Suitability Adjudications
Questions and answers
The hiring agency will consider how or if information in an individual’s background, including information about their criminal history, will have any impact on their eligibility for the position, such as if there is a statutory or regulatory bar to employment or, as applicable, their eligibility to hold a personal identity verification (PIV) card, their suitability or fitness for the job, or their eligibility to hold a sensitive position. An individual may not be eligible for certain Federal jobs because specific statutes or laws prohibit employment depending on the crime committed. When evaluating an individual’s past criminal history record information to determine eligibility for a PIV, suitability or fitness, or eligibility to hold a sensitive position, the agency may consider the following:
- Potential conflicts between the criminal conduct and the core job duties or the mission of the agency.
- The nature, seriousness, and circumstance of the criminal activity.
- How long it is been since the criminal activity.
- Rehabilitation or efforts toward rehabilitation.
For more information about the standards and how these determinations are made, visit the following websites:
- Suitability standards: visit www.ecfr.gov and search for Title 5 CFR part 731 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-731
- Standards for Issuing a Personnel Identity Verification Credentials: https://www.opm.gov/suitability/suitability-executive-agent/policy/#url=HSPD-12
- National security standards: https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/Regulations/SEAD-4-Adjudicative-Guidelines-U.pdf