The Veterans Affairs Department is years behind implementation of HSPD-12 thanks in part to a credentialing system that lacks key functionality, says the VA inspector general.

In a report dated Sept. 30, auditors say the department has issued the standardized identity cards required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12--signed by President Bush in 2004--to only about 9 percent of its workforce. The HSPD-12 deadline for issuing identity cards was October 2008 and while many federal agencies have found the mandate difficult, an estimated 59 percent of the overall federal workforce received a card by March 2010, the report states.

At the VA's current card issuance rate of an average of 8,100 a month this past spring, the VA would require until 2017 to issue cards to its employees, the report states.

The slowness stems in part due to an issuance system that lacks the functionality to verify the identity of credential applicants, that cannot provide performance reports, and which hasn't been tested for high-volume capacity, the report states.

In addition, the system hasn't been properly certified and accredited to operate, meaning it's been working under an interim authority to operate since January 2008, auditors say.

Auditors also criticize the system for lacking safeguards to protect the personal identity information of card applicants, stating that system operators have had access to information such as the dates of birth and social security numbers of VA employees.

 For more:
- download the VA OIG report, 10-01575-262

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