The Adjudication Branch located within the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC) has the authority delegated by The Health and Human Services, Office of Security under Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, part 731 (5 CFR731) to make suitability determinations and take suitability actions in cases involving covered positions for Federal employees, fitness for contractors and affiliates that are subject to a background investigation.

Public service requires high standards of integrity and trust to promote the interests of the public.

Adjudication Process:

The adjudication process is an examination of a sufficient period of a person's life to make an affirmative determination that the person is an acceptable security risk. The adjudication process is the careful weighing of several variables known as the whole person concept.  It contains available, reliable information about the person, past and present. The final suitability determination should be based on a person's identifiable character traits and conduct sufficient to decide whether employment or continued employment would or would not protect the integrity or promote the efficiency of the service after consideration of all these variables.  Favorable and unfavorable information will be considered in reaching a determination.

The following 5 steps describe the adjudication process. Please click on each of them for more detail.