IACS Certification FAQs

1.I don't know who my first approver is?
For Security Officials your first approver is EUS. For UGA and BSO roles, your first approver is the SO. For all other roles, your first approver will be either your UGA or SO. EUS cannot approve certification requests for any role other than SO. Please note EUS is not able to provide users with an organization's SO information.
2.Does EUS require that I submit my organization's IRS documents again for my certification?
EUS will only require IRS document during the verification process if irregularities are indentified between what EUS has on file and the information a SO has on their certification request. EUS will contact SOs via email if additional information is required.
3.Why is EUS calling to verify my employment and SO role?
EUS must verify employment and role on all certification requests.
4.What is an Anniversary Date?
The Anniversary Date is also the certification due date. It's the initial month and day the IACS user's login information was created; month/day IACS request was approved. For instance, a user with a anniversary date of February 14th will receive an email with certification details on January 1st; 45-days before February 14th.
5.The person who approved my request initially is gone. What do I do?
If that individual had the role of UGA, then either the new UGA or the SO will approve your request. If the individual had the role of SO, your organization should have replaced that SO with a new SO, who will be responsible for approving your certification request.
6.Why do I need to recertify?
Annual certification is necessary for all CMS applications and is also a required security control according to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002.
7.What happens if I don't recertify within 45-days?
You will receive an email advising you that your account has been archived. Should you attempt to login to IACS after being archived a message will appear that the account cannot be found. To obtain an IACS account after your account has been archived, you will need to go through the initial SO vetting process again.
8.How will I know if my certification request was received?
Once your certification request is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. Your fist approver will also receive an email letting them know a pending request is in their IACS queue.
9.What am I suppose to write in the justification part of my certification?
This is a required field. The justification should be relevant to the certification process and that information could be used for IACS account audits. Example justification, 'Annual Certification requirement'. Please contact your first approver for suggestions or requirements for this field.
10.I haven't received any emails or other forms of notification that I need to certify, yet, my account is archived. What should I do?
Once your user account has been archived, you will be required to go through New User Registration to establish a new account. EUS cannot re-enable archived accounts. EUS recommends users to keep their profiles up to date with contact information especially your email address.
11.I submitted my recertification request but I am still receiving emails indicating that I need to recertify. What should I do?
Until your first approver completes the request within IACS, you may receive emails asking you to recertify. EUS recommends contacting your first approver and verifying that they have your request pending. If they have your requesting pending, do not submit another recertification request. Once the first approver has approved your request, you will stop receiving the certification emails.
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