being eligible
to perform disaster housing inspections for FEMA. This background process consists
of two parts, which are:
1. Submitting fingerprints for an FBI background check, and
2. Completing an Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP).
PLEASE NOTE: You will be eligible to complete
the background investigation process AFTER you have successfully completed
the initial online training tutorials and have received your inspector id. Completing this process and receiving a “favorable” determination
is required in order to be considered eligible for deployment to the field.
Now that you know what is required, let’s get started! Please follow each
step in the order provided below. If you need assistance
along the way, please contact us via email at
background@parrinspections.com, or call 1-800-758-0362 and select
option #1 if you have an inspector i.d., or option #4 if you do not.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING YOUR BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION PROCESS:
1.
Complete your initial on-line training and receive your inspector id number.
2.
Print the SF-85P form with instructions provided here and fill in the required information.
This is the information you will use to complete your on-line e-QIP later. Filling
out this form now will make completing your on-line form much easier and take less
time.
3.
Fax a copy of your completed SF-85P to PaRR's fax-to-email line at (877) 652-3126.
We will review the completed paper form for you and provide feedback in order to
prevent any delays once you submit your official electronic on-line form. Once your
paper form is received and acknowledged by PaRR, you will be eligible to enroll in a Mock Inspection class
and to have your fingerprints taken.
4.
Arrange to have your fingerprints taken. You have two (2) options:
a)
BEST OPTION:
Enroll in a Mock Inspection Class where fingerprinting is provided.
PaRR will provide fingerprinting services at most classes at no cost to you. PaRR
will submit your prints to FEMA for processing and notify you when we receive your
results. This should take no more than 7-10 days.
b)
If you are unable to be fingerprinted in a Mock Inspection Class, contact PaRR via email at background@parrinspections.com and
request that a fingerprint packet be sent to you. Once
received, verify the contents of your packet. Your packet will contain FOUR (4)
blank fingerprint cards, a pre-addressed return envelope, along with
each of the following documents. Links to each of these documents are provided here
as well for your convenience.
Review the instructions carefully, complete your packet and return
it to PaRR Inspections in the envelope provided Once received
by PaRR, we will submit your packet to FEMA for processing and notify you of your
results as soon as received. Be patient, as processing by FEMA may take 4-6 weeks.
c)
Once you receive a Favorable determination from your
fingerprints, a PaRR associate will
contact you to initiate your e-Qip, enabling you to access and complete your on-line questionaire by following the instructions below and using the
SF-85P form you completed earlier.
Electronic
Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) – Now that you are fingerprint
“favorable”, you are ready to complete your e-QIP by following the step-by-step
instructions below. A PaRR associate will soon contact you to assist you in accessing
and completing your on-line e-QIP questionnaire. The process involves completing
and transmitting the on-line form, and then sending in a final e-QIP packet containing
certain documents as outlined below. The following documents are provided to help
you complete your e-QIP. Pay close attention, as those marked
SUBMIT
WITH PACKET must be printed, completed and returned to PaRR as part of your e-QIP
packet.
Step-by-Step
Instructions for Completing Your e-Qip. Please complete your online questionaire
by following these steps in the order given below: (For additional detail and further
explanation on each step, please refer to the E-Qip User's Guide provided above.)
1.
After you have been contacted by PaRR and your on-line form has been initiated,
make sure the security settings are correct on your computer by following the instructions
in the Computer Settings Guide and in the E-Qip User's Guide provided above.
2.
Access the OPM website and your on-line questionnaire by doing the following:
a)
Go to
www.opm.gov/e-qip/index.asp and
select “Enter e-QIP Applicant Site”.
b)
Check
your web browser compatibility and click “continue”.
c)
Enter
your social security number.
d)
On the Authentication screen, you will be asked to answer three (3) default Golden
Questions: your LAST name, your CITY of birth and your 4-DIGIT YEAR
of birth and they are CASE SENSITIVE. For LAST name and CITY of birth, the first
letter must be capitalized and each successive letter be in lower case. Example:
LAST name: Smith, CITY: Dallas, four digit YEAR of birth: 1970. Failure
to do so will result in you being unable to log on to your e-QIP. Click “submit”
when complete.
e)
Create
three (3) new Golden Questions as directed. Again, these are CASE SENSITIVE and
must be entered exactly the same way each time. Three failed attempts will lock
you out and your questions will have to be reset by a PaRR associate. We suggest
that you write these down exactly as entered just in case you have to leave the
questionnaire before it is completed.
f)
If you encounter any problems logging in, contact us and we will help you identify
and resolve the issue. You will now be taken to the beginning of the questionnaire.
3.
With your completed SF-85P in hand, complete your questionnaire by entering your
information and double checking your information for accuracy as you go to avoid
delays in processing.
4.
When you have completed all the questions as directed, you will select “Certify that
my answers are true”. Once certified, your answers are locked, so follow
directions closely to ensure accuracy.
5.
After certification, you need to print a PDF hardcopy of the completed questionnaire
to keep for your records. Do not send this to us in your completed
packet.
6.
After printing a copy for your records and before exiting the website, you
will need to print the three (3) signature pages to be completed and included in
your e-QIP packet. These include:
·
E-QIP CERTIFICATION FORM,
·
AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION, and
·
AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF MEDICAL INFORMATION.
7.
After printing these forms, you must then select “Release Request/Transmit to Agency”.
This transmits your completed e-QIP to FEMA and finalizes the on-line process.
You will no longer have access to your e-QIP information on-line.
8.
Assemble your e-QIP packet.
a)
Print and complete the following forms provided above to be included in you e-QIP
packet:
·
FEMA INVESTIGATION PACKET CHECKLIST
·
USA AUTHORIZATION TO OBTAIN CREDIT
·
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
·
DHS-FEMA FINGERPRINT REQUEST FORM 12-80
b)
Using the FEMA INVESTIGATION PACKET CHECKLIST as your guide, verify that
you have collected and completed all required forms by putting your initials next
to each form on the checklist.
c)
Put all required forms including the checklist in an envelope and send your packet
to PaRR Inspections using the address provided on your checklist. We recommend that
you request a verification of delivery when you put your packet in the mail.
d)
NOTE: FYI-Two current (dated within 12 months) fingerprint cards are required
to be submitted with your e-QIP packet. If you were printed within the past 12 months
and we have copies of those prints, we will add those to your packet for you. IF
NEW CARDS ARE NEEDED, WE WILL CONTACT YOU.
9.
Once received, we will review your packet to help avoid delays in processing and
contact you if anything is missing. We will then forward your packet to FEMA and
track its progress for you.
10.
PaRR will contact you as soon as we receive your determination results from FEMA.
REMEMBER:
We are here to help you complete your background investigation process quickly and
efficiently so that you are ready for deployment when a disaster strikes. So help
us help you by completing this process as soon as possible.
If you have questions regarding this process, please contact the Background Investigations
Department via e-mail at
background@parrinspections.com or call
1-800-758-0362, select option #1 if you have an inspector i.d. number and follow
the prompts for the background department. If you do not have an inspector
i.d. number, select option #4 for assistance.
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