Investigator Access

Agencies can typically provision limited access for internal investigations, but the PMO can support investigator requests if needed, e.g. background checks involving an agency and the FBI in which the agency requesting the investigation does not have access to the FBI agent's POID. 

NOTE: If you are provisioning SSN-limited access to an investigator, the SSN's profile must be active.

• If you try to save an access row in an Investigator's profile and the access row is limited by an SSN belonging to an inactive profile, you will receive a generic “Something went wrong” error message and be returned to your HR Professional Home page.

  • Confirm that the profile is inactive and should be inactive

  • If you need to audit the profile, submit a Help Desk ticket describing the need and the situation

Access requests should be submitted by the custodian of record, e.g. the Agency Point of Contact (POC) of the agency being investigated or, in the case of contractors, the employing agency. 

The request should be submitted as a Help Desk ticket. If anyone other than an Agency POC submits the request, the request must receive the Agency POC's explicit permission before processing, e.g. if the Agency POC is cc'd to the request, the Agency POC must reply to the ticket with "I approve this request".

Follow the steps below to ensure that your request is processed quickly and securely, and that access is authorized and provisioned appropriately.

Before you start

Confirm your Agency POC

All access requests must be approved by a designated Agency POC for the agency that is the custodian of record. 

• Agency eOPF POC list
• If your agency is not listed, contact senior HR employees at your agency for assistance to identify a course of action. Agency POCs are determined by the agency that they represent.

Download the Access Request template

Download the Access Request template at the bottom of the article. You will use this spreadsheet to document the request details and access limitations.

Step-by-step: Submit your limited access request

1) Draft an email to the eOPF Helpdesk

• Create an email to the eOPF Help Desk: eopfhelpdesk@eopf.opm.gov (Sending an email to this address will create a ticket for your request)
• Include in the subject line: Limited Access Request

2) Include the key details in your email

In the body of your email, describe your request for limited access and include as much relevant information as possible, such as:

• The nature of your request or why access is needed (e.g., a background check, audit, or other official purpose)

• Urgency and time sensitivity, if applicable:

  • Deadline (date/time and time zone)

  • Reason for urgency

  • Impact if not completed by that time

• Whether the requester is:
  • An internal employee investigating another internal employee, or
  • From an external agency, e.g. FBI for routine background checks
• Any other relevant or important information that will help the team understand the request and process it appropriately

3) Complete the Access Request spreadsheet

Fill out the template spreadsheet with as much detail as necessary to support your request.

Be sure to clearly document:

• The individuals involved (as required by the template)
• The scope of the request
• The access limitations you are requesting (limited access must be specific and narrowly defined)

4) Password-protect the spreadsheet

Before sending, password-protect the completed spreadsheet.

Attach the password-protected spreadsheet to your email to: eopfhelpdesk@eopf.opm.gov.

• Information on how to password protect a spreadsheet can be found on the Access Request Template article

5) Send the password separately

For security, send the password in a separate email to: eopfhelpdesk@eopf.opm.gov

What happens next

• You will receive an email confirmation that includes a ticket number for your request.
• A Customer Experience team member will reach out within 1 business day to confirm receipt and ask any necessary follow-up questions.
• When your request is complete, a team member will notify you.

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