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Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12

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HSPD-12
Credentialing Centers
Using Your LincPass

Welcome

All employees and contractors working for USDA must be issued a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card, known as LincPass. This Web site is your resource for details on USDA’s LincPass. This effort is part of the entire Federal Government’s move toward compliance with the President’s Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (the Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors), commonly known as HSPD-12.

About HSPD-12 and the LincPass

HSPD-12 was issued on August 12, 2004 and calls for a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable ID for all of its employees and employees of federal contractors to access federally-controlled facilities and networks. Based upon this directive, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) developed Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS Pub) 201. USDA’s LincPass card is designed to link a person’s identity to an ID credential and the credential to a person’s ability to physically and logically access federally controlled buildings and information systems, respectively.

To implement the LincPass and the associated credentialing process, USDA is participating in the General Services Administration (GSA) Managed Service Offices (MSO) Shared Services solution called USAccess. Issuing a LincPass is a multi-step process involving several HSPD-12 role holders in addition to the LincPass Applicant.

An applicant’s LincPass lifecycle includes the following:
  1. Enrollment
  2. Card Pick-Up and Activation
  3. Card Maintenance
     • Required LincPass Certificate update at the 3-year mark
     • Required LincPass Renewal at the 5-year mark
To find out more about HSPD-12, please read the HSPD-12 Overview
Site Updated: 10/26/2020     
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