After hacks, OPM turns to paper background checks

By Nicole Duran, Nicole Duran

Published December 20, 2015

The Office of Personnel Management is going old school.

Late Thursday, OPM ordered all federal agencies to use paper questionnaires for background checks. On Monday, the government's human resources agency temporarily shutdown its electronic system for processing security clearances and background checks on potential government employees and contractors.

For up to six weeks, the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing, or e-QIP, system is offline after OPM determined that the web-based platform is vulnerable to hacking.

OPM issued the memo on interim procedures with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It allows agencies to continue initiating background investigations for up to secret-level clearances, although the memo states there is no temporary way to handle top-secret levels.