The Department of Defense updated its Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) with new procedures for contractors to annotate and maintain records for “break in access” and “break in employment.”
According to the new updates, if an employee no longer is required to access classified information (break in access), yet still remains employed by the contractor, the contractor must “debrief”, or remove the employee’s access. Plus, they must maintain the employee’s eligibility record in the JPAS Personnel Security Management Network (PSM Net) until the employee no longer works for the contractor. If an employee again requires access to classified information, the contractor must first update the employee’s access in JPAS.
Once a contractor terminates employment of an employee who has access to classified information (break in employment), the contractor eliminate access with JPAS. Plus, the contractor must add a separation date to the record and “out-process’ the employee’s eligibility record from the PSM Net.
If there is a break in employment for more than two years and the person wishes to access classified information, the employee must undergo a new investigation.
JPAS is the “DoD system of record” for recording clearance eligibility determinations and access to classified information. The goal of the JPAS is to standardize the adjudication process within DoD, provide an improved database and processes within the security manager realm of functions, and allow better communication between the central adjudication facility (CAF) and the security personnel in the field who actually give cleared individuals access to classified information.
